Make Something

I went to the Blizzard guy's presentation today. I have to admit that I wasn't really expecting much. I know that he was an English major (like myself) but even that couldn't really excite me. My husband was so excited, he wants to get an internship at blizzard and has already been to one of the presentations this particular guy had given during the summer. I was happy to see him so thrilled, but I still couldn't muscle much enthusiasm for the presentation.

Which is why it completely blew my mind.

I'm not a huge fan of Blizzard. I like StarCraft, but other than that they have always seemed a little subpar to me. My husband loves them (as previously stated) but if everyone there has the same attitude as the man who presented today, then I take back every bad thing I ever said about them.

The presentation was not about Blizzard. It was about creation. It was about saving the world and doing what you love to do to make that happen. As he was talking, I felt the passion he felt for the topic, and I felt an old stirring within myself. I'm not really into playing or making video games. I'm probably not going to be the person that solves the energy crisis or finds a way to preserve our fresh water. No, the only talent I've ever been really passionate about is writing.

Writing. It was amazing how people were getting different messages from what he was saying. Every word resonated with my husband. I could see it in his face. I could see his desire to create and make a difference in this world. He wants to make art, he wants to make beautiful pieces that touch the souls of his players, the way that he was touched when he was a child and the way he is touched now when he plays his games. He wants to inspire people the way he was inspired, and every word hit him with the strength of a meteor. But it's different for me. When I write, there is no art to make it shine, there is no music, no graphics, nothing besides ideas and words. But I felt the power of this idea as well.

To clarify, what he was talking about was that each and every person in that room (and on byu campus/the world) has a particular talent. Because of the internet, we can connect to people in a way that was never possible before, and find people that have our same talents and interests. Obsessed people, he called them. And obsessed people can accomplish much more than just the random bum that's been hired to do it. These people, the people who really care, are the ones that will solve all of the problems in the world. These people, us, are the ones that will take that talent and make the world a better place. Make true art. Make beautiful things simply for the sake of making something beautiful. His eyes filled with tears as he was talking about this. His passion for it filled the room, and I think it moved everybody.

So, as I sat there, listening, I felt a desire stirring within myself. The desire to create. Almost instantly all of the doubt that always comes when I think I can do something started to resurface. Who are you, it asked, to think that with words, with a story, you could change anyone? Who are you to be self centered? And I realized that I don't need to move or touch anyone. I don't need to please anyone with my words and my ideas except me. I need to create. Not because people will tell me how wonderful I am, but because I will feel wonderful. Not because anyone will appreciate what I do, but because I will appreciate what I do. Creation, connection, art, beauty, it's within the ability of all of us. And by doing what we want, we might just accidentally make the world a better place in the process. And isn't that amazing?

All Things In Moderation

This post was inspired from Brittany's post Seeing Video Games Differently. I really appreciated Brittany's honest insights and research. I remember talking to her and Victoria after class about our take-away messages from the class discussion.

I have never been one for video games. I think this is because my parents also don't really like video games and so they were never around when I was growing up. I would play them occasionally at friend's houses and they were fun, but I never really got addicted to any. My friends did get addicted, however, and that was a major red flag to me.

I hate addictions. I hate how they make someone lose control of themselves. I hated the Pokemon craze in second grade for this reason, and I hated video games later on for the same reason. I hated that they were all my friends could talk about. I tried to get into it with them sometimes, but couldn't because I was afraid of becoming addicted.

There are sites dedicated to warning others about video game addiction. Check some of them out:

Video Game Addiction
WebMD: Video Game Addiction No Fun
Psychology Today: Are Video Games Addictive?
How to Avoid Video Game Addiction
Video Game Addiction and Other Internet Compulsive Disorders Mask Depression, Anxiety... 

Here's the thing though: anything can be addicting. Movies, social media, certain foods... even reading books can be extremely addicting! The thing is, we don't really hear about reading addictions because of the stereotypes surrounding reading. If a person reads too much he or she is generally considered "studious," or "smart," or at the very worst a "bookworm" (which can be considered a compliment). It is rarely seen as a problem.

There is sooo much out there about both the pros and cons about video games. Just do a Google Search. Plenty of stuff will pull up. It can be confusing to know the right thing to do. So, here's my two cents:

I think it all comes down to moderation and your personal standards. Everyone is different so different things work for different people. My husband and I talked about video games that evening after the class and we decided that we won't ban video games from our house, but that we'll be selective about which ones are allowed. I'm still not a fan of violent video games (even if I can set the settings to have the shot person burst into flowers rather than bleed or squirt slime). I just don't like seeing people get shot--I won't even watch Westerns with my husband because I hate it so much. It doesn't work for me. Other people can handle it. I just get sad.

We ban R-rated movies in our house. We get rid of books with too much language, sex, violence, or drugs. Games with certain ratings will be banned too. That's what we've decided because that's what we feel good about and what works for us.

That's my two cents. Now go have fun! Just moderate it.

Seeing Video Games Differently

 After class yesterday, I was impressed with the discussion generated by the topic of video games. I guess you know it is a good lecture when students can't stop talking about it after class (Dr. Burton is great)!

This is one of the reasons I took this class. The world we live in is advancing at such a rapid pace and I think it's important to know what's going on and how to navigate these changes. 

Admittedly, I have always had a bad taste in my mouth for video games/online gaming. I picture this one episode of "The Big Bang Theory" where Penny... well you'll see.

 

 In the clip, you'll notice how it fully addresses the stereotyped characteristics of a  gamer. I'll have to admit that this is what I thought of when video games came up and I didn't want any part of it. My husband is not interested in video games aside from Mario Party at a friend's house once in a while and that is fine with me!

However, I want to change my attitude toward the gaming world. And conveniently, I think studying English literature gives one an open mind.

I found an article online about the positive effect of action video games.  Dr. Markman concluded that overall, those who play action video games process visual stimulants faster and come to quicker conclusions. My only question is whether or not that is a useful skill.

Personally I am much more satisfied with Dr. Burton's opinion that sophisticated modern games can broaden your perspective of the world and of philosophies within, like Bio Shock Infinite.

Although I do not intend to start personally playing video games, I am learning and open to the positive aspects of gaming, especially gamification. Who knows what video games will be like when I have kids and maybe I'm destined to raise the next Ender. 

Maybe not... but regardless, I'll be on the lookout for good articles/media promoting video games to increase my understanding.

Hipsters and Long Tails

I just read Professor Burton's post about long tails, and it fascinated me in a lot of different ways. I guess I have never thought about how prominent this idea is in Internet culture. The one that immediately entered my head while reading through the post was hipsters. I don't know if a lot of people came to that same conclusion, but all I could think of while Professor Burton was talking about going through the iTunes store and going deeper in deeper is how useful this must be to hipsters and others who like to listen to really obscure, unknown music.

For the sake of clarity, a hipster is someone who likes things that nobody else likes. The idea is that if people like it, then it must be bad, and the more obscure something is then the better it is. This goes right along with the long tail idea, because they go for the things that are "never hit." A few years ago, this would be impossible. If a song didn't get on the charts, it stopped circulating, stopped being produced and might as well have disappeared forever. Now, however, people can go deeper and deeper into a song library to find more and more interesting songs. Some of them are real gems too. Of course, this also means that the deeper you go the more likely you are to accidentally make something that was obscure become really unknown. This is what I like to call the bane of the hipster.

The Long Tail can work in both directions. It can help people find really obscure things and enjoy them while nobody else does, or it can help something that might have never been discovered make it really big. Social Media helped to make "The Strike" a local band from Utah big enough to perform at the Stadium of Fire this year. I was there and they were amazing! Something like that never would have been able to happen without social media (granted there was a contest involved, but it wouldn't have spread as far if social media hadn't been a part of it) You can check out their facebook page here.

I guess the point is that the long tail has already influenced our subcultures in more than just getting more people to buy different things. It's also helped to inspire an entire way of life, and a hate group (there are plenty of people who hate hipsters.) I think that's pretty amazing.

The Long, Musical Tail

After reading Dr. Burton's latest blog post about "The Long Tail" and its effect on the market, I immediately clicked over to Chris Anderson's article and found it fascinating. 

The "Long Tail" addresses the digital wave of appeal to larger audiences by widening the variety and availability of selection. Anderson specifically mentions that success is only found where companies accommodate to the long tail, but also work with major vendors to access the entertainment "hits." Some popular  companies you might recognize associated with this theory include Netflix, Ebay, and Amazon.com.

Music is tricky because apparently record and label companies feel threatened and aren't the friendliest bunch. They think they should get more profit. So that begged the question... how is Spotify doing? 

Spotify is my music lifesaver. However, as much as I enjoy using Spotify to stream music I enjoy, I'm just a "freemium" user, meaning that I don't pay for it experience 10 second commercials every once and a while. Premium users experience streaming on-demand music on any device, any time.

 So if Spotify doesn't require pay, is it benefiting from obscure downloads for less-popular genres like Netflix? I found an article from the New York times, addressing Spotify's falling revenues (Spotify Losses Grow) and unfortunately the answer to my question was no. Spotify does not seem to be thriving as iTunes or Rhapsody.

What most interested me most from the article was "the music industry’s continuing struggle to reinvent itself in the digital age."

How does the availability of music, or lack thereof, influence music's identity and create distinct musical cultures in this digital age? Just like print versus digital books, how do we view CD's versus exclusively digital music? 

I don't think we have fully adapted to the realm of digital culture. As Spotify demonstrates, there are still many questions to be asked about profit, popularity, and demand. Consumers don't want to pay, but label and record companies still have a tight hold on what they allow into the market at what rates.

The musical realm of the digital market seems to be another whale to chase down because of its long tail.

The White Whale

After reading this week's assigned chapters from Moby Dick, I really started thinking of the significance of the whiteness of the whale and what Moby Dick represents. I've had a loose idea so far that for me, the whale represented Deity. Not an original and unique idea, by any means, but I've struggled with this position because of the damage and danger that the whale brought to Ahab and those who chased it, and then with Ahab's vengeful hunt for the whale. It didn't make sense to me that if he represented God, then why were bad things happening to everyone trying to follow him? I started thinking about this and exploring possibilities yesterday when someone asked me the question of why I think bad things happen to good people (You know you're an English major when you subconsciously relate all aspects of life to Moby Dick!).

I think it's a common question for believers in a God to wonder why God allows bad things to happen to us, especially when we consider ourselves good people. I believe that Moby Dick does in fact represent God and Ahab's search for him is not for religion or mercy, but to avenge his misfortune - the bad things that have happened to him, such as losing his leg.

Ishamel describes, "But not yet have we solved the incantation of this whiteness, and learned why it appeals with such power to the soul; and more strange and far more portentous - why, as we have seen, it is at once the most meaning symbol of spiritual things, nay, the very veil of the Christian's Deity; and yet should be as it is, the intensifying agent in things the most appalling to mankind" (175).

What I interpret from this passage is that Ishmael isn't quite sure what is so alluring about the whale's whiteness. He considers it parallel with the veil of Deity, but he also deems it to be appalling and fearing. Ishmael makes other references in this chapter to the whiteness being terrorizing.

Is God not one to be feared? I think within the nature of God, He is one to be absolutely feared in His omnipotent self. Moby Dick is also to be feared; I envision him to be the omnipotent creature in the depths of the sea. He should especially be feared if he is being chased for spiteful and vengeful reasons in order to remove him from his superiority. Perhaps maybe Ahab is even trying to kill Moby Dick so that he can become the all-powerful figure of the sea. Perhaps he is trying to become godlike and feels that the rite to become such a figure is by killing the current king - Moby Dick.

I came across several different blog posts and scholarly articles arguing that Moby Dick does represent God, but an evil God with an intention and desire to inflict misery and pain, and that the sailors and harpooners have the right to hunt the whale. I don't agree with this position. I think Moby Dick does represent God, but not an evil God. I think a lot of times, bad things happen as consequences from a person's actions. Ahab has only malicious and selfish intentions, so he brings a lot of the bad situations with them. I don't know the ending of this great American novel, but I cannot imagine it will end well.

The Written Word is Evolving and We are Evolving with It

Okay, so...this might sound sort of fantastical but hear me out. Do you think we might be headed towards the world of Star Wars, Farenheit 451, Minority Report, and all of those other futuristic, high-tech, digital worlds? Do you think they may be just starting to become our reality?

An artist's representation of a future city.

 
I read a book this month called In Bed with the Word by Daniel Coleman. In his book, Coleman talks about how books and, more specifically reading, defines a culture. Without the written word, a culture remains oral. Knowledge is passed on from generation to generation by word of mouth, and knowledge typically remains that which has been experienced by that culture. If you introduce the written word though, suddenly other ideas that cultures have never been able to consider before now becomes absolutely possible. Cultures merge their ideas together and new stories are created. New technologies are invented. Ideas spread faster. The written word begins to transform the world.

Now, the written word is traveling digitally and ideas are therefore spreading faster than ever. In fact, technologies are being invented to help the ideas spread even faster. For example, eBooks can be downloaded within seconds to a digital monitor! It is the written word in its traditional sense, just faster, more accessible, and more instant.

I mean, take a look at this library that just opened in San Antonio, Texas: it is the first library to be only digital! One hundred years ago--heck, even ten years ago-- I don't think anyone saw this coming.

 

 Think about it: the digital allows people to carry literally tons of the written word in the palm of the hand, it allows them to share ideas instantly, and it allows for greater organization.

The written word is evolving and the world is evolving with it. We're beginning to ask the questions that Clifford Lynch asked in his essay The Battle to Define the Future of the Book in the Digital World: "What are our expectations about the persistence and permanence of human communication as embodied in books as we enter the brave new digital world?" While there are still those that cling to the old ways of doing things (e.g. hand-written letters instead of emails, paper flyers instead of digital flyers, and print books instead of eBooks), I think that within a few generations there will be a huge push to go all-digital, and that humanity will be living in an all-digital world by the end of the 22nd century.

Continuing with Outsourcing

So, I've been reading a lot of the posts about outsourcing and thought I would continue along that train of thought.

 

I'm sure all of us have had experiences with the bishop or our wards talking about doing indexing for New Family Search. It's a great opportunity to do service, but also gets the church a ton of free labor. Don't get me wrong, I think it's brilliant of them, especially since so many people are willing to do it. I'm just amazed that it actually works. I'm amazed that, just like Kristin said, people are willing to do so much for free. Not just with their programming, but with any of their skills.

It reminds me of what we were talking about in class last time, the fact that the majority of a random population can be more accurate than even experts. I guess we've always known this in some form or another, but it's interesting to see how it actually is true. I mean, a whole bunch of guys screaming at a TV football game claim to know better than the coach, but nobody actually believes them. Who knows though, maybe they do.

 

I think that the idea of outsourcing is incredibly revolutionary. We used to only rely on expert advice, and maybe only a little bit on our neighbors experience. Or at least that's how it would appear to be. I remember listening in one of my science classes at the very beginning of college, and hearing them say, "I don't understand why people keep arguing about global warming. It's real. We've proven it a million times. It's not really up for discussion anymore." But it still is. Of course, in that example we could argue all day over whether the population or the experts are correct (ignoring the fact that the public appears to still be split on the issue, at least last time I checked) but the idea that experts can be circumvented amazes me. And what's more, the fact that they can be circumvented and be RIGHT.

 

However, I did want to talk a little bit about the times where outsourcing can be a problem. Mainly on the issues where you really do need to have professional advice. It's easy to go online and google your symptoms and convince yourself that you have cancer, or to find a whole bunch of extremely uneducated comments about Miss America on twitter. So not all of our information and knowledge should come from the masses, but outsourcing to get free labor is good. I remember that line from MIB, when Kay says,

And who knows what we'll learn tomorrow. And who knows what people will be able to do when everyone stops following the hive mind and starts thinking for themselves. That's something that I think outsourcing does really well. It takes the collective "persons" of the population and puts them together. And instead of everyone following one leader or turning into panicky animals, they think for themselves and get things done. Like with New Family Search. Thousands of people working together to make something amazing.