My Web Production Blog

In "The Rise of the Network Society," Manuel Castells brings up the topic of converging technologies that are fundamental for development in areas such as medicine, manufacturing, transportation, and more. As our society progresses, we see more technologies being "converged" for efficiency and convenience. For example, smartphones have the capability of a phone, camera, GPS, PDA, and many other technologies all in one device. Although smartphones make life easier in these ways, users are risking their privacy. Websites and search engines collect data and private information from users, sometimes without their knowledge, and use this information to personalize web-based experiences. Personal information such as bank accounts, social security numbers, and tax documents can be accessed and shared over the web, providing hackers with opportunities to steal and use this information. Castells mentions genetic engineering in his book, describing the benefits of technolog...

"As We May Think," by Vannevar Bush, provides insight to the jobs of scientists during wars. Bush suggests that current methods of sending and reviewing information are not effective. Luckily, technology is advancing more and more everyday, so the way people consume information has changed drastically. Now, there are interactive web pages and virtual reality programs that provide a visual aid along with data which can help people comprehend information more efficiently. Videos are also used as a means to help people retain information. Many of Bush's predictions about technology actually came true, such as the Cyclops Camera and the Vocoder. The Cyclops Camera sounds very similar to GoPro cameras. As for the Vocoder, phones now have the speech-to-text option which allows the user to send text messages by speaking into the microphone on their cellphone. Computers have similar abilities to his "selection devices" because users can search through different inform...