Are mass communications zapping my power of concentration? I find myself sitting at my computer working on my blog, when a thought pushes through that I should check facebook to see if the person I met at a LISGA meeting has added me as a friend. Then I stop to answer my cell phone, and check my email while I talk on the phone. After the call, bored with working on my Blog, I go to one of my Dicussion Board classes to see if a new topic has been added. Since my 7301 class Discussion Board takes longer to load, and more clicks to get to the correct page, I always check Sakai first. Then I check the Discussion Board with the links to your Blogs, make a couple comments and interupt my own thinking with the thought that I better responsed to my 7301 Discussion Board before I forget. Off I go to my 7301 Discussion Board and post a reply to the topic there. Finally done, I look at the bottom of my screen and see my minimized Blog window with the entry unfinished. Right now I have four windows minimized with things I am working on, often I jump back and forth.
On the internet, with so many places to go see and things to check up on, I am not focusing my full attention on any one thing. I feel very scattered brained.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
World of Warcraft Addiction
World of Warcraft is an online, real time game of over 6 million participants. I have two WoW players in my household. To play, you join a guild of twenty people and go on raids. These are organized raids, with usually evening hours set aside, to battle a bad guy. Like all games, you select what character you are and build a bank of power, weapons, shields, etc. Unlike other games, WoW players take their commitment to be part of a raid very seriously.
My WoW players may spend 6 hours a day playing the game. Did I say evening hours, well that often means late into the night? Since concentration is important, I am not to disturb my players. So I just stay out of the same room. One of my players considers several members of his guild as his friends. I think it extremely strange to have virtual friends. Much to my chagrin, he actually went out and met some of them for dinner. For several years, one of my players purchased extra power buy purchasing Wow gold. This added up to about $1000.00 a year.
I have abhorred WOW for many years and how a game controlled my player's lives. One has stopped, or at least stopped being part of a guild. The other is off at college so I don't know how much he plays. What do you think of online gaming?
My WoW players may spend 6 hours a day playing the game. Did I say evening hours, well that often means late into the night? Since concentration is important, I am not to disturb my players. So I just stay out of the same room. One of my players considers several members of his guild as his friends. I think it extremely strange to have virtual friends. Much to my chagrin, he actually went out and met some of them for dinner. For several years, one of my players purchased extra power buy purchasing Wow gold. This added up to about $1000.00 a year.
I have abhorred WOW for many years and how a game controlled my player's lives. One has stopped, or at least stopped being part of a guild. The other is off at college so I don't know how much he plays. What do you think of online gaming?
Friday, September 28, 2007
The Young versus Old Divide
There exists a digital divide between the young to middle aged and the old. People over 70 and older are mostly apathetic about computers and the internet. Yet the retired generation offers a huge potential market. If computer companies and telecoms are unable or unwilling to engage the retired by offering user friendly applications then the digital divide will deepen as the elderly age.
I for one am apathetic too, who cares if older adults don't care about being connected. My Mom tried email, the internet and word processing. Nothing captured her attention. I would only encourage her to use computers if she thought it would keep her mind active.
I do not sympathize with computer companies and their loss of market share among the elderly. If older adults don't care about technology that's fine with me, after all being "connected" isn't everything. I suggest to older people, as an alternative, try to learn a foreign language.
I for one am apathetic too, who cares if older adults don't care about being connected. My Mom tried email, the internet and word processing. Nothing captured her attention. I would only encourage her to use computers if she thought it would keep her mind active.
I do not sympathize with computer companies and their loss of market share among the elderly. If older adults don't care about technology that's fine with me, after all being "connected" isn't everything. I suggest to older people, as an alternative, try to learn a foreign language.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
A digital divide exists between the upper to middle classes and the poor. The poor are separated because of affordability issues, difficulties in utilizing applications and a lack of effectiveness in using information to empower themselves.
The cost of a computer is now so low that almost every household in the Untied States can afford to own one. A decent refurbished computer with a used monitor costs under $200.00. In addition, the cost of broadband services has declined to about $24.99 a month. I anticipate hardware expenses and broadband accessing costs will continue to fall in the years ahead. This is good news for lower income people who want technology in their homes. But to break the digital divide more is needed than just possessing hardware and having internet access.
Most websites are written for and by people with university degrees. Even government social service websites, created to assist the poor, are complex and hard to navigate. A usability divide exists that alienates almost 40 % of our population. In order to make the internet more friendly many websites need to follow guidelines written for low literacy users, particularly when they are their target market.
A digital divide also exists between urban and rural Americans. In cities, high speed broadband has been available since the 1990’s. Telecoms have not been willing to invest in high speed broadband infrastructure in many rural areas because profit margins are low or non-existent. Dial up is the modus operandi for people living in the country. As technology improves and prices continue to drop, hopefully Telecoms will begin to focus more resources toward the installation of high speed access in rural areas.
The lack of gaining “empowerment” from technology is the most difficult part of the digital divide to overcome. The poor are not making full use of the benefits technology offers because they lack the skills or initiative. Getting to the best information on the internet is difficult for the poor for many reasons. Among them: the mastering of search engines is rare; pre-programmed applications may not offer the best tools; and benefits from social networking are not accessed. The poor often don’t know where to find empowering applications or how to fully utilize them because they lack education. Fixing the education system is a huge dilemma for our country.
A look to the future: The digital divide will shrink because hardware and usability issues will be addressed by computer companies and Telecoms who will want to benefit from untapped markets among poor and rural users as prices continue to fall. The empowerment divide will be harder to over come, education of the poor is the key to unlocking the potential technology has to offer.
The cost of a computer is now so low that almost every household in the Untied States can afford to own one. A decent refurbished computer with a used monitor costs under $200.00. In addition, the cost of broadband services has declined to about $24.99 a month. I anticipate hardware expenses and broadband accessing costs will continue to fall in the years ahead. This is good news for lower income people who want technology in their homes. But to break the digital divide more is needed than just possessing hardware and having internet access.
Most websites are written for and by people with university degrees. Even government social service websites, created to assist the poor, are complex and hard to navigate. A usability divide exists that alienates almost 40 % of our population. In order to make the internet more friendly many websites need to follow guidelines written for low literacy users, particularly when they are their target market.
A digital divide also exists between urban and rural Americans. In cities, high speed broadband has been available since the 1990’s. Telecoms have not been willing to invest in high speed broadband infrastructure in many rural areas because profit margins are low or non-existent. Dial up is the modus operandi for people living in the country. As technology improves and prices continue to drop, hopefully Telecoms will begin to focus more resources toward the installation of high speed access in rural areas.
The lack of gaining “empowerment” from technology is the most difficult part of the digital divide to overcome. The poor are not making full use of the benefits technology offers because they lack the skills or initiative. Getting to the best information on the internet is difficult for the poor for many reasons. Among them: the mastering of search engines is rare; pre-programmed applications may not offer the best tools; and benefits from social networking are not accessed. The poor often don’t know where to find empowering applications or how to fully utilize them because they lack education. Fixing the education system is a huge dilemma for our country.
A look to the future: The digital divide will shrink because hardware and usability issues will be addressed by computer companies and Telecoms who will want to benefit from untapped markets among poor and rural users as prices continue to fall. The empowerment divide will be harder to over come, education of the poor is the key to unlocking the potential technology has to offer.
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