Post PC?

This blog post is being donethrough the iPod touch interface. I downloaded the free wordpress app and decided to post a blog while watching the last Bill Gates and Steve Jobbs interview. It’s posted on YouTube.

Implications of the Digital Revolution

This post is going to concentrate on what I find most appealing about New Media and the Digital revolution. As discussed in the Social Science Research Council publication Structures of Participation in Digital Culture the barrier of entry into the creation of digital media content is much lower. “As these and other innovations
demonstrated, the Internet can support not only new content but also new and rapidly evolving distribution models.” A person can use a cellphone camera to capture video and create some sort of content that is desired.

This is a common phenomenon in the case of fandom where we have fan’s of bands or artist capturing songs and point of view experiences from the shows presents a deeper level of commitment to the band. This also created digital artifacts that are similar in nature to the tapes during the Grateful Dead and Jam bands eras. These artifacts are now being traded through the internet by technologies created by the people. The most recognizable of names was Napster, the online music sharing site that enabled computers to share with other peers by copying data.

From a communications theories perspective it’s interesting that the debate was termed file sharing, as someone mentioned in a documentary on the future of copy right, because file sharing insinuates that the person who is receiving the file will be borrowing it and returning it as opposed to copying it for free. There is a fine line with content creators and distribution on the internet. It seems to be a prevailing trend and some countries and companies have partnered to create enormous speeds for their citizens.

Global Internet Speed Rankings

Linux

I think that open source sorftware and free software have contributed a great amount to the spreading of knowledge across the world. If you consider the fact that most everyone with a computer in the developed world has some acess to the internet, either publicly or otherwise. If you consider that Linux has climbed to 13.4% of the server market. This means you used a website that was hosted by a Linux server. The great appeal to Linux and open source software is that you can have access to the code that makes up the program. You can adapt or hire someone to amend the code in a way that improves your functionality or enhances it. Linux is a truly versatile Operating System.

Linux Penguin

Richard Stallman was the spiritual leader of what he deemed the Free Software Movement.  He had set up the concept of Copy Left along with the Free Software Foundation in order to free people from the grips of corporate, many times employer controlled, access to technology. He had some success with the Unix like GNU operating system. GNU stands for GNU is not Unix. “It’s a self recurring acronym.”

Linus Torvalds came about to write the kernel, which would handle all the basic tasks of the computer running a “Unix like” operating system. Now there are different releases of Linux like Ubuntu, Red Hat Linux, Fedora, and many more. Companies like IBM are releasing their own version to sell on machines. Linux has come to a point where it’s functionality is that of Windows but the design is lacking. That’s because, as we discussed in class, the utilitarian mindset of some of the developers in the Linux community. To paraphrase, “they aren’t funded by Microsoft or Apple and because of that most people involved are developers and not user interface people”, Dr. Massanari stated in class. There seems to be a gap between the aesthetic of Linux distributions and the OS X experience for example. One thing that continues to amaze me is that Linux is so versatile. This is because the code is transparent and can be altered and scaled to fit on any device. Some people have thrown Linux on their ipods without even knowing it. A operating system called “Rock Box” has been available for years and it allowed you to play movies on ipod nanos and games like doom etc. This was all based on Linux. More recently Palm showcased their new phone called the Palm Pre which will run a WebOS based on the Linux Kernel. *updated at 9:11 pm 3/26

How is Linux created? It’s created by people who volunteer their time and energy into writing code and creating programs and components of operating systems. It can also be created by companies with their own licenses for Linux like Sun Microsystems of IBM’s Red Hat Linux. Why do they do it? Well I don’t have a complete sense of why someone would spend a lot of time developing for open source I realize that they believe in a cause of free access to technology. This along with a sense of pride in their art form is why I believe the Linux community has been successful. And Linux can be profitable in terms of selling support and training for the OSs based on it. The key is to give the consumer options. I think that Sun and IBM really want to widen the choice beyond Microsoft and give the consumer the best possible customized experience.

The Linux community of developers and users is really an example of collective action. On their own these developers wouldn’t have the time or ingenuity to create a whole operating system. This is a group effort and because they all believe in the cause and have the ability to collaborate via email, chat, forums, IM, etc. It’s become easier for people to team up to try and create something that could change the world.The idea that people will have free access to programs that will do anything is an amazing thought. It’s become a reality thanks to this movement. My thoughts are that google will have a full fledged operating system soon and that cloud computing will be the talk of the hour. I think it’s quite amazing but as I said in class, Linux needs people to develop more for Multimedia editing.

Linux Distributions
Ubuntu
Fedora

-Ryan Ramtin

Check out my blog at the DML here.

Hacking

Hacking can sometimes conjure up ideas of crimininals stealing your private data to use for their own nefarious causes. But in truth Hacking had started out as a way of testing the limits of the status quo. Be it Cap’n Crunch hacking the telecom system to be albe to make free calls by whisting or Steve Wozniak using “pirated” copies of Basic to write new programs, hacking had always been about extending functionalities and pushing the limits of human inginuity. Had Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs along with the Bay Area Home Brew computer club not shared information to do this, we wouldn’t have computers in the way we understand them today.

FIrst GUI Apple 1984

Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs would eventually become the founders of Apple Computer, now just shortened to Apple. Their contribution to the world had to do with who could operate a computer. They developed what’s called a Graphical User Interface, which allowed for normal people who didn’t understand Unix commands to create things and process them with their personal computer. I know that this may seem like old hat now but this was a revolutionary innovation. To be able to have individuals using computers to increase their functionality of their lives was quite an advancement. Soon after Apple introduced their GUI interface Microsoft caught up and decided that they would introduce a GUI for their MS DOS system and eventually throughout their Windows operating system.

Windows 1.1 1985

Fast Forward to now when everyone is carrying around computers in our phones and PDA’s. All operated using the Graphical User Interface.

As I said Hacking can be a catch all term that denotes theft, crime, or just nerds creating new ways to look at old products. The ipod touch and the iphone are a great example of how the community of users compete with the creators for who can control the operating system. Apple locks their iPhone so it can’t be used with any company other than AT&T. This is something of a business arrangement and people may have some sympathy to Apple knowing that the need the support of some of the big companies to continue to make gains on Microsoft’s windows Mobile and the new up and comers. The Palm Pre which was demononsrated at the CES in Las Vegas and the blackberry phones.

Hacking the iphone can also enable more functionality. As of now there is no official copy and paste, video recording, or running mulitple applications on the phone. With the help of the iphone dev team they have released details on how to hack the phone (though it could end up becoming an expensive brick if you update it,) so that it can take video, and most importantly RUN MULITPLE APPS!

I have an ipod touch so using applications like Fring for VOIP calls is great but I can’t ever leave it running in the back ground. If it were hacked I’d have the ability to leave it running in the back ground and recieve calls through Fring using Skype’s service.

All in all hacking has become as ambiguous a term as Punk or Rock N’ Roll. It means a lot of things to a lot of people.

Check out links below for the history of GUI’s and the developments in the iphone/touch hacking community.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_graphical_user_interface

http://modmyi.com/

Evolution of Collective Action Theory

I think that collective action with a goal of the common good is essential to a healthy sustainable society. Now I’m sure some libertarian minded folks are cringing at the sound of the word “collective” but we have established a common good because without one we would be living in feudal-esque times.

Uses of collective intelligence in technology has been a democratizing force in the world. As mentioned in Bimber, Flanagin, Stohl’s Essay “Reconceptualizing Collective Action in the Contemporary Media Environment,” they talk about the impact of digital media communications in shaping social, political movements.

An examples of the communications technology having an impact occurred by the native people in Chiapas Mexico.  This is a population of Native people whose needs and concerns had been neglected or under represented since Mexico’s inception.  In the power structure of Mexico the Chilongos (More Spanish looking peoples) have more influence in the political and business world. Though the people of Chiapas are impoverished and oppressed the cheap digital technology helped them to create and shape a message which was then decimated to the conventional media around the world as well as every day people directly through the web. This is a clear example of the Internet being used to subvert the status quo in a peaceful and vastly influential way. The reach of the web is often underestimated.

Another great example of Digital Communications facilitating collective action is in Burma. The Burmese monks living under a dictatorship are subject to a lot of persecution. In many countries with religious leaders and secular rulers there is often a leash put on the religious leaders. In the case of the monks, they were denied the right to protest and by disobeying and marching peacefully they demonstrated their commitment to their cause and in affect created a lot of digital artifacts that portray their cause in a positive light. Watching the camera phone videos of monks being beaten and jailed means that there are so many cameras and witnesses that the truth can’t be suppressed.

I think that using new communications technologies as a means to coalesce a group of people who believe in the same cause is a revolutionary fact of the 21rst century. I mean were are seeing the truth, even Saddam Hussein’s execution could not be hidden from the truth. The fact is that people who commit injustice in the world now should be aware that we are a community beyond or physical and spatial relations. Beyond our commonalities or nationalities. We all exchange media and messages because it’s become effortless and ubiquitous. Injustice will be dragged into the light and showcased on Youtube and the like. This means that a more just world is heading our way.

We’ve talked about flash mobs, groups of people who plan to meet somewhere in the world, though they plan it on-line relatively anonymously. sometimes for fun and other times to highlight a cause. In my Communications and Technology course we took a look at flash-mobs who organized together to take pictures at a certain time in Lennon’s square. This is apparently illegal so in doing this they provoked the reaction of the police and thus caught the whole injustice on camera phones and other digital recordings.

All truth comes to light and this is especially true in the times of digital documentation. The one issue is that people can easily distort and manipulate content to make someone seems as if they acted completely differently.

One amusing aside was the fact that Iran has allegedly used Photoshop to multiply the number of missiles they tested so as to portray themselves as tougher and harder then they actually are. This is an example of the sentiment that perception is reality and digital technologies are shaping and creating perception. What implications does that have? Well people are going to continue there cynicism and propaganda has reached a level that is approaching artfull.

Iranian Missile Test photo

People are using photoshop and other tech to shape public perception

Collective action theory has evolved as our communications have evolved and I am excited to see how digital technologies can help to promote social justice and a transparent society.

Niche Casting and Subculture

The great thing about the internet is that people with specific Niche interest or sensibilities can easily find artist that inspire and entertain them. In the same vein artist who may not have normally been given a shot are able to record their music cheaply using the digital medium, and then distribute it through the internet with little or no middle man cost.

The internet is taking away the mediators in a slew of industries. Be it news, entertainment or just content creation in general, consumers have become prosumers; the new driving force behind the Internet’s innovation. Normally shows that focus on Technology or Philosophy and the like would never see the light of mainstream media day. They might find a small radio station that could offer access to X amount of people but that would depend on the profitability and success of said program.

The internet gives people an oppurtunity to create content and distrubute it cheaply to anyone in the world who has access to the web. This also means that people all around the world can access this content and therein find a sense of community and commradery with those who appreciate the same subjects.

I personally have a lot of different interest and I appreciate the wild west nature of the web because I can just peruse and download anything I find interesting, and all for FREE. That sounds nice doesn’t it. I personally like GomagicGo a podcast for Card and Coin Magicians, This Week In Tech with Leo Laporte, and all the Revision3 podcast I’ve mentioned before.

All these podcasts I’ve mentioned have a following that spans the globe, and though it may be a relativly small number when compared to those who watch t.v. programs it’s still a phenomenon that is not fading. The Diggnation watchers tend to view themselves as a part of the cyber sub-culture that is exmplified by the founder and CEO of Digg.com, Kevin Rose.

The same can be said for many of the different Niche Castes out there. They bring with them a sense of sub culture and community that had been lacking in mainstream media and hadn’t been seen since the rise of Zeens in the 90’s. Institutions are begining to take notice and are struggling to realize how they can create content that draws a specific audience. They and We are no longer content with them throwing everything they can at the wall and seeing what sticks. We are a more thoughfull nation and world then we had been given credit for. The rise in intelligence Niche Casting is one of the first steps in realizing that we all may look for a variety of things in a program or source of media. Name recognition is no longer completly intertwined with quality and people are able to compete with instituionts that had what seemed like a monopoly on the news and entertainment business.

On a complete aside you can check some of my other blog for the Digital Media Lab at Loyola University. 

Media Convergence

I think that what Jenkin’s talks about regarding media convergence is very complex. I do agree with the fact that old media and new media are going to be intersecting in more instances than not in this coming century. We not only see this with DIY mashups, i.e. Politicians and green screens as happened with on Comedy Central’s the Colbert Report, but we also see old media or the established media aiming to be verasitle and cross platform accessible.

I enjoy reading the huggington post but I also still watch CSPAN, MSNBC, CNN. and all the other news producers. These are made easily accessible to me through OS X widgets in the case of CSPAN or good new fashioned Streaming A/V from the others makes my sources even more diverse. New media hasn’t seemed to dismantle the old. In some cases the old has adapted and suceeded and in others they haven’t. One thing that is for sure is that people are wanting FREE content, so however the business model looks when it’s lucrative, that must be a cornerstone.

One thing that fascinates me is that the consumers of this content refused to be middled on it. They were, we were sick of paying 14.99 a Cd and sick of so much of the terrible pracitices we were forced into. Now, with Rhapsody or Zune’s site or itunes we have options. We can pay 66 cents for older songs or maybe we want unlimited songs streamed for free via Pandora or Last.fm It’s not only about money but about practicality and convenience.

The real news is an example of a news producer who is trying to utilize private donations to achieve independent journalism that offers a fresh perspective.

Here is MSNBC’s Internet TV

Here is a link to CSPAN 2 os x Dashboard Widget (streams Cspan Video)