we are our computers?



http://www.aresluna.org/attached/computerhistory/ads/international/apple/pics/annual96-masterthemedia1


I thik this picture is a good example of what Lupton was talking about in the Embodied Computer/User.  Its like he has become one with his computer and the different monitors show different sides of him.  I think it may also be trying to say in order for us to be complete we need our computer because it completes us. The very top screen has words on it in smaller text like they are his thoughts the second screen shows his eyes almost like he can see the world through his computer screen.  The screen by his mouth also has text but it is bold and bigger font as if he is speaking through his computer and the bottom image is of his chin and neck with text on it and I have no idea what that could mean. Overal this advertisement is definitely pushing the concept that man is one with his computer and may even be incomplete and unable to communicate without it!
The most significant thing I have learned so far in this class is definitely that the subject of technology promotes a lot of rhetoric everyone has an opinion that they wan to express.  As far a citing a specific source I would say I liked the Forbes reading just because I think there is a lot of truth to what she was saying even though I do not think we are becoming cyborgs.   I think I will definitely just look at technology through a different set of lenses so to speak because now I will be looking for the real meaning in things.
Lupton,D. (2000). The Cybercultures reader. New York: Routledge.

Communities

"Peg Communities"- as a coat pegs on which we choose to temporarily hang parts of our identities(Bell, D., 2000).I believe that people that are part of virtual communities cary who they are in real life over to the virtual community and carry who they are in a virtual community over to real life.  I think if you are true to yourself you are the same person in both communities.  I think that there maybe an aspect of yourself that is brought out more in one community than it i in another simply because of the nature of that community.  For example someone who is a wow player probably brings out a little more of their violent side out in the game than they do at church but that is because that is what that game is about doesn't mean that they are putting a certain hat on a peg.  I believe that being a part of multiple communities is a way to make sure all the dimensions of your personality are shown I think the use of a computer to do it makes no difference. I think that if your are part of an online community that can be just as cohesive if not more so than someone who ice fishes for example you are not necessarily with a lot of people while ice fishing but it may be something you discuss with other ice fishers when you are at work and it brings you closer together just like if you where a gamer it would bring you closer to your gaming buddies.  Another group that does not necessarily do an activity together but is still brought together by the activity is people who watch big brother or survivor or any other show you want to name Grey's anatomy each person watches it on their own time on the TV computer or cell phone and then they have discussions about what they saw with people.
Refrences:

Bell, D, & Kennedy, M. (2000). The Cybercultures reader. New York: Routledge.

http://halo.xbox.com/en-us/games/halo3/
www.worldofwarcraft.com
http://www.onlinepokerxperience.com/
I choose these three gamming communities because I think it will be interesting to see how much they are simmilar and different.  My three communities are Halo, World of  Warcraft, and Online Poker Experience.

Yahoo!

I would agree with the statement"the features of the Web that have become so standardized we no longer think of them as new or different(Brunett, R.,Marshal, P.D.)" because it's true I can not think of a single web page that doesn't have the same basic icons. Sure the way they look may have changed or become more inventive but they still serve the same basic purpose they work as a link to get you to another page. The other element that is very obvious to me is the magazine layout which can also be likened to that of a news paper. It resembles magazines because of the bright colors and fonts used, it also has sections such as fashion, horoscopes, and celeberty gosip. On the other hand it is like a news paper because it has auto adds, job searches, and sports sections, as well as the latest breaking stories for today which is also what it has in common with the news broadcasts from t.v. The yahoo site also has elements from gossip t.v. shows such as entertainment tonight and tmz because it has popculture stories like the ones on there today about Selena Gomez, Merideth Vieira, and Marilyn Manson. I think the thing that makes yahoo's site as well as the sites of so many other companies msn and iwon to name a couple is that they have all these elments combined into one convienent place. I do not have anything to contrast because I agree with them that things are the same just presented in a more polished form than days of old!Yahoo!

Brunett, R., Marshal, P. D. Web theory: an introduction.81-83

DigiDivide

What exactly is the digital divide?  The digital divide is a continuum of digital literacy.  It varies from those who have never even heard of a computer to those that have the latest and greatest technological gizmo known to man.  It is no longer about the the haves or have nots because peoples literacy varies so much.  It becomes more about having access and taking advantage of the opportunity to use technology to your benefit and not about just acquiring the item and using it as a paper weight.  I will use my mom as an example she enjoys buying devices because she thinks its cool to have although she does not know the first thing about using them and tends to only learn the very basics for operation.  She does not use the device to it's full potential and often things not even to a quarter of  it's potential.  She is an example of someone who has full access but little to no literacy and without literacy what good is the device or having access to it?

Well a metaphor that comes to mind is the cell phones of today because they are customizable.  I believe the Mac Windows metaphor is outdated.  I believe that not only because the dynamics of the "Corporate Culture"(selfe and selfe, 1994) have changed but so has peoples access to technologies.  Now there are kindergartners running around with Internet capable cell phones.  Reality is that people of all nationalities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and genders are able to represent themselves in today's digital interfaces.  I believe this is a better example because unlike the old application Icons a person is able to choose what they put on their home screen.  Each app they choose  represents them in some way and so does the apps they do not choose.  It is no longer a one size fits all when it comes to computers or just technology in general we now live in a time of customization the more custom the better!

Pictue of Iphone 4(wekipedie IPhone 4)
Refrences:
Selfe, Cynthia L. and Richard J. Selfe, Jr. The Politics of the Interface. CCC 45.4 (1994): 485-488.

Warschauer, M. (2002). Reconceptualizing the digital divide. First Monday, 7(7), Retrieved from
       http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article

Wikipedia.IPhone 4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone_4