The Major Catalysts in the Formation of the Internet and Digital World
Introduction
There exisits two schools of thought concerning which components have been the major catalysts in the forming of the internet and digital world as we know it today. Both entertain stimulating and valid arguments. Manovich stipulates that the visual format of the internet is purely based on the visual reasoning that erupted out of the late nineteenth century as a result of constructivist principles and the tremendous introduction of the cinema, while Cook provides a good argument that although the assertions made by Manovich are true, Manovich overlooks an important component to the aesthetics and organization of the digital internet. Cook describes the importance of late Victorian logic in the form of diagrammatical information put forth by visual reasoning and mathematical pioneers such as Venn, Marshall, and Carroll.
It is my opinion that a combination of certain elements of both Manovich's and Cook's arguments creates a visual reasoning amalgam of why the internet looks like it does today. Each school of thought represents a portion of what we see when we click on the little blue link called "e" and escape into a world of dazzling, creative expressions of information and interpretation. I believe that the methods of Victorian logic are the vehicles in which information is organized and made easily accessible to the interactive users; while Victorian logic has adapted into the utilitarian aspect of the internet, the principles of constructivism which had originally sprung out of the art historical movement called soviet constructivism (early twentieth century) have formed the aesthetic and more directly interactive part of the internet.
Manovich's Argument
"The techniques developed by the artistic avant-garde of the 1920's became embedded in the commands and interface metaphors of computer software. In short, the avant-garde vision became materialized in a computer."(1) Manovich declares that there are three main developmental stages in the historical context of visual reasoning; I believe Cook's description of these three stages is very clear and succinct, and generally gives overall essence of Manovich's basis for his argument:
"First of all he outlines an early period between 1870 and the 1920's, during which there occurred 'a profound change in the cultural attitude toward vision.' This initial cultural shift paved the way for a second stage in the modern history of vision, a stage which arrived around or soon after the Second World
Schirato, T. and Webb, J. (2004). Reading the visual. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.
In George Orwell’s novel 1984, he illustrates how those who are being oppressed by totalitarian power, soon become isolated and emotionally modified by society, resulting in their loss of individuality and personal expression. Overall, Big Brother was the largest oppressive power of the society, and all of the citizens’ right’s were taken from them, due to this overwhelming government. Orwell’s warning was to alert those that if we are not careful with our decisions of who runs our country, then this terrifying event could have possibly occurred during 1984. War, is not peace, and freedom, is not slavery.
The book “1984” by George Orwell is a fictional work that was penned as a discourse on Orwell’s views of what it would be like to live in a totalitarianism society. It is my belief that his views were based on his personal life experiences as he witnessed first hand many of the violent crimes perpetuated by those in positions of authority. Often, these crimes against one segment of society were carried out by other members of the same society in the name of political advancement or at other times out of fear for one’s life. Due to his experiences, Orwell began to write of his hatred of political power and the concept of a totalitarianism society. “1984” serves as a warning to readers of how a government can become abusive when seeking total control of it’s population. Furthermore, it showcases in great detail how a society can allow itself to be controlled through a series of psychological abuses and manipulation of historical information.
Gombrich, Ernst Hans Josef. Art, perception, and reality. London: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1972. Print.
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, portrays a future society where people are no longer individuals but are controlled by the World State. The World State dominates the people by creating citizens that are content with who they are. Brave New World describes how the science of biology and psychology are manipulated so that the government can develop technologies to change the way humans think and act. The World State designs humans from conception for this society. Once the humans are within the society the state ensures all people remain happy. They program these humans to have needs and desires that will sustain a lucrative economy while not thinking of themselves as an individual. Huxley describes the Worlds State’s intent to control their society through medical intervention, happiness, and consumerism which has similarities to modern society.
The protagonist is faced with similar scenarios as was Kyle, such as the decision of shooting the man on the roof, or letting him go free. Many arguments may be made on what is morally right, but in the end, all that matters is survival itself, and doing what needs to be done. There are no rules in war, therefore all reasoning to what may be moral must be put aside. While this may be the case, human nature will eventually set in, and remorse can flood a soldier’s conscience. This was made apparent when the sniper broke down and cursed the war, providing for a turning point in the story.
Wilson, Clare “The Case for Marijuana by Prescription." Marijuana (Contemporary Issues Companion). Tardiff, Joseph, ed. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 63-70. Print
Marijuana’s use in the medical field is very valuable and dates back centuries. Marijuana usage dates back to 2737 B.C. in ancient China. The Chinese transcribed its medicinal values during this time and it rapidly spread to India, North Africa, and eventually Europe. As detailed by the emperor Shen Nung, cannabis had healing “powers” that alleviated symptoms of “rheumatism, gout, and malaria” (Narconon n. pag.). In India, the substance has been known to “quicken the mind, lower fevers, induce sleep, and cure venereal disease” (Grinspoon, Lester, Bakalar, James 3). Physicians from centuries ago seem to underst...
"Legalization of Marijuana." Student Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Discovering Collection. Gale. MINITEX. 20 Mar. 2014
...ent times, the television mediums has been slowly transitioning to digital format. Digital television has the advantages of high definition resolution and an electronic television guide. Despite these evolutions of the medium of television I don't consider it new, I see the television mediums as new features a result of inevitable technological advances. The evolution of the internet can similarly observed in this way. Packet-switching technology gave way to the ability to efficiently transfer files over the internet, this ability gave way to the dawn of the world wide web and faster internet transfer speeds lead to bigger and bigger files being transferred over the internet. From this it can be seen that the internet is not a new medium, it contains features which make it seem new. There are certain implications that are observed when the internet is seen as new.
Energy is the basic necessity of daily life. Nowadays, dependence on fossil fuels for energy needs becoming lower in numerous countries due to the potential of renewable energy to supply sustainable energy to the huge populations in many developing countries who are short of clean and continues energy. Generally, renewable energy can be defined as energy that is derived from natural resources which are constantly replenished and theoretically inexhaustible. Fossil fuels on the other hand can be described as energy that cannot be renewed and will eventually diminish. Thus, in many developing countries renewable energy is the alternative energy to replace non-renewable energy or commonly known as fossil fuels. In addition, according to Sorensen (2004), there is a greater demand for renewable energy sources nowadays due to the uncertainty of fuel price rise in living expenses. Commonly, there are many types of renewable energy available in our world such as wind power, biomass energy, solar energy, hydroelectric power and geothermal energy. However, the main three example of renewable energy are hydroelectric power, solar and biomass energy (Refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).
In his book Art and Illusion: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation”, Gombrich examines the history and psychology of pictorial representation, drawing on various other historians and thinkers, such as Karl popper. He seeks for a rational explanation regarding the changing styles of art. He mainly refutes the notion of art as imitation, and rather sees art as representation of reality. He uses the example of impressionist and post-impressionist painters and applies Popper’s methodology to the development of this particular
...wants this has also called for increased consumption of energy. Still a lot of demand grows globally as new innovations are discovered creating greater consumption. This situation will create major strains on environmental and energy security which is constantly driven by increased population growth and economic growth. One type of energy greatly used is electricity and more projects are enhanced to promote equal distribution of this resource. Communities will benefit greatly especially in the developing countries thereby rising their standards of living.
Shohov, T. (2003). Medical use of marijuana: Policy, regulatory, and legal issues. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
Term Paper: The History of the Internet The Internet began like most things in our society, that is to say that the government started it. The Internet started out as an experimental military network in the 1960s. Doug Engelbart prototypes an "Online System" (NLS) which does hypertext browsing, editing, email, and so on. The Internet is a worldwide broadcasting resource used for distributing information and a source for interaction between people on their computers. In 1973, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) initiated a research program to investigate techniques and technologies for interlinking packet networks of various kinds.