Research Poster Presentations

Last Monday, I did a research poster presentation (similar to a Science Fair layout) on Google Wave. I did the research on Google Wave through using it- I watched the introductory how-to videos, and sent messages to my husband (the only other person that I know who currently has it). I also did research by searching the web for other people's opinions on Google Wave. I felt like I had quite a bit of information and I thought the presentation went well.

As my poster stated, I think that Google Wave is going to make a great impact on the technological world as we know it because Google Wave not only has created a mixture between messenger, e-mail, and Google Documents in real time, but has brought a lot of options to one single place. The Google Wave user will be able to access all of the elements that they would need from their Google Wave account, like gaming, weather, maps, teleconferencing and videoconferencing among others.

It was nice to have people come and ask me about Google Wave, because many of them had heard of it but were unsure what it did or how to use it. Some people even had invitations but had not accepted them yet because they were unsure. After telling some people about the technology, they wanted me to use one of eight invites to invite them to use Google Wave.


On Friday, the other half of the class did their poster presentations and those of us that went on Monday became the audience. It was really great to walk around and see the emerging technologies and which of those people thought were important. As an audience member you had to post tweets on Twitter of your thoughts about the posters. It was really cool to see the updating tweets on the screen in the front of the classroom. On both days there were a lot of great presentations, you could see that people put a lot of effort into them.

This class, Communication 435- Emerging Technologies and Communication, has really provided me with a lot of insight into the digital world. I was never a big "techie," I just used a lot of the programs that were mainstream. Through this class I not only learned how to use more technologies, but how they worked, and the best way to tell others about them.

The Newest Universal Remote

The URC MX-5000 is the newest universal remote that runs at about $1200!!! It controls everything from your wi-fi to your TV. It was a pretty nifty touch screen, but is such a complex system that you cannot program it yourself- you need a professional. It even has "no limit to customization."But while this seems pretty awesome, does a person need a universal remote enough to pay $1200 for it?

I think that this instance of emerging technology says a lot about American society. Today, it is all about efficiency and making things easier- but at what cost? I mean, even the most basic remote is a movement towards efficiency. You can adjust things without having to walk across the room! As well as being a movement towards efficiency, it is also a major movement towards LAZINESS! I mean it is one thing to even use a remote, but what is so hard about keeping track of a couple remotes? Is it necessary to get one so that they are all together because you lost them or just for convenience sake?

As we move towards more universal things for convenience and efficiency, I believe we lose a part of ourselves, a part of aesthetic properties that items once had, and lose a sense of the world around us. Sometimes the world just needs to be enjoyed as it is, not modified to be more efficient for users.

Google Wave

In class, Professor K. had mentioned the program Google Wave several times, and I wasn't really sure what it was, but it interested me. I found out that it is the newest platform for the growth of social media. It is still in the very early testing stages, so this kind of technology is known as a Beta. In order to become a part of Google Wave you have to be invited to join. I thought that I was not the type of person that would be invited because I am not really in touch with my technological side. But... my husband was invited to join by a friend, and because he knew I was in Com 435, and I might enjoy it, he invited me.

So, Google Wave is a mixture between instant messaging and e-mail. They have what is called a wave, which is a message that is sent and can be seen in real time. If I were at the library and sent a wave to my husband who was on at home, he could get it the moment I completed it and reply immediately. Or, it could function more like a normal inbox, and be waiting for him the next time he logged on.

Not only is Google Wave good for just social messaging, but also for organizing and planning events, or group brainstorming. There will also be a combination of other media options such as photo sharing, instant weather updates, videoconferencing, teleconferencing, and gaming. Because all of these are in the same place, it will greatly increase the user's efficiency and be very user friendly.

I sincerely believe that Google Wave could completely change the way that we use the internet.

Real Media

So, I am taking an online course this semester because I needed to pick up an extra elective at the last minute. Over my collegiate career, I have found that unless an online course is your only responsibility, it never works out as well as you would think it would. At least for me, that is.

Anyway, in my online course I was required to view National Public Radio's website and listen to a documentary on Jonestown. When I got to the website, I was unable to listen to the piece because it was a .SMIL formatted file instead .HTML. At that point I was very confused. I had come to believe that I had all the necessary add-ons and plug-ins necessary to make it through normal internet usership. I, of course, was wrong.

The type of format, .SMIL is something that is only read by Real Media programs. I had never heard of Real Media and did some research to see if it was safe to download to my computer.

Real Media is almost identical to Windows Media Player in the way that it works with audio and video files. According to the sources that I read, they believed that Real Media and programs like it that use .SMIL will completely take over by 2020.

The thing that strikes me about this statement is that if the internet and all of its video, audio, and text files had to change from .HTML to .SMIL, then that would be a lot of work.
I may be a little hesitant to change, but I do not see the great upgrade from .HTML to .SMIL. I just see all of the work that programmers will have to do when changing the format of all the files in cyberspace.