Augmented Reality

Military Technology

One really cool way of using augmented reality is the new technology that is being developed for the military. A company called Tanagram is working on a helmet and goggles duo that is being developed to have a 360 degree camera, infrared and UV vision, a microphone and an earpiece just to name a few (Cameron). The helmet also allows data to be transferred to and from the wearer and their base. This technology can also show people or buildings or areas in different colors so the soldiers know where potential danger spots could be (Cameron). This kind of technology would make the soldiers more knowledgeable and familiar about the area they are in, which give them an advantage. The system also records this information and stores it for future use (Cameron).

 

Bibliography

Cameron, Chris. Military-Grade Augmented Reality Could Redefine Modern Warfare. 11 June 2010. 14 December 2012 <http://readwrite.com/2010/06/11/military_grade_augmented_reality_could_redefine_modern_warfare>.

 

Cyberculture

For this blog post, I wanted to share something that covers many aspects of cyberculture: Tumblr. Tumblr is a blogging and social networking website. People can share all different types of media that can be viewed by everyone or just a select group of people. When I think of cyberculture, I think of all of the “cultures” or different groups of people within Tumblr. Do you like dogs? There are blogs out there just dedicated to dogs. Are you a Hunger Games fanatic? There are Hunger Games blogs just for fans. There are blogs out there for everyone and every possible interest you could think of, no matter how weird or unique. The people who follow these blogs are almost like their own little “cliques.” 

One way to address this concept is to talk about ‘memes.’ A meme is defined as “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture (Merriam-Webster).” On Tumblr, there are different memes for each ‘culture’ of people. There is Retail Robin, which is dedicated to retail workers. There is also Socially Awkward Penguin, Scumbag Steve, and Philosoraptor among many others all dedicated to different groups of people. The meme is an image with one of the characters mentioned above, and some kind of saying that relates to what the meme represents. The memes are meant to mock ideas, and they are like an inside joke for the people of that specific culture the meme is referencing. (See examples below*).

I found a video on YouTube that shows a ton of different medias and image from viral videos in one song. The video is really silly, but it gets the point across. Click here for video.

Retail Robin: 

Socially Awkward Penguin:

Philosoraptor:

Bibliography

Merriam-Webster. 9 December 2012 <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meme>.

*All images were found on Google Images

 

Media Archeology and Artifact Analysis

Before mobile apps, there's always the original websites, like Facebook and MySpace and you are still able to message people there. Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., are becoming more and more popular and can even be linked to Facebook accounts. MySpace and Friendster were the first really big websites for social networking before Facebook. Before that, there was AOL instant messenger. Before AOL instant messenger, there was AOL email (one of the first big email/search engine/internet service provider)and other email sites like Hotmail and Yahoo in the 1980's and 1990's. Before the internet, none of these things even existed. People communicated via telephone and regular mail. People still use fax machines to send information but it's definitely not a primary means of communication. It has been 30-40 years since all of these things were invented, but it really doesn't seem so long ago.

In the future, I firmly believe that humans will have some kind of device implanted in them that will allow them to communicate with others. I think that social networking sites continue to be faster and better and make it easier for people to share every aspect of their life with everyone. Or I think that instead of having a television, computer, cell phone, ipod, kindle, etc, these will all become one single device.

One of the good things about social media sites is that you can share information instantaneously and get responses just as quick. If I have a question, I just type and it is often answered in seconds. The bad thing is, if you send something by accident, it is too late, everyone has seen it and shared it and that information is on the internet forever. It is really easy to network, especially through Facebook. Whether you are trying to get your business more attention or meet people who are in the field of work you are trying to into, you can find people very easily. While I much prefer communicating via social media, it definitely dehumanizes people. There are many issues with bullying on the interest and hiding behind a computer screen and be anonymous makes it a lot easier to be mean to others and get away with it.

Dipity Timeline