Popular Mechanics- “Redefining The Human: The Upgradable You” by Logan Ward

This article was about the upcoming medical and technological advances happening that could increase the human lifespan by 10 years within the next half-century. Everything from nanobots that clean your arteries to bones that are stronger than steel are being developed. What was most interesting, and pertinant to this class, was the development of technology that can allow a human to think something, like TURN ON THE TV, and the tv will turn on.

This has interesting implications, such as being connected to technology all the time. While I think this is totally cool, I wonder if people will become more disconnected from nature and physical relationships than they already are. We always think that new technological advances will make us more efficient, thus giving us more time for friends, family, and our passions. But in reality, we don’t spend less time with technology as it gets faster. We just accomplish more in the time that we use it.

Another interesting philosophical question raised by the article is the question of living forever. If technology allows it, should humans live forever? Would everyone want to? What would this do to the world and to the human species? It’s all very interesting…

NYTimes “Intimate Confessions Pour Out on Church’s Web Site” by NEELA BANERJEE

This article was about how people can now anonymously confess their sins on a church’s website. Anything from sexual abuse, to adultery, to theft, to addictions, this site has thousands of confessions. The site is supposed to be used in conjunction with the weekly sermons of the church. The website helps reinforce the ideas of the sermons to the parishioners each week. It is not to be used as a replacement for traditional confession in the church. Reverend Groeschel of LifeChurch, sponsor of the mysecret.tv website, fears that people will stop confessing in the church and start only using the website.

I think that people will be more honest with the website because of the ability to remain anonymous. No one wants to be looked down upon, especially in a church community. I also think that if the website gives the person who confesses the same feeling that confessing in church gives, it is an acceptable replacement. Just as I’ve mentioned before, I believe religion and spirituality are very personal experiences and everyone should be able to practice in any way he or she chooses. To each his own, in a way.

 http://www.mheim.com/files/cgw.pdf

This article was basically about how virtual worlds can be changed to make the flow of information and the creation of communities more effective. It gave various examples of how online spaces have been changed, and the result almost everytime was a better flow of communication, as well as a stronger foundation for communities to form. One particular example was how members of a community were in an online virtual world interviewing an author. In one setting, the members of the group were completely unfocused and the author refused to answer anymore questions, all because the environment was not condusive to building a community and allowing the flow of communication. The administrators of the environment then changed the interface to something more organic, and the situation changed completely. The author answered questions and the community was focused and attentive.

One interesting aspect of the feng shui of virtual worlds that the article disccused was rituals. Apparantly, rituals are used before people enter an online space in order to unite the community and get everyone thinking and talking about a particular topic. Its really fascinating how virtual worlds are employing methods used for thousands of years to unite people together. These rituals are designed to draw people together and help positive group dynamics form by having the members do a common activity.

I wonder if online religious communities have considered using rituals in the same fashion. It most likely would make these communities even stronger. I think most virtual worlds should have a ritual before entering. It would focus the members and allow for interesting conversations to form.

http://www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2007/11/flying_spaghetti_monster

“Flying Spaghetti Monster Inspires Wonky Religious Debate” by Randy Dotinga

This article was about the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It talked about the debate about the legitimacy of this religion. Bobby Henderson created this religion to protest Kansas’ Board of Education’s decision to teach intelligent design in schools. The number of followers, also known as Pastafarians, has increased because of the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s presence on the internet. I think the most relevant aspect of the article was the part that talked about relgious debates, involving “the secular versus the profane, the fake versus the real, and the roles of communities and parody in religion.”

The secular versus the profane relates to our class’ discussion about liminality and communitas, as well as intent. Some people are very offended by the Flying Spaghetti Monster. They say it mocks god and religion. Others say it is worth taking a look at. People’s perception of Pastafarianism is very much related to communitas. People see that it instills value with a lasting quality, but they also see it as temporary. It temporarily makes fun of religion, demonstrates a point, and the community of those observing it benefit. I think those who are offended by the Flying Spaghetti Monster think that the intent behind it was to mock god. I can understand that, but I really think that the intent behind it was to show a couple of points, those being 1) Separation of the church and state are important, and 2) All religions should be equal, regardless of how silly they might seem.

Personally, I am rather fond of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Often, funny things that draw people together via the internet have no point. This is really cool because it was created by an activist to keep religion out of schools. Its really great when smart people do cool and funny things. This wasn’t just some viral video online, it was a protest. The Flying Spaghetti Monster symbolizes the importance of keeping religion separate from science.

-Joni Sweet

http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/001/2/000010.html

This article discussed an IF called “All Hope Abandon.” In regards to IF in general, the article spoke of its strengths and weaknesses. One of the strengths of IF is that it has a puzzle feature. Because the computer can understand limited language, a player must figure out the puzzle of the situation, as well as figure out the correct commands to give the computer, in order to advance the plot. One of the weaknesses of IF is that, as previously mentioned, the computer can understand limited language. Because of this, a player’s immersion in the story/game could be limited.

The article also discussed the new Biblical IF “All Hope Abandon.” This game sounds very interesting, in that it attempts to turn the New Testament into a story/game (depending on the outlook of the player). It doesn’t preach to the player, which is unlike many contemporary religious games. Instead, it aims to educate players and poke fun at Biblical scholars. Although I haven’t played “All Hope Abandon,” it sounds like it achieves the goals of the creator without being blasphemous.

Its interesting that Christians can accept an interactive fiction about the Bible, but graphical videogames about Christ and Christianity are almost forbidden. Maybe its because, with IF, the player imagines everything. Nothing is visually depicted about the Bible to the player. But with graphical videogames, nothing is left to the imagination. The videogame is almost showing the player how the story really looked and what God really wants. Because nobody is supposed to know these things, the graphical videogames could almost seem sinful. Maybe the graphical videogames are unaccepted because, if one were to play the character of Jesus, how would one behave? Videogames are great because they often have endless possibilities of actions for the player to do. But, to quote a popular Christian phrase, “What would Jesus do?” Jesus wouldn’t wonder around the world of the game doing sinful things like killing, stealing, etc. But in order to keep a player interested in a game, the actions must seem limitless. Putting restrictions on what Jesus as a character could do would bore players and lessen their immersion in the game.

As this class continues, I realize more and more that the prime feature of videogames is the immserion factor. People like to be completely immersed in the game; that’s why they play videogames at all. That’s why people will spend $600 on a PS3; the graphics and the games are just so immersive. People like to experience different worlds, while remaining safely on their sofa. Their minds are immersed, while their bodies are not.

-Joni Sweet

I think the main point of this article addressed the topic of disembodiment through the internet. When a person is online, it is just that person and the screen. You can be whoever you want to be on the internet. You can choose to be who you are, but you don’t have to be. This reminds me of the discussion in class about internet as heaven. It is supposed to be a perfect space, just like heaven. But, on the other hand, its fake. If you’re not being who you are, its almost dishonest.

Another interesting point this article made was the confliction between knowledge and information. The internet is filled with information, but not necessarily knowledge. This relates to religion, in a way. Religion is supposed to be a quest for knowledge, at least in my opinion. The internet has all this information about religions, but just because you read it, doesn’t mean you necessarily know it.

“Missed Church? Download it to your Ipod!” by Tania Ralli on NYTimes.com

This article showed how religions are beginning to embrace the technology of podcasts. Priests can now record their sermons and people download them. Most religious officials think this should supplement a believer’s practices. They think podcasts are especially good for someone who is too busy to go to church. The article also discussed how the religious section of podcast websites are growing.

I think that religion should be a choice, and participating in its practices should be an enjoyable part of life, not something to do whenever you have the time. Although I think these podcasts are pretty cool, I love how on-the-go everything is now, but I don’t think technology can replace actual religious experiences and practices. I also know that religion is supposed to create a community. If one is just listening to the podcast of a sermon, he or she is not participating in the community that is religion. The people listening to these sermons, as opposed to going to church, are isolating themselves. Although I feel community is one of the most important aspects of religion, I also feel that personalizing your religious experience is important, too. In regards to echurches and such, its about the personal feelings. If an echurch can evoke the same feelings that a physical church can, then I see no harm in it. I’m torn on this issue. It is the community vs. self conflict that I felt while playing Animal Crossing.

Virtual reality… does it help or hinder the religious experience? As an athiest, I don’t really know.

-Joni

I finished reading pages 260-292 in the Bogost book. I really enjoyed this reading.

The first pages addressed the issue of education vs. schooling. All through high school, I never felt like I was learning. I felt like I was being trained to respond to bells and obey authority. Although it may seem trivial, what particularly bothered me about high school was having to ask to use the bathroom. Teachers and other authority figures in the school controlled every minute of your time, and apparantly had the power to grant you permission to perform basic human functions. This is why, in my senior year of high school, I took all of my classes at a community college. High school needs reformation, as does the whole education system as a whole.

But. I digress.

The reading also discussed the game Animal Crossing. I was really pleased with the thorough analysis of the game, particularly because it is one of my favorite games of all time. What Bogost says about the game is true; you are constantly conflicted with choices about being selfish or selfless. Yeah, I can donate this extremele rare fish to the museum where the community can benefit from it. But I can also sell it to Tom Nook at make thousands of bells (the currency in the game) and, in my particular case, buy all of the fruit-themed furniture. There is also the aspect of socialization. Other animals live in the town, and sometimes they ask you to give them nicknames. You create friendships with the animals. Though rather rare, if you talk to the animals often enough, they’ll give you a framed picture you can place on your fireplace (or mantle, or piano, or dresser, or on the floor, if you haven’t bought anything from Tom Nook). 

I remember being so addicted to this game, and now I know why. It feels so real. Because its in real-time, I can only catch certain bugs at midnight. I can only participate in the town yard sale if I am there on Saturday afternoons. When I haven’t played in awhile, the animals ask where I’ve been, or sometimes worse: they forget my name. The town fills up with weeds. In relation to real life, it shows that you matter. You have a direct impact on the people and environment around you. You can have a positive impact: you can plant trees and flowers, you can write letters to friends, you can even give gifts. You can also have a negative impact: you can leave the museum empty and be rude to your neighbors. You can spend all your time fishing and catching bugs to sell to buy more stuff. Or you can live more simplistically and enjoy what you do, plant flowers and form relationships. The game is so real.

The reading then moved on to the topic of videogames and work. The Cold Stone Creamery game sounded most interesting. Although I believe nothing can compare to hands-on experience, videogames simulate it and can enhance skills at work. For example, I just started hostessing at a restaurant. Now, it may sound silly to those of you who’ve played, but the game Diner Dash actually has helped me. I have to organize tables, just like the game, so people don’t sit too close together, and get the tables set in time for the next customer. I’m even laughing a bit at myself as I write this because Diner Dash is such a silly game. But, it helped! Granted, I learned more from my first night of hostessing than from playing the game a few times a week for the past month, but it still helped. I think as videogames get more and more interactive, videogame training modules will become more and more common, and effective. What if the Cold Stone game actually had you hold real scoops connected to a TV? Would it be more effective? I guess we’ll find out as technology progresses.

What pertained most to this class were the last pages of the reading. They talked about morality in videogames. Can a game influence a person’s real life? Going back to Animal Crossing, one may or may not learn that the amount of time one works is inversely proportional to your relationships with your neighbors. There is a limited number of hours in a day, and how one spends them is significant. The reading talked about good vs. evil in videogames. Most games require you to perform an action to remain on the “good” side. Whether its fighting bad guys, or praying like in “Left-Behind: Eternal Forces,” you have choices to make to win the game. Though I am still unsure, I don’t think I believe that people can be morally effected by videogames. I think they just aren’t advanced enough yet. Videogames are still largely based on math. If I perform X action, then Y statistic changes. Again, as technology advances, we will see.

Advice to all: play Animal Crossing. It will make you question your world.

-Joni

Also, just in case you were wondering, when I eventually gave my Animal Crossing game to my sister, I made her promise not to sell my fruit furniture. Even in videogames, materialism dominates part of my life.

I read the article “Digital Dharma” from Wired magazine. It was an interesting article, discussing a group of Buddhists who have been transcribing Buddhists text to CD-Rom. It also talked about the distribution of the CDs. The Buddhists ask for a $15 donation, but will waive that and send you the CD for free if you don’t want to donate. They also were really excited when they found people started putting the text from the CDs online. They loved that, becuase its now on the net, no one in particular can own the information. Its everyone’s and no one’s at the same time.

I thought that was a really interesting point. It can be applied to most of the internet in general. The internet is so cool because its a personal and shared experience at the same time. You contribute to and consume material that is online. Because you can access almost anything, information is free for everyone and no one at the same time.

In relation to religion, I think the internet is changing the way people define religion. I think people are starting to turn it into a completely personalized experience. From e-churches, to online communities, to religious hypertext documents, people form their own practices which fulfill what they look for in religion.

I think that publishing the Buddhist texts online is great. It gives people access to material that would have been more difficult to find otherwise. A lot of these texts have been buried for many years and have been smuggled out of Tibet. Due to wars and various country’s occupations of other countries, many texts have been destroyed. The restoration and publication of the Buddhist words will forever protect them from being destroyed completely. Documenting these texts is important for philosophical, as well as historical reasons.

-Joni

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