Have no fear, Dave is here
I have been a fan of the films of Stanley Kubrick since I was a teenager. I loved how Kubrick seemed to be a mystic of sorts. He relied on the susceptibility of the audience to be entertained while also being convinced that what they were seeing was reality. Kubrick constructed a fourth wall using meta-film. To a critical viewer, his films showed the process of film making and showed how films were central to our understanding of what it means to be human in modern times. 2001: A Space Odyssey has always been a personal favourite of mine because I love to question the film’s symbolism and how it pertained to the Kubrick’s world and how it pertains to mine.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdDt6x3-y2Q&feature=related]
I think Kubrick and I thought similarly. Would humans become so reliant upon technology that they would forfeit trusting their own instincts? The black obelisk: it is terrifying, yet powerful. It symbolism transcends its physical usage and prompts early humans to act on instinct. Are we controlled by these instincts? Or does something else – our technology – control these instincts?
The film brings up many questions, some of which I would like to apply to my first digression on this blog (there will not be many of these, since it is quite, ahem, unprofessional (;D). Yet, it sheds light on an issue that is important: my initial fear of writing about technology. To be honest, when I started out on my posts, I needed to update myself with the tech knowledge that comes natural to many of my peers. My innocence, or perhaps it was ignorance, did come in handy. My lack of knowledge on the subject made me seek it as much as I could this past summer. Libraries, academic journals, scientific studies, and, most importantly, communicating with my peers, provided me with some excellent background information. The posts have gradually become more creative and innovative. I enjoy writing them now since I feel like I can finally swim through this knowledge; my grasp is getting stronger.
What did I have before? Technophobia. Perhaps. Only a technophobe would take Kubrick, yet another tech skeptic, so seriously, right? A motif has cropped up. A very interesting one at that: how much the medium truly is the message. Technology is the word; it is the language. When we use it we are learning how to use that language. We can look foolish. We can use it incorrectly. However, we also can shape it. The blog allows for sculpting. It becomes an art when you do not feel like you are working but creating. I love to write creatively, so, my best pieces usually seem to come out of thin air. They are seamless and, since I write poetry, the only source of their origin I attribute to a muse, or an inspiration. Ideas for the posts have started to come from these inspirations; these muses. One has been my concern for marginalized groups, another for the digital divide that I have personally witnessed in class. Yet another post was developing on these ideas and proposing solution. There will be more posts on these themes, however, I believe that the post will now explore the very essence of the medium: innovation.
Fear of anything is provoked my lack of knowledge of its essence [Aside: did that sound like Yoda? Or perhaps Lao Tzu? Well read, I am ;)].
[Another Aside: Hal wasn’t actually evil. It was merely Dave’s understanding of evil and, thus, his displacement of his irrational, human fears on Hal. Dave was fearful of the unknown, so he made an irrational judgement – completely human].
The innovation will come from recent interviews with some very interesting, wonderful academics and digital media experts. The research that I have done so far is very human focused. The technology these people are using becomes a means for them to express their ideas; to express their humanity. To follow their lead, I would also like to delve into my ideas for this technology. Digital media has made me ponder how and why technology can help people communicate in ways they have never done before. I tend to look at horizons: I like the future day that is coming. The horizon begins to light up a world that will be more communicative. It will share more – maybe even care more. Not in a mushy way, but in an imperative way. With digital technology in education students are able to progress much faster and easier than in previous generations. The actual structure of education is changing. Curriculum is changing.
Structure is changing. Through language. The semiotics that structure our online world are affecting our real one in ways never expected. With this knowledge students can go into a world and build upon the logistics of communication. A more communicative world is, hopefully, a less violent one. With more communication, there is less misunderstandings and a desire to connect on deeper levels.
7 billion in this world. Near 2 billion live in poverty. Another several billion do not have fair access to technology and the internet. It seems like we have a problem, Dave.
Really, we have a resource. Infinite resources. One medium: digital technology. Before becoming afraid of this technology – and I am sure there are many of my peers who still will be – we need to see its benefits as they apply to our greatest needs and desires.
Ciao for now, Sara