Sharon's E-learning and Digital Cultures Blog

I missed last night’s Synchtube session (booo ), but am just catching up now on the transcript (thank you Sian and Jen). I watched The Poetic Holodeck and loved it. After seeing World Builder and watching the world “the creator” had worked on vanish when their time was over,  this is the best “what if” next movie to watch.

I like the idea that the holodeck retains some awareness of what it likes, that when people are not actively using it, it reverts to something it appreciates or resonates with and I’m still thinking about Jen’s comment of whether it is the holodeck’s dream or the dream it thinks it should have. Whatever it may be, it chooses something that, for a great many people, has a profoundly meditative effect, as Dennis said, a digital meditation. Does the holodeck reflect on what it has chosen or is the code simply invigorating in some way that we, as non-binary(?) beings, can’t appreciate? Do we see a representation that we find beautiful because the holodeck is creating something it finds beautiful at the code level? As Noreen said of Sian’s comment, I’m definitely “anthropomorphising technicological hardware”!

I watched I Robot at the weekend too, and was looking for an opportunity to tie it into this week, and Mark gave the perfect link - ”abandoned lines of code joining to form sentiency” – the zoologist in me really likes that organic form of evolution!

Tags: virtual reality

I’ve just been reading Plot off the Press, an article by Patrick Kingsley, in G2 about the fabulous Paddlesworth Press. Simply put, a group of people have worked hard to create the village of Paddlesworth (named after a real village by the same name), together with characters and back-story. This all leads up to the announcement by asto-physicist and local resident Major Robert Fitzroy-Howard that the world is going to be destroyed by solar flares in two to three months (ie. by around December this year).

What is fascinating is that so much work has gone into creating the backstory, of the village, the characters and the evidence of the solar flare issue. Twitter accounts, weblinks to information, MySpace and Facebook profiles – everything is there. Some characters have also responded on the Guardian’s website saying that the article is an example of “jawdropping incompetence” – classic!

Co-founder, Stephen Eisenhammer says it is an exploration of the “creative possibilities” of the internet. His partner David Story, says this is also an examination of our “misguided” trust in the web.

I’m now following the major on Twitter and am fascinated to see how this works itself out towards the end of the year. I’m also very impressed with the quality and work that has gone into it, and the attention to detail (eg. the characters commenting on G2 – simple but genius!).

It links through to my earlier mention of Channel 4’s Seven Days – again, the founders are allowing “readers to influence events by voting on village decisions”. I thought it was interesting how Seven Days started in the same week as my lifestream, but it didn’t interest me enough to get involved. This does though

Why the difference??

Tags: trust, virtual reality

As with all the best laid plans, this week did not turn out as I would have liked. I was proud of myself for watching most of the movies and getting the reading done in advance of the week start, for even *almost* getting to grips with my lifestream.

Then I got a bug – and not a Computer Virus – which left me flat out for most of one of the busiest weeks of the year, both personally and professionally. What to do?

I took time to observe – see what evidence of digital communities I was seeing in my everyday life – and share. I dusted off my TweetDeck and gave thanks for Remote Desktop Connection that allowed me to work from home. I fell for Tumblr.

I found a benefit for being fit for nothing but daytime television – watching adverts can be surprisingly entertaining

I was introduced to Channel 4’s new programme Seven Days. In it, people from around Notting Hill create their own lifestreams and share them with the viewing public, who can reply and make suggestions/give advice on how participants can act or do in the following week. I’m tempted to follow Onion

I also saw an amazing advert for Sky Accessibility, where a poem is being read (audio) while the words are incorporated into an animation (visual). It was incredible and I’m only sorry that I can’t find a version to share with you. If I do, I will!

Setting up this lifestream has shown me that I’m “digitally uncultured” – asides from using Facebook and email and a dabbling with blipfoto, I don’t have a digital footprint to share. I am more off-line than on. If it were not for work, I might slip away completely. What about the others like me? Others that can’t or won’t “plug in”? Do we have to?

Strangely, of all the movies, The Cathedral is the one that is most likely to encourage me to spread my digital wings. In a world all but destroyed, there is still an energy, a vitality, a life-force. The staff grows in the hands of the person entering the grove/cathedral, the tiny plant-like dust genie that rises to the touch. I’m attracted by that more biological link – of having roots and branches – rather than cables and relays – makes me feel Entish…

What fascinates me is how this “link between the biological and digital” that Linda highlighted in the Existenz Synchtube transcript is coming up again and again. Many of our blogs have a naturalistic theme, many of the movies link nature/technology culminating in The Cathedral. I see “nature” in many of my links and posts… nevermind that it’s taken me three tries to find a theme I like

Where will the road take us next? Will nature win out over technology…?

Tags: reflection

Early days,  getting started and gathering my thoughts – currently lost in cyborg/veterinary link with the advert below

Tags: Cyborg