Me, Myself, and Media
Mood:  a-ok
Hi Scot! For my final project I figured I'd do a little research and a little ranting on topics that I find particularly interesting with regards to media futures. I think this is a fitting way to finish my three years here at Concordia.

When I started COMS I did not own a computer (or care to really!). Nor did I know how to use anything other than a word processing program. Today I would be lying if I said I was an expert - but I have come a long way. I recently purchased a Mac which I love. I love it because it is smart. It automatically uploads digital photos for me in iphoto, it allows me to capture images embedded in PDFs using apple key-shift-4, it doesn't need to be restarted every time I want to change Internet connections, and the resolution is fantastic! Honestly it has made me like spending time at a computer.

But still I would have to say I'm more of an outdoors girl. I like to move and breathe fresh air. I like to garden and swim and work with my hands. I also like to dress up. Theater is my first love. We rarely discuss Theater in COMS, probably because it falls into the category of the first generation of media and is now considered obsolete. But we must remember it was the foundation on which film and television were based. Humans have a tendency to disregard the past in favor of the future. Unfortunately if we do not keep abreast of our history we are bound to repeat previous mistakes.

The future both entices and concerns me. We created all of these technologies (be they good or bad) in order to facilitate work and create more leisure time. Yet this does not seem to have happened. I think part of the problem is that while technological tools can aid our tasks they also offer great distractions. I know that when I'm writing a paper I have to make sure that MSN Messenger is offline and that my cell phone is shut off or I will not get anything done.

One thing that really distresses me is that people are so disconnected from their own bodies. Everything needs to be fast, from food to cars to Internet connections. The prevalence of packaged food that has taken over supermarkets frightens me! How can we possibly live on this junk? We are becoming more and more sedentary while at the same time paying less and less attention to what we consume. This surely is a recipe for disaster.

We also forget to make time for ourselves. I try to do this by walking to school instead of taking the bus. Not only do I get an hour of exercise this way but I also have time to think. Sometimes though, even my walks are pervaded with technology as I have a fantastic little MP3 player ;)

Technology advanced so quickly in the last decades that we have back-burnered many of the important social and political issues that were on the table. For example we are much less concerned with pollution and global warming than we should be. We also seem to have stopped talking about AIDS, a pandemic is certainly not on the decline. I hope sometime in the near future technological advances plateau for a while so that we can reconnect with other important issues in the world around us.

E-Waste: The Next Generation Of Garbage
Do you know what e-waste is? I didn’t until recently. But we all should considering that it is the fastest growing waste problem in the world. E-waste includes discarded computers and computer peripherals; cell phones; appliances such as refrigerators, vacuums, and toasters; home entertainment technologies such as televisions, videogame consoles, and stereo systems; and home maintenance technologies such as lawnmowers. These are technologies that we have come to think of as disposable. In many cases we abandon old cell phones, computers, or even home appliances not because they no longer work but because they are no longer in fashion or up-to-date.
So what is the problem with this waste? Well these technologies contain hundreds of different materials. Many of these materials such as lead, mercury, beryllium, and cadmium are toxic substances that can pollute the earth and surrounding water systems at disposal sites. Thus they must be recycled.

But the term “recycle” in this instance deviates greatly from the standard definition of the word. In the United States “recycling” of e-waste generally means shipping it off to Asia or India where scavengers will rifle through the waste, collecting various parts before dumping the rest of the debris in large landfills. These landfills are often near residential areas. The chemicals remaining in the waste pollute the earth, air, and water of the surrounding neighborhood. Moreover the process by which “useful” (i.e. resalable) components are extracted often involves burning toxic materials either with fire or acid. And most e-waste workers are either too poor or too ignorant to wear protective clothing such as gloves and masks.

In 1994 the Basel Convention adopted a total ban on the export of hazardous wastes from rich to poor countries. This was a step in the right direction. Unfortunately the United States, the largest generator of e-waste, refused to abide by this pact.

Another problem is that manufacturers are not held accountable for the safety of the products they create at the end-of-life stage. Currently there are few laws regarding manufacturer responsibility of e-waste though some companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard have started recycling initiatives of their own.

So what can be done? On a government level we need to provide incentive to manufacturers to recycle their own products. Moreover we need to encourage manufacturers to create products with longer lives. Currently people frequently change cell phones or computers because they have become obsolete. Manufacturers need to create technologies that can be upgraded without full-out replacement. Unfortunately this is not likely to happen because the profit margin on the cost of an upgrade is much less than that on the cost of full refurbishment. Moreover the consumer society in which we live reveres the “new” and rejects the “old”.

One alternative to the purchase-use-discard system we currently utilize that I think might work would be to institute some sort of rental system. This scheme would involve leasing a computer (or cell phone, or fridge) from the manufacturer for a set period of time. When the contract comes up for renewal this technology could be exchanged for a newer model. The old model could then be cleaned up by the manufacturer and leased anew. Though the older technology may be less cutting edge I think there would still be a market for it if only in less wealthy countries where technologies are less advanced. This system would encourage manufacturers to create more durable products, as they would make profits off the item for as long as it functions. Thus home appliances could be made to last (as they used to be) rather than designed to malfunction after a set period of time.

But until some scheme such as I just outlined catches on we will continue to purchase and discard products indiscriminately. As consumers it is our job to be vigilant. We must take responsibility for our waste. When it is time to toss out an old computer or cell phone we must research “recycling” facilities carefully to make sure that the waste will be dealt with responsibly. After all, we share the same air and water throughout the world. Shipping our waste to faraway places will come back to haunt us someday.

Some Great Links:

Just Say No to E-Waste

E-Waste: Dark Side of the Digital Age

Wikepeadia on E-Waste

Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia


For A Greener Planet: Recycle

Advertising Future: Going Too Far
Mood:  d'oh
I showed this in class but I'm going to show it again. Why? Because it makes me angry!

This is my house! On an ad! For a real estate agent!

Obviously it is targeted advertising. I suspect everyone in my neighborhood got one just like it only with their home embedded in the calendar. In here lies my problem.

As far as I'm concerned targeted advertising is an invasion of my privacy. It's not that someone took a photo of the house - it is after all in the public sphere. It's that someone is trying to use something they know I like to get me to like them.

Targeted advertising is on the increase. A lot of companies are looking into using cellular technology to advertise their products. For example a clothing store can send ads and coupons to your phone when you are within a certain distance of their location. An advantage of this kind of advertising for businesses is that they know the ad will be read (who deletes a text message without reading it first?) and they know you are nearby (so you are very likely to come in and use that coupon). In a similar vein mobile advertising can target a certain time of day. For example MacDonald's can send out ads just before mealtimes, or the local pub can advertise its happy hour just before the end of the workday.

Cellular phones used to be an ad-free technology as telemarketers never solicited these numbers. But no longer.

Another grievance I have is with point cards such as the Pharmaprix Optimum card. These schemes offer you points in exchange for information about your buying habits. This information is then used to manipulate you into buying more stuff!

More stuff means more waste and more waste means a more polluted planet. Will we never learn?

Links:

Cell phones Ring for Marketters

Now Playing on Your Cell Phone

Cell Phone Marketing Rings in Costomers

Dick Chaney's Nightmare Turned Computer Game
Mood:  energetic
The information society has given the public a voice. Sometimes we use this voice responsibly, sometimes we don't. Often we use it to amuse ourselves. Dick Chaney's recent hunting accident has garnered its fare share of press - mostly in the form of talking heads. But my favorite piece of media regarding the incident is a computer game that you can play here: Quail Hunting School
Is this a responsible use of the medium? Probably not. But as with love and war, in politics all is fair.

(I must credit Adrienne Hiles who is also in COMS 437 for sending me this link)

Caught in the Act: Cell Phone Abuse
I have a cell phone but I don't really like them. When used properly they can be useful tools, but most people are guilty of cell phone abuse. All in all I find them distracting and anti-social. Yes anti-social. This is because people feel compelled to answer their phones every time they ring, ignoring their present company. Why?! We managed to survive for centuries without them but suddenly they have become an appendage, a form of surveillance in and of themselves. I want to discuss a few matters concerning cell phones in this blog.

Firstly I am concerned with camera phones. They may be fun and convenient for some but they are also considered a violation of privacy by many, including myself. Many people argue that we are being photographed all the time – and this is largely true. But most of these images are in the form of surveillance video which will not be uploaded to the web or used against us unless we are party to a crime. Cell phone images however can easily be used to degrade and shame the unknowing suspect.They can actually be considered a form of digital harassment. Several television programs have based storylines on picture phone bullying. The one that sticks in my mind is an episode of Joan of Arcadia in which Joan was photographed in the shower in the girls locker room. Perhaps this is an extreme example, but I maintain that my bad hair day is my personal business. I do not want to see it on the web. If you think about it, we all do things every day that we would not want to have caught on tape: picking wedgies (or our noses), stuffing ourselves with gigantic pieces of chocolate cake, or simply wearing an unflattering outfit. These moments happen and I find it outrageous that they may be used against us.

What has been concerning me the most recently is that high tech companies are actually using blackmail stemming from camera phones and pocket sized camcorders as a selling point. Take for example the new Samsung ad in which a young upstart employee takes video footage of the office party. He later shows the recording to a myriad a people higher up on the corporate ladder, receiving a promotion each time he does. The ad seems innocuous because the employee is depicted as a simple, childlike soul. But the underlying message remains.

If you have not seen the ad you can view it here (sorry I was unable to download it). Follow the link then go to BRAND CAMPAIGN at the bottom of the page (it takes about 15 seconds to pop up), then choose “Summer Picnic”.
Samsung Ad

In my view this ad is horribly unethical, though I’m starting to accept that my system of values and ethics is stuck somewhere about 1955.

Another concern I have regarding cell phones involves the increased prevalence of GPS tracking. GPS on cell phones was initially designed so that emergency services could obtain the location of 911 calls. But recently, apparently as a result of the post 9/11 safety craze, this service has become available to the general public. This means that parents can track their children from their home computer. Employers can track their employees in the field. Some systems even sound an alarm when the employee deviates from his assigned route. Suspicious spouses can track their mates, and all for about $15 a month. I’m all for the emergency use of GPS but the idea that my boyfriend could be watching my every move on a computer screen is terrifying to me. One of the testimonials I found (testimonial) has a mother observing her daughter driving over the speed limit on the interstate. She subsequently calls to tell the girl to slow down. GPS tracking on cell phones seems to eliminate the last vestige of privacy in our day to day lives. You might think you’re alone but…

Related Links
http://www.accutracking.com/

http://www.travelbygps.com/articles/tracking.php

http://www.travelbygps.com/articles/tracking.php

http://news.com.com/Big+boss+is+watching/2100-1036_3-5379953.html

http://www.infowars.com/articles/bb/parents_bosses_gps_track_cellphones.htm

My Watch
I wear a watch. I'm told that it takes up valuable real estate on my arm but I have yet to find a better technology to fill this space. I love my watch because it is esthetically pleasing and (as it was a gift) it reminds me everyday that someone loves me. My cell phone, though it proudly displays the time, cannot claim either of the above traits. Moreover its simplicity pleases me. It is designed to perform only one function, and it does so well. I do not need to search through files or folders to find the time, it is merely displayed 24/7. Humans over the last several centuries have been interested in more than simply having what they need. Communications technologies, as useful, fun, and even time-saving as they can be prove this nicely. We don't need cell phones or computers. And we certainly don't need television or film. Just as I don't need a watch. What I do need is water, food, and shelter. But what I want... Oh the things I want... My watch is an emblem of my vanity but it is also a symbol of the prosperity of the human race.

People Should Not Fear Their Governments, Governments Should Fear Their People
Mood:  hug me
V For Vendetta, a film currently in theatres raises several pertinent questions about the conditions of our society. The film is set a couple of decades into the future in Britain. America has fallen and Britain is a totalitarian regime. In a manner reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984 Big Brother is watching - and he is as corrupt as it gets. Strict curfews are enforced, controversial books and art are banned, there is but one state-censored television station, and only the Chancellor enjoys real butter with his supper.

Unknown to the people, the government wiped out over 80 000 of its own citizens when a state-created super virus escaped from a lab. A masked vigilante known only as V was one of the human subjects tortured at this state-run facility. Now that he is free he intends to free the people of Britain as well.

V’s stance is that history must be remembered if we are not to repeat the same mistakes. He takes as his idol Guy Fox, and his slogan “Remember, remember, the fifth of November.” It is V’s position that the government should be afraid of its citizens, not the reverse.

I will not give you more details about the plot as I do not care to spoil it for you, but I do want to discuss a couple of points raised in the film. The first is who needs nuclear weapons when a virus can wipe out massive portions of a population while leaving the riches of the nation intact? I will never sleep quite as soundly as I used to with this idea in mind. Germ warfare has potential for evil that nuclear bombs never had. In the past if you wanted to destroy a nation you had to destroy the land as well. But germ warfare makes it possible to kill only a nation’s adversaries while protecting allies with an antidote. There are people in the world evil enough to deploy a scheme like this should the technology fall into their hands.

The second issue raised is that of censorship. In this film the government decides what you may or may not have. Owning art, or a copy of the wrong book such as the Koran is a crime punishable by death. In this world people are not encouraged to have original thoughts. They are to believe only what the government tells them. This is hardly a new idea but it remains pertinent. Why are we unable to learn from our past? England especially is guilty of political and religious intolerance over the centuries. Why is it that we insist on repeating the same mistakes over and over again? In the England of this film it may be impossible for a layman to find an accurate account of history. But V prides himself on living among all things banned. He will learn and he will teach.

And then there is the issue of surveillance. I think this is especially relevant in Britain where CCTV is commonplace. Surveillance cameras are everywhere, this is a fact. But to what purposes should the footage collected by these cameras be used? I raise this question now but will answer it in my next entry.

It is unsurprising that this film is able to be both entertaining and thought provoking as it was written by the Wachowski brothers (the team responsible for the Matrix trilogy). The future in V is much different that the future in the Matrix but questions of who determines our destinies are nevertheless very much present.

V For Vendetta Website

Analog or Digital There's Always Someone Watching

The Future is Televised - CCTV
Closed circuit television cameras are common features of London streets. Though no actual figures seem to be available it is estimated that there are over 4 million security cameras of this sort in the United Kingdom. They have many uses including: to guard the Underground; capture license plates in order to issue tickets to law breakers; protect taxi drivers; and monitor parking lots.
In the US, CCTV is less prevalent but is becoming more common in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. Many American water filtration plants use CCTV cameras to capture the images of all those who enter the facilities.
In Canada, Extreme CCTV is one of the fastest growing technology companies. Cameras manufactured by this company offer various features including active infrared models which capture images in dark locations, wireless models, explosion-proof models, non-electric solar charged models, and environment-proof designs which will function in extreme conditions including highly acidic, hot, cold, wet, or corrosive surroundings.
CCTV raises questions about civil liberties and security versus privacy. Though CCTV is a progressive tool in the area of crime prevention it may also be used by management to monitor employees or for other less-than-security-related purposes. In the UK problems with video captures being posted on the Internet (including footage of couples having sex) has been a problem. Another concern involves the use of facial-recognition software in trying to identify individuals caught on tape. This software is notoriously flawed and may result in false-positives and the prosecution of innocent people. Debate also surrounds the use of CCTV technology for traffic monitoring and ticketing purposes.
A consensus about this technology has not been reached, though several murders have been solved thanks to this surveillance method. (Though perhaps a more meaningful question is how many murders have been prevented?) But one website that I found (http://www.rtmark.com/cctv/) saw no positive qualities to CCTV, offering a step by step guide on how to destroy CCTV equipment.
Personally, I have no issue with being monitored in public spaces as long as regulations exists to ensure that the footage can not be used for any reason but the detection of crime, however I do not agree that this technology should be used to issue traffic tickets or for other minor violations of the law. Homeland security, prevention of attacks or theft, and the pursuit of evidence in major crimes are viable reasons for CCTV in my opinion. But ticketing J-walkers in order to raise government funds falls into the category of the violation of civil liberties and provokes Orwellian questions of the role of the state in our day to day lives.

Related Links:

http://www.extremecctv.com/home.cfm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closed-circuit_television

http://www.spy.org.uk/wtwu.htm

http://www.rtmark.com/cctv/

What Kind of Cyborg Will I Be?
Mood:  cheeky
What kind of cyborg will I be? Not a very good one I'm afraid. I have no desire to be connected or on line 100% of the time. Though I do embrace some technologies that allow me to be a part-time cyborg.

I wear contact lenses
I own a cell phone
And I like to be able to carry important data in my pocket!

I've had a cell phone for a year now. On principle I hate them, though I must admit it's been dead useful. I purchased it after realizing I was spending up to 2$ a day on pay phones - mostly to check my messages and return calls. I was never home to use my land line - it was basically an answering service. I was spending over $100 dollars a month on calls, keeping a phone I never used while constantly seeking out pay phones and hoarding quarters! So I made the switch. I no longer have a land line but I had my old number transferred to the cell for convenience sake. And so far so good. I now pay about $46 a month - a much more reasonable amount - and I can take the phone with me wherever I go. Though I pride myself on not being a slave to it. I almost always keep it on silent, and sometimes I even leave it at home.
This past summer my grandmother (who I live with) had a stroke while at the same time my eleven year old cousin was in hospital. For a week my aunt and I ran back and forth between The Montreal Children's, St. Mary's and home to my grandfather who needs care as he has Alzheimer's. I can't imagine how we would have managed had we not had cell phones. It sounds silly but it's true. That kind of coordination requires constant communication.
Plus there's one more benefit to having a cell - it means you can throw out your clunky old alarm clock. I've freed up much needed counter space by boxing up my old alarm!

Before and After

Aside from my cell, the other tool I regularly use are my memory sticks. And I'll show you why:

I estimate I've used over 300 CD's and DVDs in my three years at Concordia. These are all file back-ups not music CD's. What a waste! The memory sticks don't eliminate the need to store data as a hard copy but they do allow me to transfer files from one computer to another without using a CD. They also allow me to store files temporarily until I have accumulated enough data to fill an entire disk. In the past I often had to burn small files onto non-rewritable disks but not anymore!

I am happy to use new technologies as long as they are extrasomatic. But I will never, never have these technologies embedded within my being. RFID chips may be the way of the future but as far as I'm concerned they are for consumer products and pets only.

RFID Chips: For the Dogs!