I chose to blog about Casey Alt’s idea of computer- aided design, Bioinformatics, and new architecture on page 665. This is a great stretch for me as I had difficulty understanding this section of the book. In addition, I decided to pick out the hardest part for myself…Crazy? Well, I had to take it a step further and Google Casey Alt at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPST/TimLenoir/Publications/Lenoir_FlowProcessFold.pdf for a better understanding. My brain seems slower in this chapter but UI find the subject fascinating. The chapter talks about how the architects are addressing the issues of philosophical, ethical, and social concerns through the use of IT. Alt states that biology has developed an inexorable (unstoppable) trend that is more exact and tailored in the medical field. By targeting surgical, medical and pharmacology to the patient rather than opting for more generalized medical models of the past has changed the way information technology is used. I clearly give Alt and company credit for assisting me in this blog.
Clearly, I am not the scientific type but I found through the reading that simulation technology included algorithms, enhanced DNA sequencing, computational and statistical techniques, and Genomic research. There are many other variables involved although I will digress at some point. I went a step further and looked up some of the definitions for sequencing and how technology is being used. Large scale sequencing and hybridization could not be accomplished without the use of information and computer-aided technology.
Scientists were limited to the architecture (hypothetical) that modeled the physical sciences. The change came in the ability to make 3-D models. With that said CAD had come from the 2 dimensional formats and allowed for manipulation of the 3-D software applications, expanding modeling programs. As Alt stated, this propelled the computer to become a microscope for examining molecules and a laboratory for measurable outcomes and experiments. This was profound in the area of protein folding.
Cyrus Levinthal at MIT discussed that computer building model CHEMGRAF would allow for the observer (scientist) to minimization process of protein folding, halt it, or significantly alter the process ultimately redefining biology as an information science. Levinthal’s model helped change the process in which computations were made and simplified a once arduous process.
This is only one approach that took considerable time to research. I found myself over my head but had fun learning about the subject. I struggled understanding the science behind it and am not sure I covered it adequately or proper. One thing I did learn was about the importance of information technology and how much there is to learn.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Things Fall Apart 375
Things fall apart was a difficult read. I read through the slooooow humiliation of the Okonkwo as he ultimately took his own life. A once affluent man reduces himself to the end of a rope shatters ones image of a warrior. I think there was more to his character than a troubled and incapable man.
Through the decimation of his culture by the white man, culturally, the plight of the Umuofia people was destined for failure. What is ironic at the ending chapter is that Okonkwo hangs himself in the village. This is a direct violation of belief and cultural norm for a tribesman. The irony is that no clan member can touch his body as it is considered an “offense of the earth”. It was also considered evil to touch Okonkwo dead body. The very missionaries who brought Christianity, government, and a promise to end the savagery had to bury the savage. The man who ended his life for what I believe was to send the message that the culture was dead. By violating the tribal custom of not killing he became the ends of a means. The argument is old but I think the writer had intended the message. I believe the presence of white men were the ultimate death as in any primitive culture. Look back at the Korowai Tribe and the Dutch missionaries. Upon seeing what the Korowai deemed a “ghost”, they cannibalized, or as rumor has it, ate the missionaries. The Native Americans succumbed to the white man only after they created genocide upon the tribes, reducing their numbers by over 90%. Indigenous cultures with isolated languages and ancient cultures have never been documented as successful. I have to say that is unfortunate and question who the documenter is?
But Okonkwo was deemed a failure for his flawed character and his inability to recognize strength through other means than violence. His fear of replicating his father’s lazy and emotionally inferior behaviors is what he ultimately becomes. But I see another side to his character. As the story talks of the locusts that have come before, Okonkwo may have had insight to the white man’s ways and their destruction. The passage reads:
And at last the locusts did descend. They settled on every tree and on every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. Mighty tree branches broke away under them, and the whole country became the brown-earth color of the vast, hungry swarm (pg.56).
The passage speaks of the white men, missionaries, or colonizers who are all consuming and will keep coming. Okonkwo was unable or unwilling to deal with the changing and ever-present intrusions put upon his tribe. His lashing out in anger, killing the messenger, and his inability to communicate his traditions to his own son suggests a man who can no longer be in command of his surroundings. His language and way of life is ultimately challenged as the colonizers entice tribal members with prosperity by abandoning of tribal traditions. My question in any indigenous culture is what is the final goal? Raping the savage to remove the savage does not make a man.
This is a small fragment of the book but one that stuck with me when Okonkwo took his own life. Was he a failure in his own eyes or sending a message to the tribal council? Suicide is the most selfish act and is not done on a whim. Okonkwo made a deliberate act of death and I feel the message was clear.
Through the decimation of his culture by the white man, culturally, the plight of the Umuofia people was destined for failure. What is ironic at the ending chapter is that Okonkwo hangs himself in the village. This is a direct violation of belief and cultural norm for a tribesman. The irony is that no clan member can touch his body as it is considered an “offense of the earth”. It was also considered evil to touch Okonkwo dead body. The very missionaries who brought Christianity, government, and a promise to end the savagery had to bury the savage. The man who ended his life for what I believe was to send the message that the culture was dead. By violating the tribal custom of not killing he became the ends of a means. The argument is old but I think the writer had intended the message. I believe the presence of white men were the ultimate death as in any primitive culture. Look back at the Korowai Tribe and the Dutch missionaries. Upon seeing what the Korowai deemed a “ghost”, they cannibalized, or as rumor has it, ate the missionaries. The Native Americans succumbed to the white man only after they created genocide upon the tribes, reducing their numbers by over 90%. Indigenous cultures with isolated languages and ancient cultures have never been documented as successful. I have to say that is unfortunate and question who the documenter is?
But Okonkwo was deemed a failure for his flawed character and his inability to recognize strength through other means than violence. His fear of replicating his father’s lazy and emotionally inferior behaviors is what he ultimately becomes. But I see another side to his character. As the story talks of the locusts that have come before, Okonkwo may have had insight to the white man’s ways and their destruction. The passage reads:
And at last the locusts did descend. They settled on every tree and on every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs and covered the bare ground. Mighty tree branches broke away under them, and the whole country became the brown-earth color of the vast, hungry swarm (pg.56).
The passage speaks of the white men, missionaries, or colonizers who are all consuming and will keep coming. Okonkwo was unable or unwilling to deal with the changing and ever-present intrusions put upon his tribe. His lashing out in anger, killing the messenger, and his inability to communicate his traditions to his own son suggests a man who can no longer be in command of his surroundings. His language and way of life is ultimately challenged as the colonizers entice tribal members with prosperity by abandoning of tribal traditions. My question in any indigenous culture is what is the final goal? Raping the savage to remove the savage does not make a man.
This is a small fragment of the book but one that stuck with me when Okonkwo took his own life. Was he a failure in his own eyes or sending a message to the tribal council? Suicide is the most selfish act and is not done on a whim. Okonkwo made a deliberate act of death and I feel the message was clear.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Virtual Space Blog #2 475
My obscure existence in the virtual world may be a little odd to some. I scuttle about on Face Book but dislike the format. I like my friends! I am constantly bombarded by invites to games, trivia, responses to cards, and other stuff. I don’t have the time. I also thrive in the political arenas at time, blogging or exchanging ideas (complaining, grassroots) about the rights of America. I express ideals on Roseanne Barr’s forum, Obama’s, Canada (when they listen to me), and many others. I withdraw pending the flow of issues that are present or no longer important on the mainstream. Does that mean I am not interested? I lose the responsiveness when there is a shift in the news or my time is taken elsewhere. Where I thrive the most is in the mechanical world of Thumper (Motorcycles), Ford Tech, Suzuki Forum, Writer’s digest, Scriptwriting, Honda tech, NW Explorers, Rock hounding, Prospectors, and other outdoor stuff. My interactions mainly have to do with technical support, sharing fabrication ideas, supporting backyard mechanics, and learning old-school techniques for rebuilding cars and bikes. I chat with the geology explorers and learn and share about mining practices, exploring historical mines, and ore values in the mining districts. What separates me from other social realms and friends are the types of virtual groups I hang with. Women are a rarity within these groups and often are not accepted unless they can demonstrate an aptitude of some type. That is unfortunate as it makes it almost exclusionary, and veers off the mainstream. I feel isolated as well. The barriers to these communities are obvious for the most part. Your lack of interest in these hobbies would be a huge barrier. The other thing is that having some knowledge to communicate in specialty areas such as Geology or mechanics. Some do however support newcomers with a desire to learn!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Past and present, orality Post #2
I was intrigued by Ong’s chapter 4 regarding writing restructure. Writing always seemed a necessity rather than a technology. As Ong poignantly points out, “Plato’s Socrates urges writing destroys memory,” and that writing cannot defend itself. The paramount message screams at me as Plato had to put this to print to covey his thoughts! The fact, as he pointed out is that the debate of one cannot exist without the other is paramount. As a society, we no longer “Go tell it on the mountain” or send a rider posthaste across the continental divide, disseminating information. Writing has brought us out of isolation and has allowed the advancement of mankind if you will. The fact is stated writing is contrived from orality is not synonymous. Just as language was derived out of symbolism, it is the same progression although somewhat distinctive. Writing is truly a technology to be expounded upon and as Ong puts it, “heightens consciousness.” I like the reality that writing may be synthetic in a sense but like any technology, it can’t help but progress.
The other intriguing part of the book I found secondary orality. The electronic world has made it probable that printed information (books, journals, manuscripts) can transcend the parameters that once restricted access. A community in Zimbabwe, for example, can cultivate relationships (hopefully) with more advanced communities, thus increasing their agricultural practices or health issues. In turn, all can benefit from the exchange of the “global” universe in which we now embrace. I often listen to my Grandmother who is 95 years old. She expresses that fear of technology and the destruction of mankind if society does not learn to control the beast as she refers to it. She has witnessed the birth of many technologies, and the same fears are expressed throughout generations. She was raised in the “oral” culture of storytelling and “gabbing” on the back fence with the neighbors. She states it is a lost art. Her isolation equates to resistance to technology and she, much like Plato, struggle with conjuring up what the future might hold. She speaks of an orality that will pass with future generations and that is sad to me. I feel we need both and the interconnectivity in technology.
The other intriguing part of the book I found secondary orality. The electronic world has made it probable that printed information (books, journals, manuscripts) can transcend the parameters that once restricted access. A community in Zimbabwe, for example, can cultivate relationships (hopefully) with more advanced communities, thus increasing their agricultural practices or health issues. In turn, all can benefit from the exchange of the “global” universe in which we now embrace. I often listen to my Grandmother who is 95 years old. She expresses that fear of technology and the destruction of mankind if society does not learn to control the beast as she refers to it. She has witnessed the birth of many technologies, and the same fears are expressed throughout generations. She was raised in the “oral” culture of storytelling and “gabbing” on the back fence with the neighbors. She states it is a lost art. Her isolation equates to resistance to technology and she, much like Plato, struggle with conjuring up what the future might hold. She speaks of an orality that will pass with future generations and that is sad to me. I feel we need both and the interconnectivity in technology.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Orality Chapter 3
In Ong’s chapter three (Some Psychodynamics), I was somewhat taken back on his depiction of the oral cultures. He discussed the complexity in recall, and the inability to preserve complex thoughts led me to my father’s culture, the Eastern Band Cherokees. Today, as in the past, Cherokees have relied on the orality of their culture to teach throughout generations. Most teachings were retaining traditions, endurance, life skills, where they are from, and adversity. The passing of storytelling is a decidedly praised and much practiced skill among the tribe today. Most historical information is still communicated through the telling of stories despite learning phonics. I did not see the parallel at first that Ong’s description of oral recall. Ong suggests that thoughts “must come into being in heavily rhythmic, balanced patterns, in repetitions or antitheses, in alliterations and assonances, in epithetic and other formulary expressions, in standard thematic settings, ….). But this too broadens that gap between orality and literacy. The Cherokee Tribe was once exclusive to those who belonged, accepted by, or who could speak the language. Now, technology has opened the door and generated a conduit, closing the gap somewhat.
Almost all Cherokee language comes in heavily rhythmic and balanced patterns. Some seem almost poetic or musical but never leaving out meaning. A story or ritual, or way of the past is typically communicated in that method. As any oral language though, it is a dying art form among the younger generations as they turn to technology. Tribal language is now taught online by elders rather than among family or tribal councils. There is some loss of translation of sound, affect, body language, and patterning as the elder reads from a scripted text rather than a story once told to him/her. With writing and print, we are quickly learning a detached, different form of communication. As oral cultures were/are limiting and polarized, technology is changing the way of communicating exponentially. What will be interesting to see is if the written culture can retain or build upon the ancient for of the oral cultures.
Almost all Cherokee language comes in heavily rhythmic and balanced patterns. Some seem almost poetic or musical but never leaving out meaning. A story or ritual, or way of the past is typically communicated in that method. As any oral language though, it is a dying art form among the younger generations as they turn to technology. Tribal language is now taught online by elders rather than among family or tribal councils. There is some loss of translation of sound, affect, body language, and patterning as the elder reads from a scripted text rather than a story once told to him/her. With writing and print, we are quickly learning a detached, different form of communication. As oral cultures were/are limiting and polarized, technology is changing the way of communicating exponentially. What will be interesting to see is if the written culture can retain or build upon the ancient for of the oral cultures.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Cyberspace First Steps #1
Ahh! Adjectives….I like this guy already! Benedikt allows me some latitude to “dream a little” when describing what I think cyberspace emerges as or dwells in my mind. I purposely chose, “The realm of pure information, filling like a lake, siphoning the jangle of messages transfiguring the physical world, decontaminating the natural and urban landscapes`, redeeming them, saving them from the chain-dragging bulldozers of the paper industry, from diesel smoke of courier and post office trucks, from jet fuel fumes and clogged airports, from billboards, trashy and pretentious architecture, hour-long freeway commutes, ticket lines and choked subways…from all the inefficiencies, pollutions (chemical and informational) and corruptions attendant to the process of moving information attached to things-from paper to brains-across, over and under vast and bumpy surface of the earth rather than letting it fly free in the soft hail of electrons that is cyberspace."
Wow! As a visual type, the long passage screams of fiction and a great opening to a science fiction flick…There is nothing unadulterated anymore about how society uses information or how it is perpetrated upon any medium. What it is reminiscent of is clear cutting the world of words that once were used submissively for communication but now are pimped on every billboard, sidewalk, airwave, moving vehicle, reader, desktop, bottle, pen, and even your toilet paper. Dragging them to the underbelly of the physical world and letting them fly free is somewhat presumptuous. Nothing is free nor was it ever! But I like the saying, so “fly.” I also like the meaning behind, “Is it real or is it Memorex.” Old school I know. What I derive from Benedikt (What a name!) is that what we see is like the “inward eye.” It is a reflection of what we think, an illusion of what was, something that is not existent but existent. Wordsworth says it the best:
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Cyberspace is not this line upon line concrete, tangible entity that we can master or control. It allows us to play within its parameters (whatever that will be) and it is what we are willing to put in and pull out is the thrill of the medium. Finding the right door or door is a challenge at time but it is real I think. The digital age is a new rebellion that will clash with the physical world and is the driving entity of our cyber world.
As a side note, my first computer was a Vic 20 by Commodore (5 K Ram) Smoking!
Wow! As a visual type, the long passage screams of fiction and a great opening to a science fiction flick…There is nothing unadulterated anymore about how society uses information or how it is perpetrated upon any medium. What it is reminiscent of is clear cutting the world of words that once were used submissively for communication but now are pimped on every billboard, sidewalk, airwave, moving vehicle, reader, desktop, bottle, pen, and even your toilet paper. Dragging them to the underbelly of the physical world and letting them fly free is somewhat presumptuous. Nothing is free nor was it ever! But I like the saying, so “fly.” I also like the meaning behind, “Is it real or is it Memorex.” Old school I know. What I derive from Benedikt (What a name!) is that what we see is like the “inward eye.” It is a reflection of what we think, an illusion of what was, something that is not existent but existent. Wordsworth says it the best:
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Cyberspace is not this line upon line concrete, tangible entity that we can master or control. It allows us to play within its parameters (whatever that will be) and it is what we are willing to put in and pull out is the thrill of the medium. Finding the right door or door is a challenge at time but it is real I think. The digital age is a new rebellion that will clash with the physical world and is the driving entity of our cyber world.
As a side note, my first computer was a Vic 20 by Commodore (5 K Ram) Smoking!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Bloated Protoplasims
My first time up on Blogger and it seems a little arduous...As my info states, I am a retired mechanic/vocational counselor/whatever pays the house payment type who has returned to school again. I live in Richland with my two bobtail cats and an occasional stray one. I have worked in many fields and have a degree in paralegal law. I am an avid rock hound and spend time with the "Friends of Geology" club founded by a few of us after a rebelling against CBC's unreasonable club rules. Likes: Rocks, books, Law books, writing, writing, technology, fast cars (Mopar), new tools, cool tools, gardens, gear oil, things that don't make noise, and movies. Dislikes: stupid movies, housework, math, stress, ovaltine, black-eyed peas, okra, overalls, AMC cars, baggy pants, smelly shoes, mowing my lawn, and many other things.
I'm glad to see firendly faces in DTC as it can be tough at times...
I spent some time in LA at CBS studios having a blast working as a gopher for my uncle. I walked on the set of Falcon Crest by mistake smoking a cig...The series died about the time Three Kings came out...A few years back...Sometimes I like/hate being old...I was run off my security for snooping around movie sets and Rosanne Barr's studio lot...I met cool people. I mostly worked my tail off but it was worth it to know you don't sleep or sneek around at Warner.
I love WSU and hope to emerge as a talented writer/digital?
I'm glad to see firendly faces in DTC as it can be tough at times...
I spent some time in LA at CBS studios having a blast working as a gopher for my uncle. I walked on the set of Falcon Crest by mistake smoking a cig...The series died about the time Three Kings came out...A few years back...Sometimes I like/hate being old...I was run off my security for snooping around movie sets and Rosanne Barr's studio lot...I met cool people. I mostly worked my tail off but it was worth it to know you don't sleep or sneek around at Warner.
I love WSU and hope to emerge as a talented writer/digital?
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