blog entry #2 belinda

sorry its so late, my internet wasn't working.
To me creating an online persona is not just a way to be informative, it's also an exciting way to share intimate details of my personal life with friends and peers, and do so in a creative and personalized manner. take for example facebook. with facebook i can express myself through all the different applications such as the interview application. with this application, all my friends can learn more about me, without all the formalities of an in person conversation. the facebook community to me is amazing. the internet, and facebook enables me to connect with people from all over the country, as well as in other countries. being part of the online community helps the youth of today to stay connected, and informed, and allows us to do so in a creative and personal manner, without all the formalities of being in person.

To be a virtual persona

To be a virtual entity is to create a new persona of mine on different world. The persona communicates with known or unknown people from around whole world. It is easy to meet those who have common ground in interesting without any limitation of space. It can be a world wide community. It will be very liberal because it will not have any prejudice coming from our sightseeing. On the contrary, it is easy to be exposed on naked hatred or obscenity because of its invisible.

''Part of a Global Community''

Some people believe that writing certain things about themselves and post them online might be impersonal and cold. Personally I felt comfortable creating an online persona and share some things about myself with other people. To me being part of a global community is really interesting it is like you are participating to a discussion that never ends. In my opinion it is really constructive spending my time exchanging information with people all over the world. It's a place where you can meet people with common interests and discuss about several subjects, you can share your opinion and get information about different cultures and generally whatever you are interested in. Finally, I believe that being a virtual entity means to show who you are by expressing yourself through your words and thoughts.

Untangling the Web

I believe that if I belong to a secure network, creating an online persona would be a safe way to publicly display my information. Unsure of what to write, I was able to come up with a few facts regarding my hobbies and interests. This day in age it is very crucial to be a virtual entity by having the ability to communicate on the internet and to be recognized by millions of others. Being part of a "global community" is really quite an amazing thing. I am able to interact with people across the world! Not only are there no costs, but being part of this community provides me with on the spot access towards email, chatting and other site with communicating capabilities. As the years progress, life is handed to you on an even shinier, sturdier silver platter. Thinks are so easy to use and readily accessible, who knows what's in store for us in the future?!

When I moved in...

When my cousin sat me down in front of my computer last year and stood over my shoulder until I signed onto her new boyfriend, myspace, it was my first experience in creating an online persona. I wasn't sure what to do, where to begin, or where to end. I couldn't believe that I was expected to display all this information that usually only my friends would know. My birthday, hometown, education, occupation, even my height! LoL. My initial profile didn't have pictures, top friends, or even a background. But, as a few weeks passed, people I knew from elementary school, middle school, and high school that I hadn't seen in years began sending me friend requests. I thought this was cool, and it lured me in a bit more. Then I discovered uploading pics, videos, and posting little notes and comments on my boyfriend's profile at the time for EVERYONE to see. I don't know what got me, but within months I was on myspace everyday, checking others peoples profiles and updating mine. I'm not sure how to explain what it means to be a virtual entity so I looked up the meaning of entity to give myself a more precise understanding of what I should be talking about. Entity means a thing with distinct and independent existence. I think being a virtual entity is different than just simply "being". Virtually, I can be who I WANT TO BE. I present to others who I want them to believe I am. I control what they know about me. It's almost like creating your own world and deciding what, and whom you want in it. I think being part of a "global community" gives me a different sense of who I am and what I know about myself. As I became more and more into this "global community", I realized that I took a lot of time to figure out exactly what I wanted to portray about myself, when I would do it, and how. Everything would be on my terms. I didn't simply say "here world, this is who I am". Instead it was more along the lines of "hello world, this is who you're going to think I am". I became somewhat imbedded in this lifestyle and have come to realize that this new community is like a 2nd world, just more interesting than that of the real one. 

The "Virtual" Experience

Its definitely an interesting experience being a virtual entity on the web. Its a place where people can know a little about me and my personality without even meeting me face to face. A place where I can exchange information without speaking a word and become visible to others without actually being around them. Its amazing that I am able to connect with a person from halfway around the world and be able to exchange experiences of life with each other, not to mention conversate about the cultures we grew up in and talk about the people affecting our lives. Being part of a global community makes me feel more connected as to whats going on in the world. I am able to know whats happening to people in my "virtual" community and share in their happiness or empathize in their time of sorrow. To be a virtual persona means to share and express your view of life itself. You may be a happy go lucky type of person in which case many smiley faces and bright colors would be portrayed on your virtual page. You might be a more mellowed, hippish, meditative type, in which your page will be filled with crazy wacked out trippy colors and nature pics. Whatever the case may be, the salient attribute which sets you apart from others can be portrayed in a virtual world and shared with others, with which you can connect with others just like you. To me a virtual world is a place to express and connect.

"GLOBAL COMMUNITY"

To be honest I was kind of embarrassed and self-conscious when writing an online persona. It may look like I love expressing myself but when it comes to writing I guess I just don’t feel as comfortable. I’m always afraid that people will judge me on the way I write, if my vocabulary isn’t as strong as there’s, or if they don’t agree with what I am saying. I hope being part of a “global community” will give me more confidence in my writing and I hope it will become easier to express myself to others. I also feel that it is a little awkward expressing myself to people who know nothing about me. I guess over time I will feel a lot more comfortable.

global community

When creating an online persona, I tryed to portray or make the world see what I see about myself. I did not try to give off much of my personal information, because it would feel as and intrusion of my privacy. To be part of the virtual entity is like being connected to the world at large with only a push of a button away. Being connected to the "global community", gives meaning to me and everyone out there who is part of it. The world is basically wired togather through the internet and the World Wide Web.

online persona and global community

personally i had no problem writing an online persona..because in my opinion its just letting the viewers know a little bit about yourself.. what your interests are..what your hobbies are..occupation and/or goals.. however i wish i would have known it would have been read outloud in class that way i would have wrote a little bit more professional.. i was a little embarassed with all the smiley faces and "lol"s.. but it was okay for the most part.. i found it very interesting that our professor gave a simple assignment to the class and got such different responses from everyone.. furthermore being in a global community to me is being in a society of vast technology.. technology in a social way.. we are linked to eachother through facebook, myspace, emails, and instant messages with people not just in our local community but across the seas to the opposite side of the world.. communication has no limits in this day and age.. its facinating. its great to be able to keep in touch with family members in other countries and even meeting new people..!

Who's Mimi?

From the very fact that I chose to use an alias on Blogger and on Facebook, I think everyone can get a sense of how I feel about creating an online persona. I never felt comfortable creating a profile on MySpace or Facebook and after this semester is over, I am most probably going to delete my profile on Facebook. I am not by nature a private person, but there is a difference between telling people you meet different details about yourself and writing details about yourself that anyone in the whole entire world can see. And even if they don't speak English, they can probably have it translated into their vernacular. I know that anyone who has an internet connection can read what I write, and I know that some people from this class will be reading what I write, and therefore I do write differently than if my writing was for the professor's eyes only. Being part of a global community is alittle bit if an awesome feeling. it's overwhelming to think that you can be effected or have an effect on someone who doesn't even live in your community. This is all new to me and is alittle out of my comfort zone, but this is tremendous power.

A Whole New World

In these past couple of weeks I've been exposed to various forms of technology which have increased my online persona even more.  I can now call myself a blogger?  That sounds weird.  I never thought of myself as a virtual entity before either.  To think, I have my own existence online.  I guess that is true and it has played such a big part in my generation today.  Most people around my age have some sort of "entity" and space online that they can call their own.

I was never interested in creating any type of online persona for myself.  My philosophy was if people wanted to know about me, then we could talk or hang out in person like in the "old days".  Now,  I am an avid user of facebook.  The reason I got into it was because it seemed more "private" than other applications at the time.  Only your friends could see your profile and only people who were enrolled in college could join.  That was two years ago and even that has changed - anyone can join!  I am already sucked into this facebook world but I don't regret it.  Right now with school in session, I have a lot of friends away at school in various states.  We can't always talk on the phone and facebook is such an easy and fast way to talk to my friends.  I have kept in touch with so many people that I might not have kept in touch with if it wasn't for facebook, for example, some of my friends from England and Spain.  So, I very much am involved in this global community and now it would feel weird to not be apart of it.

Online persona, what it means to be part of a global community

At first writing an online persona was fine. I mean it was a little embarrassing to me , but I figured it probably would be directed to Professor K. When we read it aloud in class,however, I got nervous but then figured, what the heck. Lets just keep this train moving. I mean it is similar to the "about me" in facebook or myspace. But its different because people read it and dont really comment. So to me its not such a big deal. I think being part of a global community, is to be active on the web. whether its chatting, emailing or just searching the web. I think just being able to use the web and have some idea on what to do. I think you defintely partake on the global communtiy. Virtual entity-is the capablibilty of performing some action or service or otherwise interacting in the virtual world.(Agtivity)

Animals

When I started watching "2001, A Space Odyssey", I was not expecting to see a bunch of apes.  It seemed like Stanley Kubrick would be using the theories of evolution in comparing us humans to monkeys.  From observing the monkeys, they appeared to caricature some human-like qualities. One monkey was trying to eat something in peace.  Another monkey started to disturb his peace by nagging at him, and this monkey got mad.  Doesn't that sound like a similar situation you've been in?

The most violent part portrayed in this clip, was when one monkey started smashing an animal's fossil with this one bone in his hand.  There was such anger coming forth from the monkey in wanting to desecrate these animal bones.  In a moment, the bone, this tool of violence, was transitioned into a space shuttle.  I looked at this in a quite different perspective.  The monkey had this attitude of "I'm the king and no one can stop me".  There are people in this world who have that same attitude and become power thirsty.  They always want more.  Even if it means flying a space shuttle beyond earth's atmosphere and claiming territory on an entirely different planet.  I agree that this can represent some human beings in the world, but not everyone acts in this manner, like "animals".

Are they in the right hands?

After watching this clip, I realized a relation between violence and new objects with humans and their new technologies. You see a group of gorillas behaving in their natural habitat when suddenly a new unrecognized object crams their space. At first they rejected the novel thing and caused a ruckus over it. Later, they began to find comfort in it. Also towards the end, it showed one gorilla getting quite aggressive and violent with the bone he found. While he could have used it for better things.

New technology is a scary thing for people these days. Sometimes it's used for evil, while sometimes it truly aids us in life. At first people become hesitant to a new technological appliance, unsure of it's capabilities. They often feel threatened. Then they seem to find that the appliances do actually help them. Although the humans need to provide care for their expensive appliances. Just like the aggressive gorilla with the bone got violent it shows that when put into the wrong hands, technology can be used incorrectly thus harm others. For example, government agencies have invented ways to track down people, and access personal files. While terrorists may be able to get a hold of these classified documents. And when used improperly, harm awaits us.

Space Odyssey

When I first watch the clip, I was really lost to what this clip had to do with technology, violence and humans. It was pretty weird and kinda funny. Especially on how the apes interacted with that huge bar. But as I watched, I made the connection when the ape had the dinosaur bone and began banging repeatedly. So I figured that maybe it represented that even before we had all these high tech gadgets, when that ape first took the bone and used it violently against those other bones, I guess that was the beginning of technology used in a violent way. And because the ape used it to bang other bones than to maybe scratch its back or something. It shows that even before, our "nature" is to be violent. Im making that relation since science believes that we derive from apes. I personally dont really believe in violence coincides with technology all the time. I mean technology plays a part in violence. But thats not all technology contributed to.

about 2001: A Space Odyssey by seangho

In the darkness, some apes are gathering group by group. They look like being fearful hiding or protecting themselves under pits. The darkness passed by and new morning begins. It is the dawn of man according the author. I would like to interpret that it begins history. Therefore, proceeding scene can be a prehistoric age. An awaken ape finds one big black monument installed in front of them. It is disparate from the apes and the environment in which everything is dry, raw and inartificial. The apes are excited with this in a moment and try touching it. What is that? It is aimed at the sun. I think it stands for religion, the time of religion - the medieval age usually it is called Dark Ages. Essentially, this stone with very strict line and facet is very heterogeneity to the apes and the nature itself. We have to move. By accident, an ape encounter with bones. He grasps a bone fumbling with it. He finds that it can be a weapon with which he can attack other animals. He finally breaks down all bones include the skeleton. The author puts the impressive music in this scene and the ape is filled with confidence. This conviction makes him himself. The bone using the destruction is thrown up in the air and turned in to a spaceship. I think it symbolizes the time of enlightenment including present in which people are getting into confidence with sprouting of science and technology.
Let me go back to the theme.
New bone, new technology is used attacking the other animal. We cannot deny the fact that new technologies are usually used as a new weapon for example, iron, gunpowder, motor, aircraft, GPS, atomic bomb…Here, the human the author is saying about is in the assurance in the new tool which is transforming from a bone to a spaceship. I would like saying that tool is a tool. It cannot solve all the problems we have. In addition, it provokes another problem by itself.

Human's nature

Stanley Kubrick's space odyssey is about human evolution and the relationship of primates with the first types of technology. We observe that a team of primates discover a huge but harmless object. It seems so unusual and dangerous to them until one of the primates touches it and they all realize that is just a rock with a strange shape and color. It was admirable to me that the primates were touching this object like little kids, I believe they were trying to understand where and if it could be useful to their daily life.

The next scene is about a primate that finds a skeleton and after staring at the bones for a while he is grabbing one of the them and violently destroys the whole skeleton. In my opinion Stanley Kubrick is trying to show the human' s nature and violence is surely part of it . I don't agree with the representation and the picture of the violent primate breaking the bones but on the other hand I believe that is truthful and reveals the human' s instinct.

Humans/Apes... Violence/Technology?... WHATTT?!

I can honestly say that I am at a complete loss for words after watching this clip. I am not sure what direction the clip was heading in, or what exactly Kubrick was trying to depict. 

I would guess that he used apes to represent humans. One of the apes awoke to something unknown to him/his kind and began making noise to alert the others to wake up (that's the way I see it anyway). After they all rose, they immediately went toward the unknown object and went crazy "yelling" and "screaming" (I don't know what else to call it) simply because of it's presence. It is apparent that the apes were behaving violently toward what they didn't know in order to determine whether or not it would be harmful to them. Once one of the apes stepped up and touched the object repeatedly, the others followed. I believe that this is true in relation to humans, but only to a certain extent. I feel like in modern society others are only pulled to something and become okay with it, if it is accepted by others, just as in the clip where they all followed one ape reacting to the object, then accepting it once another had. 

Based on this clip, I think violence and technology are related in that new technology paves the way for violent acts/activities. When the ape toward the end sat staring at the bone (technology) he discovered a means of using it as a weapon. He used the bone in hand to destroy other bones and objects around him. This is similar to humans because as we progress technologically, people use technological advances to better the quality of modern society, but also to destroy it. For example, many people indulge themselves in the internet in order to help others by for instance raising money for a cause. On the other hand other people who do put their efforts and interest into the use of computers use this power to their advantage while harming others (i.e. child predators disguise themselves as teenagers or children in order to lure young men and women into their traps)

I thought this clip was rather confusing, maybe because there were no words? I'm not sure if how I perceived the clip makes logical sense, but it did when I thought about it haha. But this is what came to mind when I watched it.

my reaction to a space odyssey by Belinda Amouyal

As I watched this clip from Stanley Kubrick's "A Space Odyssey" I have to admit I was a little confused. I wasn't really sure what it was that I was watching, until the end of the clip. It is my feeling that this clip is completely open to interpretation. I feel that Kubrick got it all wrong! while the world we live in today may be full of destruction, it is also full of growth, and personal, as well as world-wide advancements.  The fact that we, as human beings, are extremely technologically advanced, does not mean that by definition we are totally destructive as well. 
Yes, there are those nations who choose to use their technology for the wrong reasons, 
like Iran is trying to do with it's nuclear weapons, but that does not mean that every technological 
advancement that mankind creates will be used in a destructive manner. Take for example, the personal computer, or PC. This invention has helped us to stay connected, well informed, and entertained. It allows us to do our work, talk to friends and family across the world, play games, listen to music, and gather information, simultaneously. If everyone shunned technology for fear of its destructive reprecussions, we would still be living in the dark ages. Not all technology is harnassed for destructive purposes. The fact that we are human beings, and have the ability to create, and use our intelect to better ourselves is what sets us apart from animals.  An animal isn't capable of creating something like a computer. As intelligent beings, we have the ability and the power to create, and utilize such inventions. With this power, comes responsibility, and it is our responsibility to choose, how we utilize technology.

What is the unknown?

This video clip clearly distinguishes the relationship between technology, violence, and the definition of what it means to be "human". When first viewing this clip one can see how drastic the behavior of gorilla’s change when an unfamiliar/unknown object is placed in their environment/home. It is shown in the beginning of the film that the gorillas are serene and peaceful among themselves. The irony of the clip only comes to show us that once and unknown object is placed in their surrounding they seem to react in an uninformed manner. The director seemed to capture the anger and uncertainty of the gorillas, and allowed us to witness the cause and effect of the “unknown”. It is almost innate for them to panic. An overwhelming amount of anxiety comes over them simply because they feel unsafe, that perhaps this pillar, (pole thing) could harm them in some way, same rules apply to humans. Humans as a whole no matter what ethnicity or religion would react identically. When the pillar is first introduced in this clip, the gorillas begin screaming and warning each other of the "unknown" object. It can be displayed that both humans and animals such as the gorillas react in a defensive manner. Quickly the gorillas formed a circle around the pillar terrified of what they might experience. One brave gorilla slowly approaches the pillar and touches it; once it is clear that the pillar will not cause them any harm the rest of the gorillas begin to caress it ever so slightly. This is in my eyes is exactly what a human would do in this situation. It is only "human" to be territorial and defend what is rightfully yours. If I were in this situation where an unfamiliar object invaded my surroundings I would be weary of its capabilities and destruction.
Technology and violence are tightly intertwined with one another. Technology is formulated to make our lives and jobs easier although it can become a weapon of mass destruction. With all the new technology that is created day in and day out life becomes dependent on these sources. As useful as they can be, they also disrupt the peace and harmony of our communities. It seems to be that without violence humans wouldn’t be able to distinguish between right and wrong, therefore violence holds the key to righteousness and morality. Hence, I firmly believe this clip portrays a sense of humanism.

Are humans animals?

I never saw one minute of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey", until this assignment. When I read the follow up question connecting technology, violence and what it means to be "human", I imagined a 1968 view of what warfare would be like in the year 2001. When a group of monkeys came on the scene, I was completely taken aback. Was Stanley Kubrick trying to depict humans as a species of monkeys? I know that according to the theory of evolution, humans are supposed to have evoloved from monkeys, however I firmly believe that humans are not related to monkeys, or to any animal. We may be categorized as mammels, but we are not animals. We have the ability to think, analyze, conceptualize, ask questions. All animals have are instincts to survive. Humans have feelings, animals don't.
The monkeys in the movie couldn't ask question or try to understand what this unfamiliar object was in their midst. All they could do was scream and make sure it would do them no harm. All they have is the instinct of survival. Humans would not only want to make sure it would do them no harm, but also try to understand how they can utilize it for their benefit.
Humans also use new technology for violence. People are always trying to figure out the newest way to kill the most people the most effective way. Technology definitely has an effect on violence nd the expression of violence, but the way Stanley Kubrick tried to connect technology and violence to what it means to be "human", I don't agree with. I don't think humans can be compared to monkeys. I honestly don't understand what Kubrick was trying to depict with the monkey who was banging with bones, but all the monkey was doing was making a mess.

2001: Space Odyssey

In 1968, Stanley Kubrick's classic, "2001: A Space Odyssey," it is quite easy to determine the relationship between technology and violence. One of the gorillas woke up to something out of the ordinary and started calling out to the other gorillas for them to look. In the video clip, its looks as if it is some sort of pillar in their territory. They are all surrounding it and just staring at it, looks to me like they are almost admiring the pillar.

You can look at this scene as a new form of technology that hit the streets and all of a sudden it is an uproar to the people. The constant television adds or magazine adds trying to promote this new scene of technology. Also at the end of the clip, it shows the gorilla breaking the bone structure of the animal that was left behind when it died. I look at it in a technology way of saying "Out with the Old and In with the New."

Regina. Khaimova

In Stanley Kubricks's 1968 classic movie, 2001: A Space Odessey, the relationship between technology and violance are closley related. When the one of the monkey gets up in the morning, he sees a tall object that is not familier to him and he begins to shreek to the other monkeys. They soon all gather around this object as if its a threat to their survival. One of the monkeys had enough guts to touch it. He then realizes it has no harm to him. Humans can relate, because whenever a new kind of technology developes, we spread the word and act as if its a big thing. The part when the monkey took the bone and started "thinking" what he can do or when he started to experiment with it, he started to get violent with it, we can say the same for technology and humans, right when we too start "thinking" and experimenting with things, it can also get violent, for example, hacking into ones computer, is a violation of privacy and so on. I agree to the messege that this movie clip gives off, because it shows how the advancing ages of life and technology can hurt us.