Ingrid Burrington
Within Ingrid Burrington’s passage of “Networks of New York,” she begins with talking about the internet, and “how do you see the internet” which can be interpreted differently depending on who you are asking. But in the bigger picture of things that question basically is asking how everyone thinks it is, and so it seemed like Burington wanted to know more about it all and understand it as well. She went on to find resources out where she lived however there were moments in which it didn’t work out for her to find more information from someone “on the inside” and so she had to find it herself from where she lived considering that to be New York City. From just how she stated the evidence she found I would say it convinced me mainly because I do believe if you are in the environment you need to be in order to find what you are looking for you learn and see things you didn’t before. I don’t think there were many things in which I disliked other than just having a few parts here and there where she would talk about networks later on but it was interesting to see and read information that I myself didn’t know about and I live in New York City myself, therefore there was a lot to know about networks within this city.
The examples that were shown and stated were actually pretty decent considering that it gave a good look of things to better understand what is being said and to give a bit more of an explanation as well. I do like the way it was written mainly because the author writes about her journey to as to how she got to know about the things she does not, as well as adding in visuals that can be helpful to just look into what is being said in a clearer way. The author was able to give us information on what things are such as what fiber optic cables, cable television, telephone lines, television marking, duct width marking, shallow cable, and point of entry, etc are. Giving us a better understanding of them as well as talking about companies, communications that connect to the networks of New York City. There is much to uncover and learn about in the city in relation to its networks and the author did a good job of bringing that to light for us to also learn about it. Something I myself learned from this passage was about the fact that in order to be online while underground such as in being on the train sometimes you will need to connect to a wireless network and that comes from “a series of tubes” and followed that up with examples that are stated with things we do in our daily lives.
One passage I found interesting was page 9 as it did state “ironically, the reason we can even have those weirdly personal moments with machines is because the landscapes of the internet are folded into the landscapes of everyday life. We basically live inside a really big computer” and the reason I found it interesting was for the fact that it is basically true, within our society we are attached to machines in which have internet that we can practically carry with us in just about anywhere such as our phones and because we are living in a world where it is used all the time it makes it seem as if we are “inside” of these technological machines. And from just this one passage it made me realize it more than I did before from someone in a more outside perspective of things.
Two questions I have based on this passage would be, can anyone no matter where they live learn this kind of information without really having to really go to an expert about but can just observe and inspect simple things as just looking at the buildings around you? as well as, how does this kind of information become useful to someone who is just any regular citizen or is just to simply know about the things that are around us and how we are to what we have now?
Keywords I found important to the text are, networks, internet, landmarks, and cables mainly because they are stated many times in the passage in which can tell us major information about everything that there is to know that connects to the concept of networks.
James Brindle
Based on the article “computation” written by James Bridle he talks a lot about computation and how it is seen within his perspective. And to me, I did find it a bit interesting knowing that he saw it as somewhat “dangerous”, as he did state “Each of these examples illustrates how crucial computation is to contemporary life, while also revealing its blind spots, structural dangers, and engineered weaknesses” (page 21). Which in some aspects he isn’t entirely wrong for the fact that computation can help us solve things much easier than in the past but there is always some kind of downfall to just about anything. But there was a bit of confusion about how he was overall trying to show the downfall of computation within his writing. Overall, I see that James believes that computation isn’t necessarily the greatest thing from what was stated in the text or that it has more of it’s bad than good. So my questions, in the end, would be, in what ways can computation be improved in the world? as well as, what are the disadvantages do we see from the computation in today’s society?
Walter Benjamin
In Walter Benjamin’s article, “The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility” he starts off with talking about capitalism as well as what we can “expect” from it in the future with it’s connection to having an effect on art itself or culture as well. He used evidence in a way that made sense as well as evidence that backed up what he was trying to say, there was a part where he stated “They neutralize a number of traditional concepts-such as creativity and genius, eternal value and mystery-which, used in an uncontrolled way (and controLling them is difficult today), allow factual material to be manipulated in the interests of fascism” pg 20. With this, it makes sense to follow up with his thesis on the changes that can happen in the future he even used examples such as graphic arts as it was made technologically. As well as giving examples with other devices such as cameras and so overall a lot of what he was saying I did find it convincing from the aspect of where he is coming from. Mainly because this was many years ago where he the perspective that a lot of what happens in the future can affect the culture of art where it is still happening now in the present after many years later because different parts of the world continues to evolve as well as modernize a lot throughout time as it can be inevitable.
I do like how it was written despite it being confusing here and there but still being able to understand what he is trying to prove within his writing, he was giving many examples such as where cave paintings were a thing but then, later on, reproduced into etching on wood blocks showing how the future brings changes in which the original is formed into someone completely different and changes the art and authenticity that came with the original. And so a lot from it made sense to me to the point where I agree with him and how technology can change the way we do things but then again it is just bound to happen and there can still be the same amount of culture and art within these new forms of technology in writing, art, photography and much more. Overall, I liked his writing as well as the points he made in order to prove what he was trying to say.
One quote in which I found quite interesting and eye-opening would be when the author stated, “technological reproduction can place the copy of the original in situations which the original itself cannot attain. Above all, it enables the original to meet the recipient halfway, whether in the form of a photograph or in that of a gramophone record” pg 22. I chose this quote mainly because based on this it was telling me how as the future comes closer the original of something because more advance to the point where “the original itself cannot attain” because it is not as modernize nor were there resources like we have now back then. And that’s just how it is in the present and even more, as time goes by and that’s when I realized that we all don’t get to experience much of how it was before without having to revert to how we do things now when it comes to many things such as art and writing, however, they were and are always part of a culture that technology can’t change.
Two questions I do have would be, would technology be the cause in which we just forget about how things were done before? as well as, for other people does culture constantly change or does it stay the same and we just create more cultures later on.
Key terms I found important would be culture and reproduce
Stuart-Hall
According to Stuart-Hall’s article “Encoding/Decoding” I would the statement he was creating within his writing would be the fact that encoding, meaning create a “code” more so meaning a message to the audience to “decode” and understand what the message is, is crucial especially within the media itself. And as explain it, evidence that was used would be such as the diagram that was shown explained it and how it connects to the encoding and decoding of a message that is given and how it works when actually analyzing it. As well as using evidence such as examples of analysis about what he was writing about such as the rules of language that were talked about as well in order to create a message that is best understood and realized. I did find it convincing in the end because within the media for example television is something I have watched throughout my entire life as well as on media like youtube and Netflix where the producers are trying to give meanings and messages behind the things that they make for us to comprehend and take was they are trying to say, because in the end if we aren’t able to receive it the way they intended to then we would end up being influenced by it in a way where we shouldn’t. I did like what he was writing in his article even if it was tough to understand here and there but I did in a way had a sense of the overall statement of the writing. I did like the way it was written because I got to realize more that things such as random videos on youtube have some sort of message that the creator is trying to give to us but it is our job to know what it is in the end by the way the video was structured as well the kind of words that were said and all because in almost everything there is a bigger picture to things. In addition shows such as The Amazing World of Gumball, we all just see it as a cartoon show because it is but as we look into it a little close there are messages in some episodes in which we might just not catch where the producers are trying to encode something in order for us to decode it making it the kind of show that it is and seeing that there was a more meaningful kind of message behind it.
As for a quote in the passage that I found interesting was when it was stated, “The institution-societal relations of production must pass under the discursive rules of language for its product to be ‘realized’. This initiates a further differentiated moment, in
which the formal rules of discourse and language are in dominance. Before this
message can have an ‘effect’ (however defined), satisfy a ‘need’ or be put to a
‘use’, it must first be appropriated as a meaningful discourse and be meaningfully decoded” (pg 53). Where it is basically telling us that the encoding of a message is essential that way when it’s decoded it can be done so appropriately, making the rules of language to be important in encoding somethings for the audience. As well as saying that in order for something to be interpreted correctly it needs to given correctly to others.
Two questions I would say I have would be, what kind of negative outcomes can come from not analyzing an encoding the right way? and does every encoding created, have to always necessarily be of importance to those that are decoding it?
key words I found would be communication and transposition
Mary L. Gray & Siddharth Suri
In the text “Ghost Work” for me I would say was difficult to kind of see the statement that is being made but from I think it could be would have to be to give a bit more credit to those who are doing the “Ghost Work” from people and the help of technology as it was stated in the introduction “The answer is people and software working together to deliver seemingly automated services to customers like you and me. Beyond some basic decisions, today’s artificial intelligence can’t function without humans in the loop” Pg 2 on the PDF. I know some of the evidence that was being used was giving examples of real life companies and workers such as Joan, kala and others in the same situation, of what is trying to prove within the passage. And I did find it convincing actually mainly because it made sense to me and it made me come to a realization where not everything that is always completed by technology itself it also needs the help of people as well to do what the can when it comes to things within the media. I did like the passage overall mainly because it brought to light much of what might not being put in the internet for us to know about. I wouldn’t say I didn’t like the way it was written I just wished I was able to understand certain sentences a bit more clearly. Maily cause I know the author mentioned tasks that workers that do the “Ghost Work” but not really understand what exactly those tasks are in complete but from what I think I undestand is the fact that there are things in which are a two “person” job refering to technology and the person using it to do certain tasks, where we might not fully come to the realization that it is something that happens with certain things in the internet. I think the evidence and examples were actually enough to prove its point.
“They are the humans behind the seemingly automated systems that we all take for granted” Pg 5 on the PDF. I chose this quote mainly because it was one of the most clear and more easier to understand for me to know what it is the author is trying to prove to us and so with this it gives us the general claim in which we should be able to see and understand as those who use the internet almost everyday. There will always be things in which we don’t see in our faces mainly because sometimes it isn’t there but when reading a passage like this one we finally see it clear and so that’s what this quote did for me.
What exactly do they mean by the tasks? and some key terms I see would be artificial intelligence and computation
Safiya Noble
Reading the passage, “Algorithms of Operation” written by Safiya Noble the argument that was clear is the fact that there are many forms of technological redlining that are established. Much of what was stated made a lot of sense in the way that there is discrimination against those based on their gender, and race, and more within the workplace, school, outside on someone’s daily lives, and so it makes sense that there will also be the type of technological redlining. The Internet and technology work in different ways where we would most likely not agree with the fact that it is something that can bring oppression to others. Overall I did find it convincing because based on the passage when they talk about google and how they were being sexist against women, it is something that has become normalized to believe that women aren’t necessarily capable of doing what men can do, therefore views like this can bring detrimental outcomes to women who genuinely want to pursue something that most women aren’t allowed to due to societies view. There wasn’t really anything I disliked from this article since this is a topic that many people need to know about and pay attention to, there is an importance to see what is wrong and change it for the sake of those who get discriminated against. The same goes for people of color, the author had brought up how googling certain keywords and phrases bring to various offensive outputs. With this and more that was stated in the article, this was much of the examples I need to be able to understand and like the way it was written because this helps me see that there are many more problems out there that I wasn’t able to see till now.
“there are several cases that demonstrate how racism and sexism are part of the architecture and language of technology, and issue that needs attention and remediation” (pg 9). To me, this is important because it gives the general importance of what this whole article is about because in the end racism and sexism are major issues that are in a continuous cycle of never stoping.
What were some of the previous things that were done in order to stop the oppression done within the algorithm? what are the present consequences from these oppressions?
racism, sexism, algorithm
