Blog Entry 3.2

            Humans with the assistance of computers by their side are more efficient than only a human or computer by themselves. In this day in age, vehicles now have the ability to parallel park itself. There are bookshelves of videos on the internet that can be used as a walk-through for nearly all problems that may occur. Even video games now have the ability to assist the players to beat the game. This comes to show that computers by the side of humans make any situation easier than just a human or computer by itself.

            The article “The Cyborg Advantage” by Clive Thompson is about how individuals are coming to rationalize that the use of computers by the side of humans prevails over a human or computer by itself. Garry Kasparov played a match of chess with a supercomputer called Deep Blue. Through endless lightning speed calculations, the bot won; humans cannot perform that process as fast a computer. In 2005, neither Kasparov nor the supercomputer won a “freestyle” online chess tournament. It was a bunch of amateurs using applications that assisted them during the match. There is a major debate about the use of computers between individuals who love the use of computers and the old-timers who do not.

            As a professional driver, I support the use of computers for the simple reason that it makes my life easier. The new cars that are being developed are now equipped with automatic parallel parking. In a perfect scenario, these cars can parallel park themselves. My judgment comes into play when I feel the vehicle is not capable of parking due to tight spots, objects in the way, etc. If this was to happen, that is when I would have to use my professional experience to park the car. That is why the judgment of humans on when to use the assistance prevails in many situations.

            Back in 90’s, if you had a computer with a problem, you would have called a technician to service it or send it in for repair. In the present time, computers with a problem now notifies the owner about the issue and asks you whether you want it to repair itself. Individuals are now starting to realize that it’s more convenient to have this assistance the computers now offer.

            Technology plays a major role in my life. My touch-screen cell phone, which has an actual keyboard on it, has the ability to use an application that allows you to use a virtual keyboard. Instead of just trying to figure how to install that application, I resorted to the use of “youtube.com”. On that website, I found a tutorial on how to install the application I needed in order to use the virtual keyboard. Not only did the use of the tutorial from “youtube.com” save me time, but it also saved me from frustration in which I would have had.

            Video game developers have improvised by developing such software that includes assistance to the player if he wants it. As a gamer, this could be helpful at times. In a certain situation which I was not able to pass a certain point of the game, the help of this assistance came into play. If this assistance was never developed, I would have been overwhelmed with frustration and that game would have ended at the bottom of the pile of games I own. It is also a good idea they developed this because if a second part of that game was too made in the future, the chance of me getting it would have been slim to none. So I would like to thank the great video game developers because I beat the game due to their intelligence.

            The assistant of computers along the side of humans is defiantly a plus. This is being realized by all from car engineers, all the way to video game developers. Sooner or later, all of the old-timers that opposed the use of computers among the side of humans will realized it too.

Blog 3.3

                Can cyberbullying inflict more pain than physical attacks? Many individuals would like to disagree but not me. In “The Net Is The Real World”, Jake Simms and Larry Magid talks about how cyberbullying can inflict mental wounds that is far worse than physical attacks. Individuals who are bullying may not see the amount of pain they are inflicting on the victim through the internet.

            On Sept. 22, a young Rutgers student named Tyler Clemeti killed himself. Three nights prior to the suicide, the young kid asked his roommate to have his dorm room to himself. The roommate suspected a gay sexual act was going to occur so he decided to turn a webcam on in the room which was being watch live on the internet. When Tyler found out about the ordeal, that is when he wrote a goodbye message on his Facebook account and then jumped off of the George Washington Bridge.

            The amount of individuals that use the internet is astonishing. If someone is being cyberbullied, this tends to hurt them a lot more due to the vast amount of people that are witnessing it via internet. On Facebook, I encountered that my now ex-girlfriend was cheating on me. I realized this because she had posted pictures with another guy kissing. This devastated me due to fact that all my friends and family saw this happening. It is sad to say but a lot of people, including myself, care what others think.

            The internet is a big wall that an individual may stand behind it. In other words, bullies that use the internet would say things they wouldn’t in a real life confrontation. This is done every day in many situations such as someone calling another person to argue over the phone, leaving a letter to bully the victim, or even someone driving in a car cursing at a person walking. It’s a shield that most bullies like to use due to the advantage that it gives them by protecting them.

            A bully may never know how much the victim can endure before reacting to desperate measures. That is why bullying through the internet is far worse than something physical. A fight may occur in a face to face situation. The bully can see how much pain he is actually placing the victim in; as per internet you cannot. Through the web, there is a thin line in which it may not be seen. That is the problem with bullying through the internet.

            Through personal experiences and research, the web inflicts far greater pain than any physical bullying.  The situation that occurred in Rutgers with the invasion of privacy to cyberbully is just one out of many. This is occurring way to often and needs to be addressed. So as for the question whether cyberbullying can inflict more pain than physical attacks, I strongly believe it does!

CLASS BLOG: Life Artifacts

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Reading blog: A Coppertop's Life Artifacts

Reading blog: A Coppertop's Life Artifacts: "To much TV for kids,even the TV gets sick when he watches the same person for hours, but we don't. I picked this picture because almost eve..."

Artifact # 3

The effects of some drugs have the ability to place an individual into an outer body experience. These drugs such as stimulants, hallucinogens, hypnotics, opioid analgesics, and inhalants are known for their euphoria effects. Some can make you feel both uplifted and relaxed and feeling very happy at the time of consumption; while the drug is wearing off, this feeling is quick to disappear. Someone may use illegal drugs for many reasons, such as helping the person escape from reality for a while. The way an individual may look like while on drugs is as if they are spaced out in another world. 

Artifact # 2

http://www.discovertrance.com/

Trance music is a genre of electronic dance music with a fast tempo. The actual word of trance means detachment from one's physical surroundings, as in contemplation or daydreaming. Many individuals believe trance music has the ability to induce an individual’s altered state of consciousness or reach euphoria. Many would say trance music puts them into another state of mind or world. This whole process can almost be considered as hypnosis. In my belief, trance music is like drugs such as LSD and ecstasy due to it being associated with feelings of peace and the minds well being. As a listener of this music, I would consider it an outer world experience. Some famous artists in this genre is Tiesto, Paul can Dyk, and ATB.

Artifact # 1

In the old days, people would gather around the town’s center to see live plays. Movies could be considered as an imagery world since what we see isn't actually happening at the present time.  Many individuals would say that movies are recorded, but who are they to say that it’s not an imaginary world that someone portrays to us? I believe that beliefs can be deceiving; what is actually seen by the naked eye can be considered fictional. In other words, I only believe in what I can see through my own eyes. For instance, I do not believe in a higher being such as God or Allah, but if some sort of proof were given to me to indicate a higher being exists, then my belief on religion would change.

Blog entry 2.2 - CATW practice

The “Truman Syndrome” is a disorder that is developing in individuals faster then what it really should be.  The author is trying to portray many ideas from different psychiatrists, psychologists and researchers all around the world. All of these ideas differ in many ways. Technology is causing a new form of delusions in individuals who may suffer from mental illnesses.

The passage is about the study of the “Truman Syndrome”. Scientists believe the new age we live in are causing this mental illness. Dr. Gold has realized that more individuals are appearing with this sickness. Some of his patients have mentioned the movie “The Truman Syndrome”, as if the illness they have was caused by this film. Unlike the movie in which the main star was able to differentiate reality from illusions, the patients with this disorder aren’t able to do so.

The role that technology plays in people who may eventually develop these psychological disorders is important. Vaughan Bell, a psychologist who has researched Internet-related delusions, said a patient of his believed he was in a virtual-reality world; almost as the movie “The Matrix” was about. It’s not like technology has increased the amount of psychological disorders but made it branch off into another category.

  My spouse, in which I live with, is about to graduate with a bachelor degree in psychology. The stories that she describes to me, in which her professors who are clinical psychologists tells her, are amazing. There’s a particular story that was in my mind while reading this article. It’s about a patient of my girlfriend’s professor in which the patient explained to the doctor that his refrigerator talks to him. This comes to show how technology has broadened the delusional disorder.

The disorder that is currently being called as the “Truman Syndrome” is all around us; weather we realize it or we don’t. There are many different aspects of this disorder. From the reading or through personal experiences, this illness needs to be addressed. Even though all doctors may have different ideas or beliefs about the “Truman Syndrome”, I am glad to see it is being studied on.