Turkey Day!

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

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The Women of Video Games

Well, I'm noticing that I have somewhat of a theme going about women and how they are portrayed and such... so since this week's blog needed to be something relating to video games, I'll continue my theme.

I honestly never really noticed how sexist video games are until a class discussion about them; I don't know if I have been desensitized to it, or if it's because of the video games I play. I love the Final Fantasy games, and usually, the female character is at least equally as strong and important as the male character. Mortal Kombat is the same; female characters are equal. Other games I enjoy don't really take on any sexual role; in Little Big Planet, the player has the choice on how they want to decorate their little Sack Person, and can make it male or female.

I remember, however, getting really frustrated while watching the boyfriend play Resident Evil 4; especially when he unlocked the "special" outfit. The main character, Leon, has to save the U.S. President's daughter, Ashley. Can we say little bimbo? Especially when she gets her special outfit. She's almost totally helpless, completely dependent on Leon to save her. It's almost like she's some sort of prize; like she is this super sexy but fragile thing that needs to be rescued and protected. Chivalry is cool and all, but it's old. The only reason that women are not as capable as men are when it comes to fighting and defending is because society limits them; until recently, it was unfit for a women to be tough and physical. Games like Resident Evil 4 don't help this; how can women ever really learn to stand up for themselves if they are constantly being drilled with the message that they need to be protected?

The whole sexualization thing is also a big issue when it comes to video games; it's the Barbie scenario all over again. The majority of female video game characters look like Playboy models (and, we're talking, straight from the magazine, photoshopped and all). Big boobs, little waist, long, lean legs... will society ever learn?! I'd like to see a report on how many women look even relatively close to this fake image (and we're not counting the ones who have been altered in any way).

The somewhat comforting thought is that, even in the smallest way, game producers are slowly catching on to this. After many complaints of the characters in Final Fantasy X-2, the creators of Final Fantasy decided to make some changes. There are three main characters in FFX-2, all three being women. While they kick butt and do a lot of neat things that most female characters don't do, it's their appearances that's disturbing. All three are extremely, almost unrealistically thin. For sure not average female proportions, and no curves (with the exception of nice sized boobs). Also? You can change their outfits- and the majority of the outfits are, well... skimpy. While they're pretty cool concept wise, they're very revealing. And how necessary is that? Not very. However, because Square Enix received complaints about these characters, they decided to use French women to model their female characters after for Final Fantasy XII. The female characters for FFXII look much better, much more like real women, then do the girls from FFX-2.

Regardless, now that it has been brought to my attention, I really believe that sexism needs to be reduced in games big time... especially since almost as many women play video games as do men.

Purrrr!!!

Disappointment!

The boyfriend and I are extremely disappointed in the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince video game...

...way sad.

I mean, EA games could have done SO much better. This game had potential to be extremely cool; it's Harry Potter, for crying out loud.

I'm glad we didn't buy this game; I'm glad we didn't pay money to rent it. Mike actually got a free month long trial for Game Fly, so, knowing his girlfriend and potential future mother-in-law love Harry Potter, ordered the game for us. We decided to test it out... and were in awe at how totally lame it was. It seemed more like a computer game for elementary school kids than anything. I was hoping for something more a long the lines of, say, Resident Evil. Not quite as evil as that, or gory, but shit, the book itself is scary. The book is not written for elementary school kids; it has a lot of things that kids won't understand.

Yet the video game is extremely childish!

So now we know... unless the game has EXTREMELY good reviews (such as Little Big Planet), don't rent it if it's rated E. Just because it's rated E for everyone, doesn't mean it's for everyone... not if it's going to be as crappy as HP.

The Double Edged Sword

There's no denying that we are becoming more and more digital/technology based.

Sheeze.... I remember, in elementary school, that most kids didn't even really know how to use a computer. I was an extreme exception; as a young child, my dad was attending Oakland University, working towards a double degree in industrial engineering and technology. We've had a computer in the house at all times, from at least when I was 3 years old... however, the majority of my friends didn't even start getting computers until I was in middle school. I also had, and knew how to use, the internet way before my peers.

Yet now... I work at an elementary school, and was literally floored to see just how computer literate even the little kids are. We're talking 6 and 7 year olds. It kind of creeped me out, to be completely honest.

Not that I'm doubting the internet. I love the internet; I'm a total internet junkie, and probably spend way too much time on my computer. Hell, I even put a special table in my work-out room, so I can prop my computer on and watch videos on YouTube as I bike or run on the treadmill.

The fact is, it can honestly be dangerous, and almost crippling in some way...

...and again, I'm embarrassed to say, that I'm a good example.

I'm an extreme introvert. I have never been a social butterfly, never been into the party scene, and never had a very close group of friends. But online? I'm more social. I'm not saying that the relationships I form online can ever be 100% friendships, because if we don't meet face to face, how could it be? It can be close, and you really can meet some amazing people whom you'd never cross paths with otherwise, but it's not the same. Sadly, that's why I like it, in some ways. There's so much less pressure. It's like being in a safety bubble, where you only reveal so much, and can hide flaws. I mean, I don't try to lie and pretend to be someone I'm not, but I can also keep the things that I feel insecure about to myself.

So there's the social aspect that is double-edged; you can make friends and keep in touch with people, but it can also contribute to introvert-ness.

But there's also content. There's no denying that the net is a wonderful educational tool for people of any age... but there's also a lot of dangerous content and ways to be harmed. My favorite show is Forensic Files; I don't know how many episodes I've seen where a computer is confiscated, and authorities find junk that the killer looked up online to contribute to his or her plans.

And it also makes me wonder... are we becoming too reliant on technology and the internet? And is it a good thing or a bad thing? Is it cool that kids do almost all of their research online, or is it crippling them? Is it cool that they would rather sit in front of their computer, than play "make-believe" outside? I can't answer this, and to be honest, I don't think anyone can just yet. We're too new into this technological, internet-crazed age to be able to tell... I mean, if I can remember being the minority with an email address at age 11, and am now only 23.... that's just 12 years. In 12 short years, we've gone from the average American home barely having a computer, to everyone from age 8 to 78 having a Facebook and Twitter... that's pretty crazy.

So is the internet a good thing, or a bad thing? I think, really, it's too soon to tell; for now, it just looks as thought it is a double-edged sword.

BOO!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

LOL of teh day!

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Skillz

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Tag, You're It!

I expected folksonomy to be something crazy and complex; and honestly, when you get down to the technical stuff behind folksonomy, it probably is; but when I read that it is merely tagging, I thought what?! That's it? It gets a big name, but it's something common to the point that we don't even really think about it? And really, it is. Folksonomy is an extremely effective tool that most people take for granted, but it is immensely helpful. Tags are what make the search features on a web page so efficient! Take YouTube for example. Every video is tagged and categorized. Say I want to look up the "Kitty Cat Dance" video on YouTube; I type "kitty cat dance" into the search bar, and the "Kitty Cat Dance" video pops up! But I notice, while the Steve Ibsen original is the video that tops the list, there are other videos on the list as well. Why are these here? Because they are tagged under "kitty", "cat", and/or "dance." I select the "Kitty Cat Dance" video, and watch it. The tags for the video are, obviously, "kitty", "cat", and "dance," and the category is comedy. There's also a side bar, that says "Related Videos." The tags on videos allow this feature; because every video is tagged, each video can have a related video list, based on what the tags are. Topping the "related videos" list for the Kitty Cat Dance is "The Mean Kitty Song." So when I check this out, I see why it was on "Kitty Cat Dance"'s related videos list; the tags for "The Mean Kitty Song" are "cory", "williams", "SMP", "films", "kitty", "song", "sparta", and "cat." So, "The Mean Kitty Song" has two of the same tags as "Kitty Cat Dance."

Another one of my favorite web pages that uses tags is ICanHasCheezburger.com. Now, granted, this website is in semi-blog format; most blogs do tend to have tags. However, this is very helpful. For example, I remembered a very cute LOL that I wanted to use in my PowerPoint presentation on Internet Memes; I wasn't sure where on the page I'd seen the LOL I wanted to use, but luckily, the LOLs are tagged. I selected the "Nom Nom Nom" category, and after scrolling for a bit, I find it! "Nom de Bloom," a picture of a kitty eating a flower. Tags also helped me when I was looking for a picture to use in my own most recent blog post; I wanted to find the horrific photoshop mess of Ralph Lauren model Filippa Hamilton. So I went to cocoperez.com, where I remembered reading about the controversial photo. I see a post titled, "The Ralph Lauren Backlash Continues!" and, lucky for me, the tags for this blog topic are right above the title. So I click the "Ralph Lauren" tag, and scroll down a big... there's the blog with the picture I was looking for! What if it hadn't been tagged? I would have spent awhile searching through the blog posts until I found it. Same goes for Nom de Bloom. I would have had to search through pages and pages before I would have found it, yet because it was tagged, my search was considerably narrowed!

So perhaps the art of tagging does deserve the big and elaborate name of "folksonomy." Because if it weren't for folksonomy, I would have spent a LOT more time working on my PowerPoint presentation alone... not even thinking about all the other times I make use of the readily-available tags. Thank goodness for folksonomy!

My rant continues...

HERE IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT! >:( I mean, how stupid is this? Here you have a tall, slender, absolutely gorgeous model... that the people in the photo editing department of Ralph Lauren take a photo of, and edit her down to an unrealistic, skeletally thin woman. The image on the right is Fillipa Hamilton as she really is; the left is the Photoshop trainwreck! And what's even worse about this? Hamilton was fired shortly after the photo shoot during which the photo that was edited took place. Why? Because they (Ralph Lauren) told her that she was "too fat" to model for them anymore. WTF? They fire her because she's too fat?! She's anything but!

This whole controversy began when the website BoingBoing posted the photoshopped picture of Hamilton on their page, stating, "Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis." Ralph Lauren originally made a threat to sue BoingBoing for copyright infringement, however, they realized that they would not have a case, because what BoingBoing did was not illegal; their use of the advertisement falls under fair use, which includes "comments, criticism, and news reports." Ralph Lauren then retracted their threat, and released this statement:

"For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman's body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately."

Fillipa Hamilton as well as the National Organization for Women (NOW) have requested that Ralph Lauren apologize to American women; I believe, as well, that Ralph Lauren owes all women an apology. Images like that aren't real, and they aren't beautiful. As it is, women are under enough pressure to be thin and perfect... then to take it five steps further, and shrink a beautiful body down to a sickly and unrealistic size? Because think about it (and women will understand this much better)- thin women are envied. Women are always comparing themselves to other women- and even though they make fun of a women because she's super thin ("she looks like a walking skeleton!"), they do this because they are jealous on the inside. But why be jealous of someone who is thin to the point of being unhealthy? We don't know.

That's the thing, though. That is how bad body image and eating disorders begin; to cope with stress, to gain control, to deal with depression... but instead of actually facing these issues, the person channels all of their energy into how much weight they can lose. This numbs them to the pain of anything else in life; it simplifies life to the point where their worth as a person, their success and their failures, all depend on weight. And all too soon, it spirals out of control.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), an estimated 10 million females and 1 million males struggle with either anorexia or bulimia- and that's just in America! As many as 1 in 7 die as a result of their illness, whether it be due to medical complications or suicide. And there are millions and millions more who have bad body image.

Yet the media keeps throwing out these unrealistic images? As if we don't have our TVs and computers telling us constantly that we're fat as it is? (weight loss ads- EVERYWHERE).

Again, I feel bad about this, because I almost sound like I am complaining about Photoshop; I'm not. I think Photoshop is something that can be (and usually is) wonderful, but it's all about the intent. The image of Filippa Hamilton is stepping over the line; because I can guarantee that every single person who is struggling with an eating disorder that saw that picture felt like shit after looking at it, immediately thinking they have to starve and exercise to get their pelvises smaller than their heads. Even to the average woman, it sends a really crappy message- this woman is taller, prettier, and thinner than you; and you will never be this.

I really don't know what to make of this; I'm not one for limiting creativity, but I honestly do think that photos such as this are very dangerous in a world that is obsessed with being thin.

Hai!

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IM, Young'ns, and Pervs >:(

Now that IM is becoming more and more standard in the American home, I honestly believe that children need to be educated on the dangers of things such as social networking, chat rooms, and instant messagers. You know how, as a kid, you're taught not to take candy (or anything else) from strangers? And then, when you're a little older, you learn about all of the sex/puberty ED stuff? (Good lord, I remember having a panic attack and wishing I'd never given the permission form to my mom for that). Well, anyways, I think we have come to a point where society needs to incorporate IM safety into discussions on how to be safe, especially in the S/P ED range (because, you know, hormones and the emotions they stir are more in control at that age).

There are many sick people out there, and what better age to target than those who are on an emotional and physical roller coaster?

Think of all of the idiots who are sick enough to try and lure tweens into having sex with them. I mean, you see TV specials on these often. Quite frankly, I love watching the sting operations. It fills me with joy to think, "Haha asshole, you got caught! Sick F*%$!" I'd even love to be a bait person, if it meant catching some of those pervs. However, what about the times that it's not a sting operation...? And it is actually a young teen? That's the worrisome aspect of all of this. At that age, kids aren't thinking clearly; they want to fit in, they want to belong. Their bodies and interests are changing, but they aren't mature enough to always make wise decisions. They're very emotional, and often listen to their emotions, over rationality.

This also goes way beyond the whole sex aspect.

Megan Meier hadn't even reached her 14th birthday before her life tragically ended, all because of a social networking incident. Meier was a shy girl who dealt with depression, and was not very confident to begin with. She received a friend request from a "Josh Evans" on Myspace. Josh was an extremely good looking 16 year old in Megan's town. For awhile, Josh showered Megan with compliments and seemed genuinely interested in her. Then, things turned ugly. Josh began sending Megan rude messages. He finally send her one that said, "The world would be a better place without you." Tina Meier, Megan's mother, said she could tell something was wrong; Megan had been on the computer, and stormed up to her room in tears. Twenty minutes later, Tina went upstairs to check on Megan. She found her hanging from a belt around her neck in her closet. Megan was rushed to the hospital immediately, but died the next day despite numerous attempts to save her.

Six weeks after her death, Megan's parents discovered that Josh was not a real person. Josh was impersonated by Lori Drew; Megan and Lori's daughter had been friends at one point, but had a fall-out. Lori asked an 18 year old coworker if she could use his pictures to create a fake Myspace account, so should could taunt Megan. Although Drew was originally charged with 3 misdemeanors by a federal grand jury, a U.S. district judge threw out one of the three. The worst part of all is that Drew's daughter and Megan had been close enough to the point where Drew knew about Megan's depression; she knew she was messing with an already emotionally unstable, hormonal teenager.

I don't think Lori Drew received enough of a punishment. She knew Megan was unstable. And honestly, who messes with a young girl like that? What adult tells a 13 year old that the world would be better off without her? Megan was an innocent little girl, who was dealing with enough problems as it was.

My point is that, as wonderful as social networking and instant messager can be, there's a lot of safety issues that need to be considered, and they aren't limited to sexual predators. With cyber-bullying growing, children need to be educated on what to do when someone is bullying them online. Lori Drew didn't pull the trigger, but she sure as hell handed Megan the loaded gun. Kids are young, and they just don't know any better. Even when they do have a sense of right and wrong, there's that funny thing called emotions, and sadly, that often dictates their actions.

So I believe the time has come to be thoroughly educating children on internet safety. When I was Megan's age, it wasn't a real big deal, because my peers felt cool enough to have a computer, let alone the internet. Now that middle schoolers are walking around with, at the very least, cell phones, it's time to start making internet safety a priority in ALL schools.

Mousecatcher!

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Lovato Never Fails to Amuse Me :D

"It was either perfect, or a pseudo-trainwreck."

Photoshopping- what's the point?!

Okay, so we all know that celebrities are photoshopped. I mean, when I was younger, I use to get so sad because I thought that people who looked as perfect as celebrities were real, yet I had so many flaws, I could never measure up. It was bad enough that I had dark skin, hair, and eyes (I'd always wanted to be fair, with blond hair and blue eyes, like my Barbies). Yet when I started comparing myself at a young age to the flawless pictures of celebrities, I found even more reasons to dislike my body. Scars and acne, love handles and thunder thighs, a weird nose, saddlebags... every little "imperfection" was magnified.

It took a long time for me to realize that celebrities are indeed photoshopped. They aren't perfect, they are just perfected by a highly advanced photo-editing software. However, even to this day, I still have to actually remind myself that the pictures aren't 100% real. It's hard, even when you know the truth, not to be slightly jealous. Maybe that's why it's such a big deal to get raw, unedited photos of celebs. Some magazines feature a "Stars Without Make-Up" section; not only are they without make-up, they're not photoshopped. And this sure grabs attention- people long to see the imperfections in the "perfect." You realize that they are human, and have their physical flaws just like everyone else.

So I wonder- why do we photoshop people? Why do we create these fake images? They may be nice to look at, but to be honest, I don't think anything good really comes from them. I know I'm not the only person who has felt she's had to "perfect" herself in order to live up to society's standard of beauty; there are millions of people who struggle with distorted body image, and it's greatly attributed to the fake images. I remember, in particularly, watching an episode of Dr. Phil where a woman who thought she was so hideous, she didn't leave her house for two years. Two years. She was terrified that people would think she was "a monster." Yet, she was beautiful. It's so sad to think she lost two years of her life, and spent more time before and after her period of isolation, hating herself. All because she didn't think she was pretty enough.

I don't mean to sound like I'm dogging Photoshop- I love the program. I just wonder why we think we have to make people look unnaturally flawless and utterly perfect.

amazing technology that sort of uses IM

Three years ago, if someone would have asked me what a defibrillator was, I would have not had a clue. Now, not only do I know what a defibrillator is, but I also have one; it has totally opened my eyes to medical technology.

In late 2006, I began getting really fast heart beats that would make me feel out of breath and often pass out. After several trips to the emergency room, many tests, and some heart monitors, I was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia (VT) with fibrillation in February 2007. VT is a fast and irregular heartbeat, which can lead to stroke or sudden death. I had two surgeries in an attempt to correct the problem, but neither were successful, and I ended up at the Mayo Clinic. Here, the doctors discovered I not only had VT, but atrial fibrillation, which complicated matters even more. Because the problem seemed too risky to try to correct, I had a Medtronic Virtuoso Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD) placed in me in July 2008.

The official Medtronic website defines the Virtuoso as "the latest generation of cardiac rhythm disease management." It is constantly monitoring, and delivers the appropriate therapy when necessary; for shorter arrhythmias that do not exceed 180 beats per minute (BPM), the Virtuoso acts as a pacemaker, and paces the heart back into a normal rhythm. For sustained arrhythmias more than 180 BPM, the Virtuoso will deliver a therapy shock. I have experienced both- and I have to say, the shocks are NOT fun.

The Virtuoso is equipped with Conexus Wireless Telemetry and SmartRadio Technology. This uses the Medical Implant Communications Service (MICS) radio frequency band 420-405 MHz. This technology allows the Virtuoso to communicate with the clinical programmer. In the actual Pacemaker Clinic, the technician can adjust the BPM level (mine was originally set at 160, they changed it to 180) and the voltage of therapy shocks delivered. The information stored on Virtuoso is transmitted, and all of the arrhythmias are pulled onto the computer screen. The really cool part is that I can also send my transmissions from home, instead of driving up to Colorado Springs for a 10 minute appointment every time I'm suppose to send in my recordings. I have a home device that plugs into the phone line, and sends the transmissions through this device to the Pacemaker Clinic. Not only that, but should I have a very dangerous arrhythmia, the Virtuoso will communicate with the home communication device, and send a notification to my doctor.

So, while my Virtuoso may not exactly be interactive media, it's a pretty darn cool piece of technology and it even uses radio waves and the internet! I am very thankful to have the Virtuoso- while it may not have made my problem disappear, I feel a whole late safer knowing that it can stop a dangerous arrhythmia.

No Love, or Broken???

No one has left me comments, dammit! Does nobody like me, or was (as I originally suspected) my new template jacking up? Grrrr....

Shuffle Up and Deal

So I'd say that one of my favorite forms of interactive media is interactive games; I love video games and have since I was probably 7 or 8, but more recently, I've been addicted to online Texas Hold'em.

PokerStars is my favorite! This is a free downloadable software that allows you to play a wide variety of poker games, from Hold'em to Razz to Omaha, in either real or play money games. Play money is obviously more for practice, especially if you don't have money to be playing real money games at the moment. However, real money games start off quite affordable- $1.20 double-or-nothing tournaments (the $0.20 is PokerStars' profit). The games can get up into the thousands of dollars. There are also tournaments to win a place in a bigger, better tournament- whether it be a chance to play in a big money online tournament, or a seat at the World Series of Poker Main Event ($10000 buy in). They also issue Player Points, which allow you to shop in the PokerStars store. With your player points, you can purchase autographed photos of pro players, PokerStars apparel, books, dvds, and more.

Because it is illegal for online gambling sites to interact with American banks (BOOOOO Bush >:/) PokerStars handles the money through a European bank, so it takes about two weeks to receive your check from PokerStars once you cash out. However, it is very much worth it, once that check arrives in the mail. PokerStars also keeps track of your earnings, for when tax season rolls around.

So whether you're there for the fun, the money, or both, PokerStars is the perfect place to play poker with thousands of people from all over the world.

Little Big Planet!

So I have to write a blog about how awesome the game Little Big Planet (for PS3) is. If you've never played it, you're missing out BIG TIME. And while I will try to explain it, no explanation can really do this awesome game justice.

See, the thing about this game is it is appealing to ALL ages and kinds of people- from gamers to young kids to just average adults. What's even more is, as my boyfriend put it, "This game proves that you don't need guns, violence, and gore for a game to be fun." Yes- this game is innocent enough for the whole family to play, but weird enough to keep anyone's attention!

Little Big Planet takes place on Little Big Planet- the place of imagination. Your character is a little SackBoy. When you first get him, your SackBoy is made of plain brown material. As you progress throughout the game, you collect new materials for your SackBoy to be made out of, and you also get clothes and accessories to dress it in.

The game starts in Story Mode, which you start in the Gardens levels, and progress from here. In addition to collecting items and materials for your SackBoy, there are stickers and decorations to collect. Both stickers and decorations can act as switch triggers to open up hidden areas in various levels, but they serve another very important function: you can create your own levels! Online players can play your levels, and you can play levels that other players have created. Also, you can partner up with another player and play a "story mode" level together.

I think the most fun part of this game is how... original? Twisted? Weird? It is. For some reason, I highly doubt the creators of this game were sober when they brainstormed. This just makes the game more fun! It's the kind of world you can't even imagine, because it's so creative... it just leaves you wondering: How the hell was some brilliant enough to come up with this?! I wish I could describe this more in detail, but it's so hard. Watch this video- it's sweet- and will give you some insight into just how awesome this game is! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ihj6nLMnVM

Collabritive Definition of Interactive Media

Basically, you interact or engage with various forms of media.

Interactive media is not limited to electronic media- choose-your-story books, for example, are a form of basic interactive media, simply because you get to choose how the story is going to flow.

What is Interactive Media???

Interactive Media issssss.... media that you interact with.

What is media? The dictionary doesn't give a very good definition, and it's hard to find a good definition period, since a word that has such a broad span of what it can mean; however, the best one that I have come across, pertaining to interactive media, is "tools used to store and deliver information or data," (Wikipedia). Interactive is pretty self explanatory- the user, in some way or another, interacts with the media.

So interactive media can be a wide variety of things! Video games, online poker tournaments, computers, printers, digital cameras/camcorders, Smartboards, CPS units, defibrillators/pacemakers, telephones, DVRs, electronic books, regular books, Photoshop, Premier, Audition... it could go on and on!

As I May Think...

"Wow" is the first thing that that comes to mind when reading As We May Think. Maybe not even "wow" the word itself, but moreso, the feeling; this article left me in awe, and for more reasons than just one.

After reading through the introduction and first section of the article, I found myself thinking, "Okay, when did Bregar say this article was written? 1945? Nah, I didn't hear him right, it can't have been written that long ago." Not one to ignore a pressing thought, I scrolled to the top of the page, and there it was: July 1945. What the heck? "Two centuries ago Leibnitz invented a calculating machine which embodied most of the essential features of the recent keyboard devices," (2).This sentence alone is enough to confuse the heck out of anyone (concerning time). Recent keyboard? Like the cute little white MacBook keys I'm typing on right now? Yet, there is the mention of this calculating machine? Ummm... you mean calculator, right? The graphing kind? This is why the article is so perplexing; Bush writes very sophisticatedly about technology, yet it is technology that is yet to be.

Bush writes about upcoming technology with pride and excitement, but now, nearly 65 years later, the technology he writes about is almost laughable. Take the dry photography, for instance. I honestly didn't even realize there was such thing as wet and dry photography. I'm old enough to remember non-digital cameras, and heck, I remember when I got my first digital camera ($300 dollars for a 3.notverymuch mega pixel, but I thought it was the bomb, and at the time, it was). However, what I remember pre-digicam is simply taking the camera to get its roll of film developed; if you were lucky, you had a really cool Polaroid... and sadly, Polaroids aren't even being made any more. The times are too digital. This makes me wonder- what would Bush have thought about digital cameras?!

And the Encyclopedia Britannica being reduced to the size of a matchbox? Hahaha! Try pictures, text, audio, and video fitting on something the size of a fingernail! However, this is the beginning of compression- and where would we be without compression? Just not too long ago, my mom and I were panicking because she needed to get a video she made onto her zip drive, but it was too big of a file. Then I remembered- we could just compress it! What a lifesaver :)

Vannevar Bush was sure an extraordinary man; although we may laugh now at the primitive technology that he speaks of in As We May Think... we need to remember that this article was written just at the tail end of World War II. That's before women/African Americans/other minorities even had rights! To think, Bush was speaking of and predicting the invention of various things, from speech recognition devices to personal computers to the internet- to even electronic encyclopedias. Now, over thirty years after Bush's death, we have everything he predicted and so much more. This makes me wonder- what would Vannevar Bush think now?

About ME!

Hi! I'm Monique! What to say about me? Well, I'm 23 years old, but totally think age is just a number- and how you act and how you feel inside is what really matters! (I really don't understand why people get offended when you ask their age either). Anyways... I am a mass com major with an emphasis in e-media; I hope to get a job in either web design or audio/video editing. If neither of those work out, I'll have some mad cake decorating skills to fall back on ;)

I currently live at home still (booooo) with my parents, I have a younger brother named Mickali (Mick-uh-lie) who attends Metro, am a mama to a BEAUTIFUL little cat named Emerson, and girlfriend to the most amazing person I've ever met in my life, Mr. Mike Vunovich :D (everyone says he looks like Harry Potter).

What else?

Hmmm... well, my hobbies include almost anything artsy-craftsy, messing around on the computer, playing Texas Hold'em (and watching it, live or TV, I'm obsessed!), listening to music, shopping (duh), playing bass guitar, playing video games, exercising, dancing, playing with my kitty cat... ect. I'm a vegetarian- no meat or seafood, dairy is okay, as well as eggs whites, but ONLY if they are boiled (and I only eat them for health reasons, not because it's my cup of tea). I have really bad road rage, sorry :( but I'm a good driver! I enjoy diet cherry limeaids from Sonic, Trident wildberry gum, chili, good music/art/conversations, and, occasionally, a Nat Sherman or a nice cigar... and I HATE squirrels! UGH- long story. Anyways, that's about all I can think of for now, you have the basics.

Peace :D