The readings of "Simulations" and "Artificial Ethics" reminded me of the movie "War Games". Both of these reading described how technology has a ‘mind of its own’. In the reading “Artificial Ethics” they say that “Do these programs possess consciousness?”(Driver 210). This sentence alone reminded me of the movie the war games because a boy named David, who is a computer hacker in his spare time. He decides to hack into a computer gaming company to play the latest and greatest game before it is released to the public. However, instead of getting into the gaming companies database, he hacks into the pentagon’s top secret war files. He then decides to play a simulation game called “Thermo Nuclear War”, which is a simulation of the war versus Russia. However, what started out as a game seems all too real, as WOPR takes over the systems at the NORAD project, and the folks there aren't sure if it is all a game or if the Russian missiles that appear to be poised to wipe out the US means World War III is imminent.
The computer game in this move seemed to have a mind of its own, a consciousness per say. But I don’t believe computers or technology actually has a conscious. I believe it was created by the designer of the actually software who was HUMAN and DID have morality and a conscious. Their personality and aspects of their conscience and morals are input in what they have created just as our when we develop something, whether it be a piece of literature or a work of art.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Week 10
"1984" Part Three
I can't believe the book ended the way it did. I really had hoped for Winston to start a revolution against the party.
I can't believe the book ended the way it did. I really had hoped for Winston to start a revolution against the party.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Week 9
'1984' Section 2
In the second section my question about the identity of Julia are answered. He is a trouble maker and a rebel. It seems like she will do anything to break the rules but when out in the watchful eye of “Big Brother” she is the perfect person. She makes me angry in a sense because I feel that she is going to get Winston into some trouble. It doesn’t seem that he has as much self control as Julia does. She taunts him with bring him ‘real’ stuff such as coffee, sugar, and bread. I also find it odd with her promiscuity. It seems like she is the secret town whore with many locations out of sight by higher authority to do the deed. In my opinion it seemed like Winston is falling in a trap by falling in love with her. However, they eventually break up due to the initiation of them both into the ‘Brotherhood’. O’Brian requested that they break up in order to be initiated and to remain in the brotherhood. Also, Mr Charrington came up in this section. I do not like him and I do not think he is part of the Brotherhood. Anyway, he let Winston use his secret room so he could have relations with Julia. How nice. However, in the end of the section we find out that he is in fact a part of the Truth Police and he was setting the couple up the entire time. I KNEW IT!!!
In the second section my question about the identity of Julia are answered. He is a trouble maker and a rebel. It seems like she will do anything to break the rules but when out in the watchful eye of “Big Brother” she is the perfect person. She makes me angry in a sense because I feel that she is going to get Winston into some trouble. It doesn’t seem that he has as much self control as Julia does. She taunts him with bring him ‘real’ stuff such as coffee, sugar, and bread. I also find it odd with her promiscuity. It seems like she is the secret town whore with many locations out of sight by higher authority to do the deed. In my opinion it seemed like Winston is falling in a trap by falling in love with her. However, they eventually break up due to the initiation of them both into the ‘Brotherhood’. O’Brian requested that they break up in order to be initiated and to remain in the brotherhood. Also, Mr Charrington came up in this section. I do not like him and I do not think he is part of the Brotherhood. Anyway, he let Winston use his secret room so he could have relations with Julia. How nice. However, in the end of the section we find out that he is in fact a part of the Truth Police and he was setting the couple up the entire time. I KNEW IT!!!
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Week 8
'1984' Section 1
The first section of 1984 left me with many questions and unfinished thoughts. My first question is about the dark haired girl. I was wondering who she was and what she wanted with Winston. Another character I want to know more about is Mr. Charrington. He is a very sketchy character. Why would he provoke Winston to write a diary? If he were a part of the inner party he would have told on Winston, but he didn’t. Also, I was left questioning about the three men who were captured, tortured, released back into society, and then captured again in the cafeteria. Why would they pick suck a public place to capture them. Why could the police just have gone to their homes and taken them. I think the police wanted too do it in a very public place so that they could show the public the consequences of breaking the laws. I have many unanswered question that hopefully will be answered when I keep reading the book.
The first section of 1984 left me with many questions and unfinished thoughts. My first question is about the dark haired girl. I was wondering who she was and what she wanted with Winston. Another character I want to know more about is Mr. Charrington. He is a very sketchy character. Why would he provoke Winston to write a diary? If he were a part of the inner party he would have told on Winston, but he didn’t. Also, I was left questioning about the three men who were captured, tortured, released back into society, and then captured again in the cafeteria. Why would they pick suck a public place to capture them. Why could the police just have gone to their homes and taken them. I think the police wanted too do it in a very public place so that they could show the public the consequences of breaking the laws. I have many unanswered question that hopefully will be answered when I keep reading the book.
Week 7
Machiavelli
Machiavelli wrote about qualities that he believe all princes should have in order to rule their kingdom properly. He based most of his methods on the emotions of the population. He mostly played on the emotion of fear. He believe that if you instilled fear into the people that they would be scared enough to listen to everything you say and scared enough not to challenge the thorn. One other main idea of his that I felt was important was the false reality that he tells the prince to create. This false reality includes things that he wants the general public to believe, yet that have no truth. An example would be that he said he wanted the public to believe that he cared for them, even though he didn’t. He used the word appear many times. He believes strongly in deception. I can relate his use of fear and deception to an episode of Dr. Phil I recently watched. There was a married man deceiving his wife by lying to her about the status of their relationship while this man was going off and having relation with a 17 year old female. He was also deceiving this 17 year old female by telling her that he loved her and was going to leave his wife for her once she turned 18, however had no intentions of doing so. He instilled the fear of him cheating and separation in his wife and also in the female. This was a sick man, but, in Machiavelli’s case it was very strategic and intelligent and I believe his qualities would make a great prince.
Machiavelli wrote about qualities that he believe all princes should have in order to rule their kingdom properly. He based most of his methods on the emotions of the population. He mostly played on the emotion of fear. He believe that if you instilled fear into the people that they would be scared enough to listen to everything you say and scared enough not to challenge the thorn. One other main idea of his that I felt was important was the false reality that he tells the prince to create. This false reality includes things that he wants the general public to believe, yet that have no truth. An example would be that he said he wanted the public to believe that he cared for them, even though he didn’t. He used the word appear many times. He believes strongly in deception. I can relate his use of fear and deception to an episode of Dr. Phil I recently watched. There was a married man deceiving his wife by lying to her about the status of their relationship while this man was going off and having relation with a 17 year old female. He was also deceiving this 17 year old female by telling her that he loved her and was going to leave his wife for her once she turned 18, however had no intentions of doing so. He instilled the fear of him cheating and separation in his wife and also in the female. This was a sick man, but, in Machiavelli’s case it was very strategic and intelligent and I believe his qualities would make a great prince.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Week 6
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions
When reading the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, I felt empowered. The drive and passion for equal right and for the right to vote was amazing. To organize such a convention in that decade, without the permission of men, was a very threatening move. When she stated at the end of paragraph 3 “Such has been the patient sufferance of women under this government, and such is now…to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.” (E. Cady Stanton) it was interesting that after many years of striving to become what her brother never was, she gave up that dream and started to live her own life as the women she was, to create the equality that she was never granted. When reading this essay, I felt a relation to Mrs. E. Cady Stanton because as a young girl, I played hockey. It wasn’t known as, your now typical, Girls Hockey league. This was a league for boys, only boys. I have been playing hockey since the age of 3 and a Girl’s hockey league did not exist. I practice as much as I could to be as good, if not better, then the boys. I was discriminated against for many years because I was the only girl on the team. I felt a sense of understanding when Mrs. E. Cady Stanton said that she wanted to be just like her brother, as did I. I have an older brother who also played Travel hockey and I wanted to be just like him. I stuck it out many years playing for a ‘boys’ team until Windsor for a ‘girls’ Hockey league. Even though I was an outsider while playing for that team, I stuck it out, because of my love for the game. Now, due to girls like me, who didn’t quit, there are designated “women’s” dressing rooms in most arenas (instead of dressing in women’s washrooms) and girls are now accepted on “boys” teams, base on skills, not on gender.
The declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions to this day are helping women in small ways make a big difference. I thought the final resolution summed them all up by stating “That the speedy success of our cause depends upon the zealous and untiring efforts of both men and women…and for securing to women an equal participation with men in various trades, professions, and commerce.” (E. Cady Stanton) but in my case, sports as well.
When reading the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, I felt empowered. The drive and passion for equal right and for the right to vote was amazing. To organize such a convention in that decade, without the permission of men, was a very threatening move. When she stated at the end of paragraph 3 “Such has been the patient sufferance of women under this government, and such is now…to demand the equal station to which they are entitled.” (E. Cady Stanton) it was interesting that after many years of striving to become what her brother never was, she gave up that dream and started to live her own life as the women she was, to create the equality that she was never granted. When reading this essay, I felt a relation to Mrs. E. Cady Stanton because as a young girl, I played hockey. It wasn’t known as, your now typical, Girls Hockey league. This was a league for boys, only boys. I have been playing hockey since the age of 3 and a Girl’s hockey league did not exist. I practice as much as I could to be as good, if not better, then the boys. I was discriminated against for many years because I was the only girl on the team. I felt a sense of understanding when Mrs. E. Cady Stanton said that she wanted to be just like her brother, as did I. I have an older brother who also played Travel hockey and I wanted to be just like him. I stuck it out many years playing for a ‘boys’ team until Windsor for a ‘girls’ Hockey league. Even though I was an outsider while playing for that team, I stuck it out, because of my love for the game. Now, due to girls like me, who didn’t quit, there are designated “women’s” dressing rooms in most arenas (instead of dressing in women’s washrooms) and girls are now accepted on “boys” teams, base on skills, not on gender.
The declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions to this day are helping women in small ways make a big difference. I thought the final resolution summed them all up by stating “That the speedy success of our cause depends upon the zealous and untiring efforts of both men and women…and for securing to women an equal participation with men in various trades, professions, and commerce.” (E. Cady Stanton) but in my case, sports as well.
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