All posts by Cameron Forbes

Blog 4 (re-do): Youtube tutorials & Starcraft 2

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Ive always admired the tech world but i didnt really start paying closer attention until a few years ago. When i wanted to read something about technology i went to really the only tech site that i knew, Wired.com. For the first little while that was kind of the extent of my information flow. However, as i continue to follow the site i started having favorite writers who i would pay closer attention when they posted and also followed them on other social media platforms (twitter,etc..). I used this website mostly for following breaking tech news and opinions/analysis of tech. However, when trying to actually learn the mechanics of how something works i prefer an explanation with a visual representation. For this i use youtube. When looking for something on youtube i was open to hear anybody’s explanation but of course there were certain that i held with higher esteem. Again, no real specific user i followed much more intently than others.

On a side  note when the game Starcraft 2 came out me and a bunch of friends got it and i got prettttty into it. I would watch game commentary often from a specific user (husky starcraft) So i guess in that way he kind of mentored my starcraft game a little bit. But i also just thought he was a lolzer and enjoyed watching his videos. However i have since retired my mouse and stopped playing as its a game you can’t really play casually.

blog 4: eclectic reassessment

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I don’t really have an online mentor( however the blog collective that i use as an example was started by a sports writer who ive enjoyed for many years) , but rather just certain music, sports, and general culture writers or blogs that i enjoy and try to keep up with. Generally, for each field (sports, music, art, media, etc…) I have a primary source or specific contributor that I follow. There would be a long list of sites i might consult about these types of topics.But For example, when i feel like reading someone elses opinion on a sports topic, or movies/ tv/music kinda stuff I might read an article from Grantland.com. (I think this is quite a popular website that people read)  I generally enjoy the variety and freedom of expression the contributors seem to have. As i read more i started to find the specific contributors that i liked and was able to follow them on other media mediums. This is kind of important because a lot of the writing is quite opinionated in the actual text or in tone (or subtext, attitude). I seem to receive this kind of freedom of opinion in a polarized way. The writers i enjoy, i really enjoy, but the writers I don’t like as much, I really dislike. However, i do like this approach the writing.

I learn things online, but I wouldn’t label it as a mentoring type deal. Personally i just kind of take in whatever i read (or watch/listen) and use whatever i agree with and disregard the rest. I like to think that my views on such topics are independently determined, but for the most part I’m open to hearing others opinions and trying to learn from them. Usually its just small fragmented ideas that i bite off and apply to (or build on) my own thinking. Although, I’m willing to hear out other viewpoints, for the most part if it’s something I enjoy, i usually just naturally have my own opinions or feelings of significance about it.

Her: An emotional story of Life, relationships, & technology

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Too me, Her made me reflect deeply on my own relationships as well as my relationship to technology. The world Jonze creates on film is one that is aesthetically very pleasing, but has an eerily somber mood to it. While the movie is set in a technologically advanced world, it is more about humanity. However, it does give us some insight into the reprocucions of the heavy interaction we have with technology. The movie doesn’t depict humans as having their faces buried in screens 24/7 as one may think, in fact, they may spend less time in front of screens than people currently. The world they show  sees technologies increased with interpersonal use, but seemingly not too much in its other uses. Theo’s phone has more of an accessory, feel to it (like a watch or necklace, although it’s not really a fashion choice) rather than something that is constantly being used like an iphone. This discrete feel is in contrast to much of the technology we use today that is quite apparent in its use.

Theo’s relationship with his OS happens so effortlessly in a way that kind of mirrors how all the technology works in the movie. The OS technology also gives a very deep personal feel to its users. This could be seen as a cautionary reminder as to how we use and interact with technology today. Theo seemingly thinks that his relationship & love with his OS is unique and special, but by the end he learns that she has relationships with thousands of other users and is “in love” with hundreds more. Theo is obviously crushed by this and it is very emotional and sad. Human relationship with technology is a popular topic of interest for many. This movie deals with this narrative and explores some of the pitfalls of it as well as some of the potential.

In conclusion, this movie has a very powerful message that is very much relevant to technology and society in contemporary life. Her made me take a hard look at my own relationship with technology as well as the relationships i (try and) maintain through it.

Book Review

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Cameron Forbes

TS 400 Book Report

The Virtual Self

Nora Young

Data Visualization: The Artistry Of Statistics

 

In her book, The Virtual Self, Nora Young looks at the increasing amount of information we are sharing online. She discusses the potential ramifications of all this information sharing. Young tries to look for a positive direction for our information-flooded society. Throughout the book Young looks at things like the self-tracking information that people share online. She breaks self-tracking into two categories. First, personal/individual self-tracking, which could be anything from taking a picture of what you had for breakfast or saying you’re going to the gym. The second category Young talks about is external tracking. External tracking is the kind of tracking that companies and governments do. Young also discusses other topics relative to big data, such as the importance of data mapping in making use of big data. Young talks about finding ways to concisely present the important information that the data reveals. Young also discusses the topic of privacy in this new “ecosystem of information”. (Young, Nora. The virtual self, pg. 161) She talks about the seemingly ever-changing privacy settings that big companies like Facebook have. Young also makes sure to mention a few of Facebooks past oversteps in their privacy settings. The Virtual Self looks at the important issues in our societies increasingly technical culture.

For my report I am going to look at how data mapping will become the most important tool in the data integration of the masses of data we are generating. Nora Young expresses in her book that we need “to find ways to make the story that data tells comprehensible.” (Young, Nora. The virtual self, pg. 139) Through “dynamic [and] interactive graphics” (Young, Nora. The virtual self, pg. 144) we will have been able to create enlightening infographics models to clearly show the importance of the given information.

In the last few years I have seen utilization of data mapping and infographic technologies, especially in sports. There is a company called Sportvu that using cameras and tracking systems that generate huge amounts of data of sports games. Sportvu right now is being used mostly by basketball and soccer. However, most of my experience in looking at their data mapping has been in basketball. Most NBA teams have adopted Sportvu. The technology essentially tracks every player’s movement, the ball’s movement, shooting percentages, and many other smaller categories. The information Sportvu generated was coveted by NBA geeks who were eager to try to utilize it with their teams. However, despite the information obvious relevance, the biggest challenge to get the NBA team to use Sportvu was getting coaches and other more hands on basketball people to utilize the technology. Many NBA coaches are quite hard-headed and set in their ways of evaluation. This is where the data mapping and infogrpahics were so important. As the massive amounts of Sportvu data was made into infographics several teams started to use the information. In a short time, many more teams were using this Sportvu technology and using its findings to influence their decisions. Currently, all 30 NBA teams are using Sportvu. To me this is an affirmation of the importance of data mapping in finding the significance in the masses of data. There are even teams that make nearly all player decisions and coaching strategies focused on the findings of this data. Although the NBA & soccer (I am not sure to what extent soccer uses this) are the first major sports to utilize big data through data visualizations I foresee this becoming a major part of how we look at sports going forward.

Although the example I presented might have been slightly long winded it shows that these massive amounts of data are already being successfully simplified and presented in a way that makes its significance easy to understand. Nora Young describes how she was explained the purpose of data visualization as “allowing you to very quickly get a sense of a lot of data”. (Young, Nora. The virtual self, pg. 145) Professional sports use of data visualization of big data is a great test of whether we can make use of all this data we are generating. Many people question whether we can actually make use of all the data we are producing. In my opinion the answer to this question is almost certainly yes. Professional sports are a highly competitive business and is not an easy first field test for the validity of data visualization. However, sports are just one area of use.

In conclusion, I believe that data visualization is the key to illuminating the vital points of information that lay deep in the sea of data that our society is generating. Young discusses many different areas of life where mass amounts of data are being generated. While many of these areas of life with big data collections are not yet comprehensible, the continued push of data visualization should facilitate our understanding the data in these other areas of life.

 

 

References

Young, Nora. The virtual self: how our digital lives are altering the world around us. Toronto, Ont.: McClelland & Stewart, 2012. Print.

 

Blog Assignment #2: Augmented Reality Contacts?

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http://www.wired.com/beyond_the_beyond/2014/01/augmented-reality-parylene-and-vinyl-electronic-contact-lenses/

Right now the technology is just a demonstration of what will hopefully be coming in the not to distant future. The technology is essentially just a contact lens with a circuit in it. While this doesn’t have anything close to the capabilities of an Oculus Rift, it has the potential to have much more practical and mobile functionality. This in my opinion is an important step forward in technologies seamless connection to our body’s. Although im not sure how long it will take to even have the applications of an Oculus Rift, the contact lens  looks to be the next step to increase the practicality of augmented reality. It may be a stretch to think we can get the technology down to a size that fits into a contact. However, in 1956 the first computer hard drive was exponentially larger than todays.

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2014/01/tech-time-warp-ibm-ramac/?cid=co16608774#slide-id-121131

So to me it doesn’t seem inconceivable that we could have a complex augmented reality application in a contact lens in the next 3/4 century. The upside of this is that we could have a wearable augmented reality that you would barely even notice on your body. The  drawbacks of these potential technological advancements could be people rarely going outdoors or interacting with real people. However, if used responsibly the potential applications can even go beyond augmented reality. Ideally the technology could be used in partnership with our brains. This also presents potential issues of how our brains would respond to such technological connection.

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Hello, my name is Cameron Forbes and iam a third year sociology student at uvic. I took ts 200 and have been wanting to take the next ts courses ever since.

Iam interested in how emerging technologies can be applied to the education system. While the current education system works for many students i believe that with an updated approach to teaching and course planning the education system could be more effective. I am of the belief that instead of resisting new technology in the classroom we should be embracing its possibilities.

Iam also interested in the future of data presentation. Right now there is so much information in world and i think its important to find the best ways to illustrate the importance of the information.

I also thinks that with the growing use of technology we must look at exactly how this constant use of technology effects our brains in the short term and long term.

As for augmented reality iam interested in the latest oculus rift prototype.

-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP1_chRdPIc&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLpndQ-APwbNW0iOqmP6EK8OOw2XCaJcTS

Iam exited about the prospect of what this technology can be utilized for going forward.