Author: Andriy M.

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Radio Station vs. Spotify


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How do you listen to music? Back in the day, one could have either purchase cassettes and play the songs he/she wanted, or he/she could have given up the opportunity to choose and tuned to a radio station. The way people listen to music has changed tremendously throughout the years. However, some patterns remain even in today’s digital world. Consider a platform like Spotify. One can either purchase the premium plan and obtain access to any song from the database, or just choose to listen to songs that are of the similar genre as the desired one.

I have never closely paid attention to how the delivery of music has changed. Lev Manovich’s article, however, got me interested by pointing out the contrast between databases and narratives. Within the article Manovich pointed out the cultural transition to a world based on databases rather than narratives. The contrast between a radio station in the early 2000s and the free version of Spotify access, perfectly fits within Manovich’s claim. Instead of a radio station DJ playing songs that he/she likes and wants you to hear, you are now listening to songs that are chosen from a huge database by a computer algorithm. At first glance, both of these methods might sound the same, however there is an underlying difference. When a person chooses the song, he/she is affected by things like mood, personal experiences, and even the current weather. The computerized algorithm, however, bases its decisions on certain captured common trends and other previously collected data. Even though a listener might not notice much of a difference, the underlying world is constantly evolving.

 

Posted from DIG 101 Blog by Andriy M.

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Please Confirm You Are Not a Robot


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Thanks, I had to make sure that no bots would read my blog, you know? CAPTCHA is something we most definitely have all seen online. A regular CAPTCHA usually requires the individual behind the screen to type in the displayed text from a distorted image. Despite seeing it, a common internet user most likely does not have a clue what it is used for. First of all, I should have asked what is it being used against? Robots…duh… Well, let’s take a closer look, because every time I am asked to fill out a CAPTCHA, for some reason, I think of an actual robot somewhere sitting behind a screen, trying to complete the required task.

To those who think bots are a modern concept, keep in mind that the first CAPTCHA, according to Captcha.net, was invented in 1997. This makes sense, since even during the early time of the internet, people were trying to bend the rules to their own benefit. A few commercial uses followed in 2001, with PayPal contributing significantly to CAPTCHA’s fame. CAPTCHA was used to prevent a variety of actions: financial fraud activity, creation of free emails for the sake of sending out spam, submitting comments for the sake of influencing the political opinion of the people, and many others.

But while the concept of CAPTCHA does sound very useful, according to the Huffington Post article, many have complained about it. People with certain level of vision disability were unable to follow through the CAPTCHA requests, and were filtered out along with the bots. Furthermore, since CAPTCHAs are computer generated, some can come across as offensive or just simply ridiculous requests. So while CAPTCHA is crucial to today’s internet use, it is important to constantly work on improving it.

 

Posted from DIG 101 Blog by Andriy M.

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Origins of Trollface?


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Personally, I have never really understood trolling. It is something I did try to oppose at first, but since that approach simply adds to the mess, I learned how to ignore it. Reading both “We’re the Reason We Can’t Have Nice Things on the Internet” and “Privilege Makes Them Do It — What a Study of Internet Trolls Reveals” forced me to research if there are any hidden benefits online trolls receive for what they do.

 

Even though I was not lucky enough to find the overall definite motives of trolling, I did discover something very interesting.

Trollface

We have all probably seen this meme. If not, meet the Trollface. For me, and probably for many people around the world, this caricature of a smiling face has been the logo for anything troll-related. However, not many know of this meme’s origin. According to one of the articles on the Know Your Meme platform, Trollface was introduced to the world on September 18th, 2008. This was very surprising to learn about, since the concept of trolling and troll-like behavior, tracks back a long time before that date.

Another very interesting fact this article pointed out was about  the author of the Trollface. Throughout a few years the man has made over $100,000 from his creation. Which, at the time of the number recorded, was approximately $15,000 a month. This was especially surprising, since despite the anonymity and the violation of many rights and morals, the meme ownership rights have been widely acknowledged, and, at least partially, paid for. Turns out trolling related things can grow into a business, and in fact, bring quite a bit of money to the people behind them.

 

Posted from DIG 101 Blog by Andriy M.

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Lab 3: Animated GIF


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1)

Cinemagraph GIF:

Cinemagraph GIF

Counter:

 

Analysis:

The first GIF presents a cinemagraph. It is mainly black and white, besides the eye color change. This creates a serious mood and emphasizes tension around the GIF. Just like most cinemagraph GIFs, this one has a sense of excellence and minimalistic beauty.  The counter GIF is of a person messing up, while attempting to draw a parallel line. This GIF qualifies as a counter to the first one, since while both GIFs start off with potential for beauty and excellence, the second GIF breaks through the typical expectations. In comparison to the cinemagraph, the counter GIF does not leave the viewer with the a feeling of tension and seriousness, but rather with frustration.

 

2)

Sports GIF:

Sports GIF

Counter:

Analysis:

The first GIF is depicting a a beautiful goal, scored by one of the finest lads in the game of soccer, Olivier Giroud. Just as most Sport GIFs, this one captures a moment of beautiful success. It is almost difficult to not watch this GIF a few times, to fully appreciate the quality of displayed skill and supreme human ability. The second GIF is a counter for many reasons. Since the depicted “players” are robots, the GIF right away misses it’s chance to impress the viewers with exceptional human capabilities. Furthermore, while the first GIF ends with a beautiful result of the ball breaking through the line of defense and into the back of the net, the expectations of beautiful finish in the second GIF are crushed with the ball stopping right on the goal line of the.

 

3)

Reaction GIF:

Reaction GIF

 

Counter:

 

Analysis:

The first GIF captures an emotion of a little boy, after the team he came out to support, scored an important goal. While looking at the GIF, not only can the viewer relate to the emotion, but the child can also serve as a symbol of innocence, and therefore reinforce the effect of this reaction GIF. The counter GIF is of a little robot driving around the table. It is a counter to the reaction GIF above, since it depicts a simple action by an inhumane object. Due to similar movements between the little robot and the little kid, a viewer might interpret both GIFs as reaction GIFs. This interesting example of a reaction GIF and its counter also raises a few interesting questions about a reaction GIF. What exactly makes a GIF a reaction GIF? Is it the presence of a relatable feeling, and if so, does the object depicted within the GIF has to be human?

 

 

Posted from DIG 101 Blog by Andriy M.

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“How Dare Do You Take All of These Roles From Black People?”


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This was Jamie Foxx’s opening joke at the birthday party for Robert Downey Jr., referring to his controversial role in the “Tropical Thunder” movie. Now, before all the criticism begins to flourish in the comment section… here is another quote from an interview with Jamie Foxx: “If I read all of the comments, I would never tell another joke.” And you know what, I really think his words there make sense, and here is why.

I am an actor myself. I attended an acting school for some years, and have been performing on stage from time to time for about 10 years. Before I read the We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs article, when I would see a reaction GIF, the response in my head was something along the lines of: “Wow, this person just managed to pack an emotion into a relatable, few second looping video. He/she is either very-very talented, and has an incredible character, or this is just a super lucky ‘accident’ that was caught on camera. In any case, good for him/her.” Now, after reading the previously mentioned article, the thoughts in my head are more of this type:”Ok, so is a black or a white person, how many people had their feelings hurt solely because of the existence of this GIF, does the pictured person even want this type of ‘fame’, how many people have used this GIF to hurt someone else?”

While I agree that many of the questions, which came up in my head after I read the article, are important, there are a few things I want to point out. First of all, out of the billions people in this world, there is literally nothing that exists, that wouldn’t hurt someone’s feelings. Secondly, at times, some people that are just mean. Unfortunately, this is the not-so-nice part of the important balance of everything in life. And finally, it is time we all understand that once you record something, or simply make a version of something in a digital format, you are placing it at risk of both public viewing and public interpretation.

Posted from DIG 101 Blog by Andriy M.

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Will We Actually Go Green?


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Whether you are heavily involved in the going green movement, or you side with Trump’s theory about global warming being a myth invented by the Chinese, the concept of becoming more efficient in regards to the planet’s resources has been very popular. Global warming, fossil fuel, renewable solar and wind energy, recycling – today all of these terms are constantly present in our lives. But do we really know what those concepts even mean?

“Duh….isn’t it pretty obvious?”, you might say. That’s what I also thought for a while. After a bit of research, it turns out, there are quite a few facts that are very surprising. According to the International Energy Agency’s “World Energy Outlook 2013”, currently 82% of the energy used in the world comes from fossil fuel. What is more surprising, however, is that with all the new initiatives, and the whole world working together to introduce significant changes, the previous statistic is only expected to fall to 75%, over the course of at least 25 years. According to an article from Wharton, United States, the country that is known to be the birthplace for many green movement activists groups, only generates 13% of its energy from renewable sources. And surprisingly enough, the leader in the area of investments into renewable energy is, the constantly criticized for its industrial pollution, China!

The point of all these statistics is in no way to take away from the importance of the transition towards a more efficient and appreciative lifestyle. However, it is an alert to raise awareness about the process and the challenges of such change.

 

Bibliography:

Can the World Run on Renewable Energy?. Knowledge@Wharton (2015, April 23). Retrieved from http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/can-the-world-run-on-renewable-energy/

World Energy Outlook 2013. International Energy Agency (2015). Retrieved from https://www.iea.org/

Posted from DIG 101 Blog by Andriy M.

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We’re Just Yet to Customize It


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Unknown source and date.   http://giovanimarmitte.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Challenge-Adaptation.jpg

Image courtesy: Gio Vanimarmitte

In Google type in “smartphones and relationships”. I guarantee you the first 5-10 links will be about why new technology is so bad, and how does it ruin our social lives. Don’t believe me? Well… way to ruin this relationship. On a more serious note, people have always complained about technology threatening social, in-person interaction. But does it really, or do we just not know how to use it?

After reading Perpetual Contact : Mobile Communication, Private Talk, Public Performance, the concept of progressive privatization has really caught my attention. Even though the authors connect this specific concept with technologies of monological presence, I view this concept as a part of user customization process. Any new technology needs time to acclimate, and while something like a smartphone does drag the users out of the current moment of their lives, the extent always depends on the individual’s choice.

Just like books did years ago, smartphones will eventually make everyone’s social lives more colorful. In my opinion, people will learn to filter the unnecessary distraction, and will eventually becoming more efficient and more knowledgable about the world around them. With all types of new information at their fingertips people will always feel the need to share it with others for social approval. This is where, just like people acknowledged books, people will start recognizing the value of taking some distraction time, to grow your inner self. You might argue that with all this efficiency, people will not have any time for every-day progressive incidents. However, they are called incidents for a reason, and the more one is involved, the more action is present in that person’s life.

To conclude, a smartphone is nothing but a set of tools available to an individual. How he/she chooses to use those tools, and to what extent, is always a personal decision.

Posted from DIG 101 Blog by Andriy M.

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We Need More Science Fiction Authors


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Devany Walsh. Fantasy Science Spaceship Futuristic Artistic Artwork. November 2, 2016 http://vunature.com/fantasy-science-spaceship-futuristic-artistic-artwork-art-space-sci-photo-pictures-of-nature/

Novels like Neuromancer are rare. Not only does Neuromancer combine multiple unique predictions about the future of the world, more than 30 years later, in 2017, we can actually see that most of these predictions were quite on target. Of course, some of the predictions made in the book did not become reality…at least yet. Things like the super high speed train, or ways to travel into space and visit other colonies have not actually been made possible, however there are a few people that constantly emphasize the necessity of the word “yet” at the end of the previous sentence. Steve Jobs, Elon Mask, Mark Zuckerberg – these are just a few names of the many individuals that are known to be the visionaries behind some of the most impressive technological advances of our times.

When analyzing their success, the question that has always interested me is: where do these people find the inspiration for all these breakthroughs? Many famous philosophers claim that nobody can just come up with something completely new, and that everything out there is just an improved version of something that already exist. I agree with this opinion, and for that reason I really enjoyed reading Neuromancer. The importance of the novel is obvious, when you look around today and see how many beautiful things it inspired. And yes, as you might have already guessed by the title, I do believe that the reason why William Gibson was so accurate about his predictions, is ironically because his novel inspired people to move in the direction he suggested. Turns out, he was not guessing about the future, he was actually leading people into it. Personally, I think we need as much of such guidance as we can get.

Posted from DIG 101 Blog by Andriy M.