INTERESTING THING #2

As far as articles about technology go, this one is a bit old, but I think it's very thought-provoking. In a nutshell, it's discussing the ethical choices that a self-driving car would have to make in an emergency situation. Would it swerve to hit an elderly couple to avoid hitting a pregnant person? Would it allow the adult driving the car to be killed if it meant saving children crossing the street? What about jaywalkers? Criminals? A website took a survey of people's thoughts on the matter, and while it's kind of grim and uncomfortable, these are likely the kind of questions we'll have to face as we allow technology to make more of our decisions for us.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2018/10/24/self-driving-cars-will-have-decide-who-should-live-who-should-die-heres-who-humans-would-kill/

INTERESTING THING #1

You probably already know that there is more to Victoria than we can can see from the surface- the grids of purple glass in the sidewalks in some parts of downtown were once tiny skylights to the basements that extend beyond the storefronts of the business above them. But could there be more underground than just basements? One night at a former job downtown, one of my particularly sneaky coworkers took me down through the basement and showed me a sealed-off doorway that she claimed led to "the underground tunnels" of Victoria. The store owner (who didn't know I knew about the door) claimed that there had once been a thriving underground (pun not intended) community beneath the streets where shady dealings would take place away from the prying eyes of the law or general public.

I'm not sure how much truth there is to that- I haven't made it through all 200 pages of this forum- but the contributions to this forum are absolutely fascinating, and a reminder that Victoria is rich in history and secrets- and that there is more than meets the eye.

http://www.uer.ca/forum_showthread.asp?fid=4&threadid=19236&currpage=1&pp#post1

2-WAY COMMUNICATION: PARANOID WEDNESDAY NIGHT THOUGHTS

I thought Andy made a very compelling point about social media companies making enormous profits from their platforms, though the content itself is actually produced by the platforms' users. Since the platforms are typically accessed for free, the financial reward for companies like Facebook and Google would come from things like advertising and collection of data. Every keystroke we contribute to social media might be part of a very effective, participatory form of communication, but it is also being trawled by these companies, and I believe that we cannot yet comprehend the way that this will shape life in the future. When we use social media, we can, to a degree, select the audience we wish to transmit our thoughts to, but we are also ALWAYS transmitting to the platform. And the platform might give feedback in the form of weirdly relevant advertising, or by banning your account for content it deems distasteful... or perhaps it will just continue to listen quietly as we tell it more and more.

VISION VIDEO

Here it is: the magnificent video for Andy's Vision Project! This Academy Award-nominated piece of movie magic was created by the lovely and talented Juan and me. Try to hold back your tears as the raw emotion washes over you- just try. Clocking in at just over a minute, this is one cinematic masterpiece you don't want to miss.


https://youtu.be/ZndqNjnPH2Q

PHOTO ESSAY

He's fluffy and he's fabulous - what more is there to say? My photo essay chronicles just another fun-filled day with everyone's favourite fluffy boy. See him get ready for the day! See him taking care of business at the bank! See him enjoying a pint with a friend! It's fun for the whole family!


https://photos.app.goo.gl/hWY9T5sGcJoPP9pu7

TURKLE

I thought that Turkle raised an interesting point about the idea of people never having to be alone because of our phones. Her example of people waiting “at a checkout line or at a red light” (the latter being illegal, I believe- but I digress) is something I’ve become quite aware of recently. On the bus to school a couple weeks ago, I saw someone sitting on a bench downtown staring into space. It struck me as odd. Judging solely by their appearance, they did not strike me as being a person who would not have access to technology; why were they just staring? 

Now, perhaps I’m too self-conscious, but I feel that thinking in public is becoming somewhat of a social faux-pas. If my partner and I are out for dinner and they leave to use the washroom, I am torn between spending a few minutes enjoying the restaurant atmosphere and thinking of the next topic of conversation, or picking up my phone to appear connected and busy to the people around me. I don’t even necessarily have messages to reply to; it is the appearance of connection that seems important. 

There is nothing inherently wrong with thinking. It just seems like something one should do in the privacy of their own home. 

Turkle, S. (2012, February). Connected, but alone? [Video file.] Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare