OmyGATA

When I first learned that I would be responsible for creating three hypertexts throughout the quarter, I began to panic. I had no experience with web design, and did not even know what a hypertext was. Now that it is the end of the quarter, however, I am very proud of myself for what I have accomplished. At first, I had a difficult time getting comfortable with Kompozer, but bit by bit I became more comfortable with it. I also had difficulties with the creative part of creating a webpage, but I knew that I like colorful things, so I went from there, finding a colorful background, and then everything else followed. For me, writing for a hypertext was not very different than writing an essay. The only main difference was that in my hypertext, I kind had to “self advertise” my page, where as I would not do that in an essay.

Looking back, I am very proud of myself for what I have accomplished this quarter. Coming in with no web design experience, I was able to create a unique homepage and 3 hypertexts, all of which don’t look half bad. I actually plan to introduce my mom, who manages the website for our church, to Kompozer.

Click here to see my personal homepage and hypertexts!

Part 3 of Cory Doctorow’s For the Win is much more action-packed than its preceding chapters. While the first 2 parts, in a sense, introduce the readers to the characters, part 3 allows us to see how these gamers from all over the world connect to each other. In part 2 we learn that Wei-Dong is friends with Lu, and in part 3 he takes advantage of his family’s shipping company to literally ship himself to China in a large shipping container in order to join the Webblies in their fight. To help the Webblies, Wei-Dong brings pre-paid gaming cards that gamers in China can use on US servers so that they can communicate online. Matthew is realeased from the labor camp where he was being held and joins up with his friends and Wei-Dong. One night while hiding out with other Webblies,  Lu, Wei-Dong, Jiandi, and the other boys are staying is raided by police, Lu is shot, and only Wei-Dong, Jiandi, and a few other boys escape.

In India, Ashok, Mala’s main economist, devises a plan to disrupt the in-game economies. Soon after, however, Mrs. Dibyendu is no where to be found, and Mala’s army is approached by a gang hired by Mr. Banjaree, who attempts to keep them out of the cafe. Mala’s army fights them off, but Mr. Banjaree returns with another gang and Ashok goes to the Union Leaders for help, who offer their support to Mala’s army. Soon after, Ashok is successfully in destabilizing the in-game economies, which gives the Webblies tremendous power. They blackmail Connor and his friends, demanding that the large game owners give the Webblies the gold that they deserve. Eventually, Connor sides with the Webblies, and even helps to free Mala who is kidnapped by Mr. Banjaree. Sadly, Big Sister Nor is killed when her hideout is attacked and set on fire. Wei-Dong, Jiandi, and a few others escape to India, where they meet Ashok and Mala’s army…but little do they know, Connor is planning to meet up with them, having learned the details about their meeting by hacking into their e-mails. It is here that the story ends.

I HATE ENDINGS LIKE THIS! Was Connor really trying to help the Webblies? Or was his plan just to make them trust him so that he could kill them? For the most part, I enjoyed reading this novel. At times, it grew tired of having to read it on my computer. I also had trouble understanding some of the gaming terms. I also wish the book had a different ending…it reminded me too much of the end of Inception where we don’t know what the heck is going to happen!

Compared to Part 1, Part 2 of Cory Doctorow’s For the Win has much more action. First, we meet Connor Prikkel, a man studying his PhD at Stanford. Connor’s main ability is predicting the value of virtual goods, much as one would predict the activities of the stock market. Connor eventually quits school to pursue his “talent,” which has actually made him go broke. Just when he thinks he is going to have to move back with his parents, the market turns around, and just like that, Connor is back on top of the virtual world again.

We also learn about Boss Wing, who declares a lock-in so that he can take advantage of his workers. Disgruntled by this, several workers go on strike, a movement which gains support all over the world. Matthew is arrested and sent to a labor camp. This strike draws a line between Yasmin, who supports the workers, and Mala. They split ways, both in the virtual world and as friends, but eventually become friends again.

When Wei-Dong turns 18, he calls his mother to let her know that he is safe. However, he learns that his father is in the hospital and decides to return home. Sadly, when he returns, his father has already passed.

This part of the novel helps readers to see just how important real-life relationships are, and that they can be very negatively affected by virtual games.

I recently created a podcast about the San Jose Flea Market, and the entire experience was very interesting. While I was at the flea market, I felt a bit awkward talking into an audio recorder, like I was an FBI agent or something. As the day wore on, however, I began to feel a little more comfortable. When it came to editing my audio files, it was uncomfortable for me to hear my recorded voice over and over.

I actually plan to revise my podcast because I did not fully understand the project. When I think of podcasts, I think of audio essays, or someone recording in a studio. For this project, I thought that I was supposed to use my recordings from the flea market to help me create a formal podcast like the ones you can download from iTunes. However, now that I know more about the expectations for the podcast, I plan to go back and improve my podcast.

As I write this blog entry, I have a game of Words with Friends open in another tab on my browser and a game of Hanging with Friends going on my phone, and I usually play these games throughout the day. Remember when Farmville first came out? I can remember that feeling of having to go online every 2 hours to harvest my crops or plant new seeds. In the excerpt from her book Reality is Broken, Jane McGonigal explains her belief that instead of molding virtual games to real life, we should formulate real life to go hand in hand with virtual games. McGonigal is a well-known game designer, researcher and author.

As McGonigal explains, there is not one single gamer identity. People from all walks of life are gamers, from businessmen to teenagers to soldiers serving overseas. She also discusses what draws so many people to virtual games in the first place: the challenges, the interaction with others, the ability to put yourself in a role that you would not normally be in. According to McGonigal, the reason that people first play games and continue to play them is because reality is flawed and lacking that things that people find in the virtual gaming world. McGonigal then goes on to explain a list of ways she forsees the world when it comes to gaming. In my opinion, the list is very unimaginable and unrealistic.

Overall, I think McGonigal’s tone is condescending, as she implies her distaste for people who put off gamers. Essentially, McGonigal is bashing reality, saying that it isn’t as fun or satisfying as video games, which is why reality should be altered to mirror virtual games rather than the other way around. While I think that McGonigal makes some interesting points and surprisingly makes me think about my own virtual game experience and use, I think that her hope for the future is unnecessary and juvenile. Afterall, aren’t some of the most popular virtual games war games like Halo and World of War Craft? I don’t think we would want to model reality around raids and warfare.

It is a well-known fact that technology and the Internet have greatly contributed to the increase in intercultural communications. Yet when we think of this advancement, we mostly think of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Surprisingly, Second Life serves as a great forum for intercultural communication. In Second Life (SL) participants can “visit” other countries and communicate with other people who are also there. In their article Unintended Outcomes in Second Life: Intercultural Literacy and Cultural Identity in a Virtual World, William C. Diehl and Esther Prins of the Pennsylvania State University examine how Second Life has served “as a site for the construction of identity and development of intercultural literacy.” What they found is very interesting.

According to Diehl and Prins, SL serves as a way for participants to be exposed to other cultures. Through intercultural communication, a sense of “culture flow” is established. SL also enhances second language capabilities. Personalizing avatars is another way in which participants learn about other cultures. More often than not, when a person is from a certain country, their avatar is more likely to dress and speak in the way that the culture of that country does.While many SL participants are become increasingly aware about other cultures, there are some negative effects to intercultural communication as well. For example, there are many physical threats in intercultural communication. There are also racist and anti-religious comments that can be emotionally threatening.

I personally cannot imagine spending so much time in SL that I acquire a second language, but for the people who do, the outcome can be very eye-opening. By interacting with people from other parts of the world, SL participants can create relationships and learn about other cultures while exposing others to theirs.

We all wonder what our lives would be like if we were someone else…would we have the same personality? The same friends? Would be in the same places we are in life right now? For many, Secondlife is the perfect way to live as someone else. In Secondlife, people are able to interact with strangers and create an alternate world to live in.

When I first created my Secondlife character, I had no idea what to expect, and once I entered the world of Secondlife, I was overwhelmed. There are seemingly infinite many places to go, so I can understand  how people can get lost in this world. Immediately, my character is approached by other Secondlife characters asking to be my friend and talk to me. For those looking for company, Secondlife a perfect way to find people to talk to, and perhaps make connections with. In Secondlife, one can be someone completely different, a way to escape from real life.

I look forward to an interesting week exploring Secondlife…

Ever since I was little, I have been active at my church, even though I am one of the few people my age who actually attend. Because of my age, I serve as the “social networker” for the church, running the church’s Facebook page. In her article Five Social Media Trends that are Reshaping Religion, Elizabeth Drescher, a teacher of religions studies and pastor at Santa Clara University, discusses how today’s technology is affecting religion. She focuses on 5 specific trends:

1. Social Prayer: As Drescher points out, pages such as “Jesus Daily” and “Dios es Bueno” are becoming increasingly popular on Facebook, being listed in the top 10 most visited and “liked” Facebook pages. Religious hashtags such as #jesus and #spirituality are also frequently used on Twitter. According to Drescher, these social media presences are good for religion because they act as a way for followers and those who are curious to come together.
2. Ministers-on-the-Go: Thanks to Foursquare and other “tracking” apps, ministers can now let their congregation know where they are. This makes ministers and church leaders much more available to the congregation, often informing people when they are available to talk or meet. Again, this is a positive trend for religion.
3. O Holy App: As one might guess, there is an app for the Bible and there are hundreds of other religious apps, once again making religion available to anyone who has access to a smartphone.
4. Curate as Curator: It is important for religious groups and churches to be effective in their social networking. Because there are so many useless things on the Internet, it is crucial for religious networkers to be able to maintain a strong online and offline connection with followers.
5. A Few New Commandments: With this new trend of using social networking as a way of “spreading” religion, it comes as no surprise that there are several churches who have attempted to “define” what social networking should mean when it comes to religion. Some offer guidelines, while some think that certain standards must be met.

In all, I think that social networking, if used correctly, can be very good for religion. As in my case, churches are able to inform congregations and visitors about upcoming church events, while apps are helpful to those who may be curious about religion. So I am okay with all of this…unless people start to Skype worship services.

Although I would like to think that I am technologically sound, I’ll admit…I was very uncertain about making a podcast for my English class. While I enjoy listening to podcasts, I couldn’t imagine myself walking around with a voice recording and talking into it like an FBI agent on a stakeout. After reading about podcasting tips, however, I feel more comfortable about this project, even though it may be a bit out of my comfort zone.

Mashable is a news website and internet blog that focuses on social media, while also discussing news in entertainment, technology, science, and business. In the article “7 Tips for Launching a Successful Podcast“, Brian Casel, web designer and co-host of Freelance Jam, gives readers several tips on how to start up a podcast, or improve on an old one:

1. Choose a topic you’re passionate about: While I am only doing this podcast for an assignment, it doesn’t mean that I can’t choose a topic I am interested in. My topic will be second-hand use and the public attitude that comes with it. When I was young, my mom was a single parent and didn’t have a lot of money, so for a while, all of our clothes and toys were from Goodwill or some other thrift store. Today, I still continue to shop at second-hand stores, just not exclusively, and I don’t see anything wrong with that. You can find some really great things at these stores that you can’t find anywhere else.
2. Brand your podcast: I never even thought about a topic before I read this article, but as Casel points out, a good podcast begins with a good name, so I better start brainstorming.
3. Format and structure: I think I would like to mix video and audio podcasting for this project. As Casel notes, I will also need to decide on a length for my podcast.
4. Plan your content: This part will probably be the most important part of my podcast, apart from the finished project itself. This will include preparing interview questions and laying out the order of my podcast.
5. Record, broadcast, and edit your podcast: I will be using Audacity and iMovie to help me edit my podcast.
6. Grow your audience and 7.  Monetize your podcast: Although these tips would be good tips for people who are serious about making some money from podcasting, they are not relevant to me.

After reading Casel’s article, I feel more comfortable with this project and am excited to get started.

The California Legacy Project is a project through Santa Clara University that aims to “increase public appreciation of California’s literary and historical legacy and to promote the critical understanding of California diversity (CLP Mission and Goals). It also strives to bring together the importance of literature and history in California culture. Partners and supporters of the CLP include the Santa Clara University English Department and College of Arts and Sciences, Inlandia Institute, and Sacramento State Center for California Studies. The project includes a series of books and radio productions.

The radio productions are a series of short podcasts that give previews of many of the books included in the CLP. Of the authors whose work is mentioned, my favorite is John Steinbeck. On the CLP website, there are six radio podcast scripts about Steinbeck’s work in Cannery Row (1945), “The Great Mountains” (1933), Travels with Charlie: In Search of America (1962), and Grapes of Wrath (1939). Each podcast gives a little bit of context as well as excerpts from the novels that describe California scenery, the style that Steinbeck was known for.

I think that the CLP is a very good project, especially because California History is very rarely taught. Personally, I find it very interesting, and always go to the California History Museum I am home in Sacramento. By knowing about California history, we can better understand the nature of our diversity today.