The Internet of things 13/11/15

                       Deb Roy,the MIT researcher wanted to understand how his baby son learned language. He wired up his house with video cameras and recorded every 8-10 hours a day for 3 years. This footage then gave them the ability to use motion analysis to review what has an affect on his son learning language and the speech environment he's in and how his parents and nanny are having an effect on his learning. Not only did he apply this technique to his own living room, but he then decided to apply this research on the living room of  America. They realised that just the way there were analysing how language connects to events, providing common ground for language for his son, they took TV shows and social media and analysed the language showing how public media effected our language. They started off by analysing tv content and their language and as he did with his son analysed the language, but of the public by just looking at social media. With about 3 billion comments a month they structured events and language used to show data of  the American nation discussing the one thing at the one time, Roy used Obama's speech as an example.(Here is a link of the speech- The birth of a word) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE4ce4mexrU
                         It's evident that his speech starts with personal data , his own family and then applies it to the public and the nation, he again goes back to personal, giving us an emotional bond to the story. None of the data was complicated, it was just all information found on social media.
                     
How do we apply big data in our lives?

Social media is one way, we do this ourselves by joining global space such a Facebook and compromising our privacy. The question is though, what is privacy?

Every year since 2007 Pew institute do surveys around the new use of technology. Research found that in the USA 42% of 14-17 year olds didn't know you could make a phone call on a mobile phone because they only used texts or messaging on the internet.

Pew institute surveyed 13-18 year olds and asked "What do they want to do when they grow up?"

• Over 60% answered "rich and famous"
• 52% of them think that they can fulfil this by being on a reality TV show.

It is evident that big data is controlling the flow and data of the world.

The internet of things(IOT)

We have gone from internet in just computers to internet being tagged in objects, the world is now a connected place. However, Is it OK not to be connected? As much as some people don't want to be connected they are anyway. They can't be disconnected in today's society as the whole world's entirely connected. This lifts the notion of the internet being something we can visit but an internet about real things tagged to the internet.


We are living in an entirely connected environment. This is a list of things connected in homes today :

1. Smart appliances
2. smart media
3. Air con.
4. Surround sound systems
5. Central Heating
6. Safeguard
7. Lights and curtains
8. Telephones

Due to how advanced we have become, in 2040 is it estimated that 50% of jobs now will not exist, because of the changing economy. Also by the time we finish Uni (3/4 years) the jobs that we will go to will not be invented, which in a way is really scary but exciting at the same time.

Data all runs on a cloud system, basically data farms. Even though people fear how dangerous and unsafe this sounds, the cloud is the best form of encryption. Without the cloud the internet of things won't work. It's also possible for anyone to get their own personal cloud space, a 2nd level encryption.

How might it play out on our lives? Google glass for example, an amazing invention that I would love to get has affect on our everyday lives. For example, these glasses may disconnect us from the public however it connects us to our own friendship circle on the internet. It's really interesting as it enables you to be in 2 places at the one time, your own virtual space.

Wearables

Fitness- fit-bit bracelet, you record your body measurements etc. and the bracelet measures your calorie intake, steps taken in a day, heart rate, sleeping pattern and further.

Clothing- for example the apple watch, connecting us to the world.

Embedded Tech. -  This is basically embedded media. Stelarc is the best example, he is an Australian Performance artist. He created a 3rd arm and connected it to his nervous system enabling it to work, e also got an ear attached to his arm very strangely.His work is an example of Avont Garde and will be mainstream in the future.

We need to think in the future, as Einstein quoted

"We won't solve the problems we have with the same ideas that created the problem."

Digital- Part 2

The New New
We need to think of the space as an ecology, a Rhizome (roots of a plant). When there were only 3 TV channels, everyone talked about television  but twitter wants us to use them to talk about TV because they own a TV station.


If social media is free, someone is selling you. We should try to avoid these networks. If it can be digitised it is worthless.

 BIG DATA
THE NEW OIL, counting what counts- Funded by NESTA
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily counted everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted."
Albert Einstein
Sometimes it's not easy to measure things. But first: Data is going from closed and controlled towards open and complex. We can claim our data at any time but when you get that data you need to think about

1. Volume
2. Variety (comparing patterns)
3. Velocity ( the speed you get the data, the agility)

So this means you need to have a pattern of usage.

BIG DATA is the glue that holds these trends together is a present context. It tells us about the future and where we are going, It offers 3 possibilities :

• We can analyse the macro and the granular vast things and very small things. We can see what 1 individual and what 10,000 are doing, and you can see if the 1 individual is representative. 
• We can 'curate' and measure
• Move from causality to patterns

Data is not: 

1. Replacing experience (skills)
2. It is not objective
3. Technology driven
4. Uncreative - When you get the data you need to be making info. graphics.

Social Capital and measurement, Social or cultural capital is the power you have that is not economic. The trick is to have both. 

Digital 6/11/15

2005

The Above image is a photo of a new Pope in 2005, but the event is not the important part. Below is the same event of a new Pope. It is evident that in 8 years that mobiles and technology are taking over, with only 2 mobiles visible in the image in 2005 whilst in 2013 most people in the room are holding up a device.

2013

For our generation mobile is the key to going forward. In our everyday work and lives, mobility of technology and carrying it around with us is important. These people are collecting memories in the photo above, it's a key part of history for many all by just holding these devices.

Data

Most people nowadays have a smart phone, some may choose not to have one. 

 At the start of the Industrial Revolution, there were a group of men called Luddites who thought that they would lose their jobs when the loom was invented , so they went around destroying looms. So it's now seen that anyone who is against technology is a luddite.

It's scary to think that if you have your Bluetooth and location on your phone that anyone could track you during the day. We don't think about the way that companies can use our data, we're very public with our data even though the majority of people aren't aware of it. Personally I don't like having my location turned on, on my phone, mainly because I'm very conscious of my privacy.

This issue of data is crucially important, we need to learn how to use data and how to protect  our data.

1. Twitter- 17 :Personal use 11 and Professional Use 6
2. Facebook - 57 : Personal 53, Prefessional 4
3. Youtube- 23 : Personal 13, Professional 10
4. Google+ - 9 : Personal 8, Professional 1
5. Snapcat 57 all personal use

These statistics show us that it's never about the numbers it's about the questions and how to get that data out.

An example of this is NEST: this is a smart thermostat that's on your wall and collects data of your home, such as the activity between certain times and programmes itself. It will control the central heating and only 4 years after it was set up Google bought the firm back from the two inventors. 

Why?

1. They wanted the date
2. They don't want the competition 

Youtube of out the others is being used more than the others for professional use. Twitter is the one that people say is more about their  work. However this is generalisation.

Identity(Sentiment Analysis)
This is all known as Data Analytics; What's behind the number if you are on Google+  they can send you a breakdown of your activity and if it's free like Facebook, somebody is selling you something.

We have have multiple identities due to online activities. We present ourselves in different ways on different social websites, for example you might be a bit more professional on twitter.

Our generation needs to be careful about what is put on social media, it may come back and haunt you when it comes to employment and job offers. Language is changing and we need to know how to use it. Slang and text message speak is not appropriate for a letter for a job application.

Goffman "In the modern world we are all having different identities."
The important thing is to know your identity.
 Who are the key 5 identity collectors?

1. Google: every two days they collect as much information that's available in the world up to 2003
2. Facebook
3. Amazon
4. Microsoft
5. Apple

They are all looking for our data, however apple is the only one that refuses to give their data to the American Government. They have some social conscious whilst Facebook has no ethical position. Google wrote to the WHO in 2006, saying that they will have a flu epidemic. They saw no evidence for this, yet 6 months later was the SARS outbreak. WHO asked how did they know this? Google saw a 2000% increase in Google searches for flu remedies in China.

Another example is a company called Target in America, a pharmacy. Target wrote to young women/teenagers in America offering them baby products. The parents of the girls decided to sue the company, it was then found that 40% of these girls were pregnant at the time and the parents didn't know.
How did Target know?
From their shopping data, they saw these girls buying non perfumed products (which can be an indicator of pregnancy) and so targeted them with other baby products.
In 40% of the cases they were correct.

The New New
We need to think of the space as an ecology, a Rhizome (roots of a plant). When there were only 3 TV channels, everyone talked about television  but twitter wants us to use them to talk about TV because they own a TV station.


If social media is free, someone is selling you. We should try to avoid these networks. If it can be digitised it is worthless.

 BIG DATA
THE NEW OIL, counting what counts- Funded by NESTA
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily counted everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted."
Albert Einstein
Sometimes it's not easy to measure things. But first: Data is going from closed and controlled towards open and complex. We can claim our data at any time but when you get that data you need to think about

1. Volume
2. Variety (comparing patterns)
3. Velocity ( the speed you get the data, the agility)

So this means you need to have a pattern of usage.

BIG DATA is the glue that holds these trends together is a present context. It tells us about the future and where we are going, It offers 3 possibilities :

• We can analyse the macro and the granular vast things and very small things. We can see what 1 individual and what 10,000 are doing, and you can see if the 1 individual is representative. 
• We can 'curate' and measure
• Move from causality to patterns

Data is not: 

1. Replacing experience (skills)
2. It is not objective
3. Technology driven
4. Uncreative - When you get the data you need to be making info. graphics.

Social Capital and measurement, Social or cultural capital is the power you have that is not economic. The trick is to have both. 

Death of digital 11/11/15

                         Our lecture Paul Moore held a talk on the death of digital. I watched the live stream on beyond digital as I was unable to make it but it was really interesting to hear from the speakers and their discussion on the word "digital".

                          One of the speakers present was a head in RTE. She spoke of how digital has transformed over the years. In the 90's digital was more direct, 2000's it was for search, 2005 social and today digital is used to distribute digital media. In Ireland 46% of population are on Facebook. She spoke of the 3 W's of the internet, what we want, when we want it and where we want it and what matters is the consumers. 

                            It is observed that the average person is on the internet at least 6 hours daily. Up to 40% of adults are dependent Online in Ireland and this figure doubles for the age group of 16-24 year olds. Most people these days are living online and embracing new technologies. However, we need to know how,where and when to consume it. Technology designs are changing constantly due to the continuous feedback.

                      RTE's digital designs are used to help audiences, changing marketing. 60% of the Irish population have a mobile phone and that 70% watch tv and other stuff through mobiles.

                

Does the word digital matter anymore?

As one of the speakers in London mentioned, T.v. hasn't changed much, it's still images on glass but the size of the tv's, the resolution etc. have evolved. We all have 2 spaces, our private world and the physical world and if you're always online, the private world, the voice in your head start to become real and are portrayed online.

Media organisations face the challenge of the nature of services, which is affected by the whole load of technology. Every media organisation has a different experience.There is yet another 5 billion people to get online. However its scary to think that if you type 10 numbers into your phone you can contact and talk to over half the world. At the minute, we are just scratching the surface of what is possible with technology.

When is technology useful and when can it get in the way? Technology is still changing and merging into life. Many find the word Digital irritating and that it is a word of the past back when technology was just starting.

Privacy
With how advanced technology and the internet is these days is there such a thing as privacy? The answer is definitely no. However there is evidence that people growing up with technology all have high privacy, probably because they are aware of the risks and what could happen.

It may be worrying about communication with content. Technology may evolve in an unpredictable way, having a biological effect on us, leaving many addicted. RTE's app is more about content, whereas other organisations are all about science,collating data etc. which makes it challenging for RTE. RTE wan to be about the audience and broadening content.

Everything we do is monitored, the space in our heads is the only place that is private and that you know. Technology is addicting but some people cant or don't want to engage with it.It's very accessible to anyone who wants it. Even those who don't want to be part of technology and don't use the web, they are still part of the Network society. With Digital, every thing is always a marketed space. Internet on the other hand is a private service and it is hard to carve out a private network to the audience. IP distribution is a challenge though. The BBC are engaging with a device of network and a device with market of digital.

All networks are for different uses. Instagram is more for a socialising aspect, you wouldn't see news updates or any serious matters like war on instagram because it wouldn't be appropriate to "heart/like" an image like this. Whereas Twitter is more for free speech and discussion and BBC/RTE shape to suit society.  There is a fear that Facebook want to be a provider. Facebook's news selection reflects the type of content I'm involved with and is not air balanced. This is what the role of the public media organisation, to post everything.

Is Technology going to make the world a positive or negative place in the future?

It just depends on how us as a population react and deal with it. Technology enables us, facilitates us but to what end? How we handle technology is the main thing, How we volunteer data and type of content we engage in. We are going to have to work harder than we did in the past.

The only thing we can do is think in the future and not in the now. As Albert Einstein quoted

"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" 23/10/15

            Fun fact: 82% of Northern Ireland people have never been to Lough Neagh. Myths say that there was a well, which a princess who was cursed by witches, left the lid off it and flooded the town.

                A well-known example of sound artist is Jem Finer, a member of the Pogues. Using a basic radio telescope, he recorded the sounds of Jupiter. He created a sound chamber which locals could come and listen to the sound. Finer then joined up with fellow sound artist “Paul Moore”. They then showed how you can do ‘bonkers’ stiff with a limited budget, calling the work “Sigh specific art” and “Community art”.  Their work featured on BBC2 as should shouldn’t be ignored.

“The way we are”

October is a very important month. It is the month that Steve Jobs died. He changed the world in 4 ways

-Personal Computer

-I-pod

-I-pad

-I-phone

He is someone that we need to take serious because of what he has done for us.

 The ipad aluminium and sealed, it can be cleaned with disinfected a cloth, however Microsoft surface tablets you cannot do this, which is a smart move from Steve Jobs.

““You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” This was a brilliant quote Jobs used in his infamous speech “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.” It basically means if you fail you will learn from it

                  Pc make decisions for themselves and MAC can’t change around, they are both different user interfaces. However Microsoft struggles with representation. Apple and Microsoft are developed in different locations “Geographically” and “Culturally”. Microsoft is based in East Coast and Apple in West Coast. 

The time in which the mouse was invented and the personal computer was thought about was back in the age of Acid, LSD's. It's controversial to talk about in this generation however it was acceptable and legal back then.  However it is to be noted that Apple is a vision of what's possible!

All sound is music and all music is sound.16/10/15

                As a continuation from the previous lecture, reading the image, the image isn’t always a picture. An image can be sound, and in this day and age there is so much going on we have as a population, forgotten how to listen. It seems there just so much hustle and bustle, no one actually takes the time to just stop and listen.

                 John Cage done an extraordinary yet very strange piece of music called “4:33” basically showing that all sound is music and music is all sound. I thought this was a really amazing way to show how even there was “silence” there was still sound, such as at every turn of the page it seemed everyone started coughing showing a break in the music, which wasn’t on purpose it was more a physiological thing. This piece of music is called an Avant Garde, meaning ahead of time, simply because this piece of music has only ever been performed about 4/5 times and no matter how old it is, it will still manage to surprise and freak people out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY7UK-6aaNA

                 Sound Theory- Sound Practice. 

The world of sound is an event world, whilst the world of sight is an object world. Sight. Sight is a point of view, hearing is never pure sound, think of it as more of a cultural signifier, just like the biker jacket we were shown in the previous lecture.

 What is sound?

All sound has 3 phases.

-Attack – e.g. Teacher speaking out

-Sustain- e.g. what we have heard

-Decay –e.g. Someone walking past in the corridor

Put all of these together and they are called the sound envelope and are all sound qualities.

Sound is one of those things that is immersive, and no matter what you will always hear it. It cannot be shut out, it contains depth and has no directionality. You can pause music but you can’t freeze sound.

          Sound as Materiality- The body and the mind are not easily dichotomised. Sound can also be physical, for example clubs that have the vibration of the music through the floor, making you feel every beat (which I can imagine to feel really uncomfortable).

Sound and perspectives.

The 3 perspectives which we learnt today in the lecture were-

Figure- the most important sound

Ground- The listener’s social world

Field- the physical world around the listener.

For instance in films, the conversation is the figure, whilst the visual is the field.

In addition, all sound interaction has forms of distance. Such as

Public- e.g. Politicians

Formal- E.g. A lecture

Informal-E.g. an open conversation

Personal- e.g. a close conversation

Intimate – e.g. closely connected.

Evidently the closer the distance of sound interaction the more personal the conversation gets.

Growing up in different areas, everyone culturally has their own favourite and most hated sounds which bring back memories of their past or even current situation. I love the sound of the wind and the peaceful countryside because I live in a quiet area and I can’t understand how people live in cities yet someone from a different culture will disagree.

Sound as art

Radio art is an example of sound art, it is where someone who is not a trained dj, producer or programmer but someone who uses sound to make art. It is outside the norm however it makes you question what is music and art? 

More art work using sound are sound sculpture, electracoustic music and soundscapes. Previously I mentioned about loving the sound of the countryside which is Soundscapes. Every where in the world sounds different, and this is all to do with the landscape the sound is in. 

In addition, Luigi Russolo, well known for The Art of Noises, figured out that all sounds in the world will fit into 1 of the 6 groups, e.g roaring, whistling, etc. This list at first seems a bit crazy but when you actually stop to think of them, all noises fit into atleast 1 of the 6 groups.

Reading The Image -Part 2

              We then continued to discuss sound as semiotics and spoke of Rolan Barthers and his book “Image,Music,Text”. The result was that we grow up and learn to accept signs for what they mean to make things and life work easy, such as traffic lights, the colour red always warns of something bad or not to do and so on. I learnt that in every image there is a process, signifier, signified and the sign. Take the jacket I mentioned earlier, the signifier was the jacket, the signified was the meanings behind the studs and badges, the sign was that we are culturally mediated. We don’t see ourselves as culturally mediated, but we are influenced by everything, from parents, media, education, society and even religion. Although we don’t realise, education sends us in a certain direction whilst years ago the only reason children were sent to school was to give parents time to work. This whole discussion is hegemony, it can be challenged and shifted however we don’t realise what we are being influenced into thinking and believing.

                                  Furthermore, skeuomorphism is another term we discussed, I learnt that everything is the way it is for a reason and it’s not what we actually think it looks like. Such as apps on a phone, they’re square which gives a business like feel to them.

                           Also we watched a short video of a previous students work, which at first the text was simply about a farmer and his lazy dog however it wasn’t as plain as we thought. The sub-text was that he can’t live without it and this is what rural life is like. Overall I learnt that hegemony and signs in the world all work together and something that is no longer acceptant of the same rules is called a coercive society.

Reading The Image. 9/10/15

                                                   

                                  In our lecture today we discussed the statement “reading the image” which I personally love, as not everything is as it seems. Poetry is the best example of this statement because of so much hidden meanings in not only the way the poem is worded but even for some poems the way the poem is laid out. An example which was mentioned in our lecture was John Cooper Clarke’s – (I married) A monster from outer space.  For example, below is the fourth verse

“ We walked out – tentacle in hand

You could sense that the earthlings would not understand

They’d go.. nudge nudge …when we got off the bus

Saying it’s extra-terrestial – not like us

And it’s bad enough with another race

But fuck me… a monster …from outer space”

At first I was really confused about what the poem was actually about, I just thought it was an innocent poem about someone marrying an alien! However, that was at first glance, the more the poem was discussed it was then clear that the punk poet was actually suggesting racism. I think it’s easy to figure out that the “monster” is simply a poor woman of a different race

                                  In addition, the lecturer then brought out this really old looking jacket and asked “What year was the jacket from?” Everyone jumped to the conclusion this old ragged jacket belong in the punk era of the 70’s! However, there was more to the jacket than what we had all seen at first sight! With the juxtaposed images of studs, badges and black leather combined together made us break down the image and twist it into something of its actual meaning. So the jacket for example, I thought it was just a really cool leather jacket but the meaning behind it was that everyone links leather jackets , studs, etc to the punk era, because of the cultural memory everyone has. This kind of clothing gives a bad image all because of a historical riot, the Hollister riot. This was in Hollister 1947, at the America Motorcyclist association where they all met up to watch annual rallies, socialise and drink ,however a very few of the motorcyclists got out of control and caused an uproar in the town, of which the damage was considered minor in the end. However reporters sensationalized the incident with reports of bikers "taking over the town" and "pandemonium" in Hollister.