Welcome to Information Technology and Society

Week 1

 

Here's the wiki with course material: http://socinfotech.pbworks.com/FrontPage.

 

 

In this class we'll focus on how the information technology revolution developed, especially vis-a-vis long time Berkeley Professor Manuel Castells' research on the Network Society, as well as http://webnographers.org - a wiki bibliography on virtual ethnography.

 

I invite your questions, and I'll post a version of the text from each class to http://socinfotech.pbworks.com/FrontPage over the weeks.

There's already a lot of information on this wiki, which will develop with this class.

 

And please join the Google Group for World University and School - like Wikipedia with MIT Open Course Ware -

http://groups.google.com/group/World-University-and-School.

 

 

This is a transcript from the Fall 2010 course - http://socinfotech.pbworks.com/InfoTechSoc1_2010FA

 

Participants present for the class were: 

• Aphilo Aarde: Scott Macleod, instructor
• Buffy Beale: Recently retired
• Hakimba Firehawk: "Hawky" / owner of Firehawk Crisis Designs
• Kos Hallard:  
• Steve100 Juanos: Came into SL through Agile
• Ju Roussel: pronounced "Yu" / small intro in text chat
• Roman Takacs:
• Silvia Wendel: 1st language is Spanish
• Bevan Whitfield: Lisa Butler / also with Rockcliffe
• Deanya Zenfold: Deanya Lattimore, class assistant

 

[2010/09/11 11:03]  Aphilo Aarde: Welcome to Information Technology and Society

[2010/09/11 11:03]  Aphilo Aarde: a course on Harvard's virtual world

[2010/09/11 11:03]  Aphilo Aarde: *island

[2010/09/11 11:03]  Bevan Whitfield: :-)

[2010/09/11 11:03]  Aphilo Aarde: Welcome Silvia

[2010/09/11 11:03]  Aphilo Aarde: Thnaks, Buffy!

[2010/09/11 11:04]  Aphilo Aarde: Is your sound set up Silvia?

[2010/09/11 11:04]  Aphilo Aarde: Welcome, Silvia!

[2010/09/11 11:04]  Aphilo Aarde: Is your sound working?

[2010/09/11 11:04]  Silvia Wendel: now, YES!

[2010/09/11 11:05]  Aphilo Aarde: Hello Hakimba!

[2010/09/11 11:05]  Aphilo Aarde: :)

[2010/09/11 11:05]  Aphilo Aarde: We're using sound, Hakimba

[2010/09/11 11:06]  Aphilo Aarde: Is yours working?

[2010/09/11 11:06]  Hakimba Firehawk: ok

[2010/09/11 11:06]  Deanya Zenfold: hah!

[2010/09/11 11:06]  Aphilo Aarde: Set up your microphone, as well

[2010/09/11 11:06]  Roman Takacs: .... (maybe we need some ambient bird sounds or something ...)

[2010/09/11 11:06]  Aphilo Aarde: :)

 

[2010/09/11 11:07]  Buffy Beale: lol

[2010/09/11 11:07]  Aphilo Aarde: Come sit down, Ju!

[2010/09/11 11:07]  Ju Roussel: TY Aphilo!

[2010/09/11 11:07]  Aphilo Aarde: :)

[2010/09/11 11:09]  Deanya Zenfold: hah!

[2010/09/11 11:09]  Aphilo Aarde: and counting :)

[2010/09/11 11:09]  Deanya Zenfold: it is, isn't it, LOL

[2010/09/11 11:09]  Deanya Zenfold: wait, am i in the wrong place haha

[2010/09/11 11:09]  Aphilo Aarde: :)

[2010/09/11 11:09]  Deanya Zenfold: i'll go ahead?

[2010/09/11 11:10]  Bevan Whitfield: yay!

[2010/09/11 11:10]  Aphilo Aarde: :)

[2010/09/11 11:10]  Ju Roussel: Ju (pronounced as 'Yu') Roussel, I'm in Northern Europe, edupunk of sorts, took this course with Aphilo in spring. [Afraid I'm taking a horrible break from my dissertation].

[2010/09/11 11:10]  Bevan Whitfield: hi Ju! didn't see you !

[2010/09/11 11:11]  Ju Roussel: 'Soir Bevan!!

[2010/09/11 11:11]  Bevan Whitfield: 'soir!

[2010/09/11 11:11]  Ju Roussel: Yes

[2010/09/11 11:11]  Steve100 Juanos: could not hear her sorry

[2010/09/11 11:13]  Aphilo Aarde: Roman, would you like to introduce yourself?

[2010/09/11 11:13]  Ju Roussel: several lines above :)

[2010/09/11 11:13]  Aphilo Aarde: thanks

[2010/09/11 11:13]  Ju Roussel: Good to be back!

[2010/09/11 11:13]  Deanya Zenfold: >>Ju (pronounced as 'Yu') Roussel, I'm in Northern Europe, edupunk of sorts, took this course with Aphilo in spring. [Afraid I'm taking a horrible break from my dissertation].

[2010/09/11 11:14]  Ju Roussel: Ty Deanya

[2010/09/11 11:16]  Aphilo Aarde: http://socinfotech.pbworks.com/FrontPage

[2010/09/11 11:16]  Deanya Zenfold: >> Scott says: In this class we'll focus on how the information technology revolution developed, especially vis-a-vis long time Berkeley Professor Manuel Castells' research on the Network Society, as well as http://webnographers.org - a wiki bibliography on virtual ethnography.

[2010/09/11 11:17]  Ju Roussel: y

[2010/09/11 11:17]  Deanya Zenfold: http://webnographers.org -

[2010/09/11 11:17]  Bevan Whitfield: hi Zot!

[2010/09/11 11:18]  Zotarah Shepherd: Yes

[2010/09/11 11:18]  Aphilo Aarde: Zotarah - can you hear?

[2010/09/11 11:18]  Aphilo Aarde: great

[2010/09/11 11:19]  Ju Roussel: Hi Zotarah!

[2010/09/11 11:19]  Aphilo Aarde: HI!

[2010/09/11 11:19]  Zotarah Shepherd: Thank you I heard this on the SLED listserve.

[2010/09/11 11:19]  Buffy Beale: Hi Z!

[2010/09/11 11:19]  Zotarah Shepherd: Hello everyone.

[2010/09/11 11:19]  Aphilo Aarde: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/World_University This is the first course for official credit at World University and School, if people are interested. We are in the process of becoming accredited in the State of California. For credit in this class this fall, you can write a 20 page paper on course related materials for 3 units of credit. This could be very helpful if, for example, you are already writing a paper and want to focus it.

[2010/09/11 11:19]  Aphilo Aarde: Welcome

[2010/09/11 11:21]  Deanya Zenfold: >>scott: And please join the Google Group for World University and School - like Wikipedia with MIT Open Course Ware -

 http://groups.google.com/group/World-University-and-School.

[2010/09/11 11:21]  Zotarah Shepherd: Does the World University have a first life location as well?

[2010/09/11 11:21]  Zotarah Shepherd: ok

[2010/09/11 11:22]  Deanya Zenfold: Facebook group:

[2010/09/11 11:22]  Deanya Zenfold: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=48753608141

[2010/09/11 11:23]  Deanya Zenfold: World university page again:

[2010/09/11 11:23]  Deanya Zenfold: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/World_University

[2010/09/11 11:25]  Aphilo Aarde: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Educational_Software

[2010/09/11 11:27]  Deanya Zenfold: Courses / subjects list at world university:

[2010/09/11 11:27]  Deanya Zenfold: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Research

[2010/09/11 11:27]  Hakimba Firehawk: i must excuse myself rl work calls

[2010/09/11 11:28]  Aphilo Aarde: bye

[2010/09/11 11:28]  Ju Roussel: I'm refreshing with STAT 21 from UC Berkeley via podcast, it's so cool

[2010/09/11 11:28]  Aphilo Aarde: Great! :)

[2010/09/11 11:28]  Zotarah Shepherd: There are many World University names so I wondered if yours was one of them

 

((Scott asks to make sure we can hear and that we don't have any questions since chat is clear.))

[2010/09/11 11:31]  Buffy Beale: yes sounds good

[2010/09/11 11:31]  Deanya Zenfold: yes -- the lack of back channel chat is making you nervous, isn't it?

[2010/09/11 11:31]  Deanya Zenfold: lol

[2010/09/11 11:31]  Deanya Zenfold: we're just listening :)

[2010/09/11 11:31]  Ju Roussel: Oh yes, last semester we argued sometimes!

[2010/09/11 11:32]  Roman Takacs: . . . (rumble rumble rumble) :)

[2010/09/11 11:32]  Deanya Zenfold: i have fight poseballs on my alt...

 

((Scott asks what we think "Information Technology" is))

[2010/09/11 11:32]  Deanya Zenfold: a pencil lol

[2010/09/11 11:33]  Aphilo Aarde: :)

[2010/09/11 11:33]  Buffy Beale: the art of managing information?

[2010/09/11 11:33]  Aphilo Aarde: :)  Information Technology: The definition for this course that I use is that it's the use of scientific knowledge to specify ways of doing things in a reproducible manner.

[2010/09/11 11:36]  Deanya Zenfold: Scott says: >>  So, for example, in the late 18th century, the industrial revolution then took shape around technologies to generate and distribute energy / power

[2010/09/11 11:36]  Deanya Zenfold: Scott: >>  And many other discoveries occurred concurrently, including chemical, mechanical, etc.   

But technolgoical revolutions cluster around a major theme.

[2010/09/11 11:39]  Deanya Zenfold: scott>> And some scholars maintain that there were actual two industrial revolutions.

 The first in the late 18th century focusing on energy and power, and the second in the late 19th cetnury focusing on electricity.

 And this one took shape primarily in the U.S. and in Germany.

 And the electricity reovlution linked with the chemical revolution

 These linkages are critical to undrestanding ways we do things.

[2010/09/11 11:41]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> The informaiton technology revolution started in the begining of the 20th century.

 With the invention of the telephone, as early as 1876

 

 And the radio by Marconi in 1898

 

 And the vacuum tube by de Forest in 1906

[2010/09/11 11:41]  Deanya Zenfold: scott: >> And vacuum tubes in particular are key here, because they led to transistors

 

 (Alfred Chandler is an excellent resource here - "Nation of Information.")

Revolutions such as these have long precedents, especially as a system clustering technologies together.

 

 When new technogologies are developed, they cluster together to create a revolution.

 And by the mid 1970s, another revolution was discernable with information technology.

And this system has 2 key features.

The first is that its effects on the economy and society are PERVASIVE.

The paradigm infuses into the entire realm of society and economy

   and allows one to do things in specific ways that you couldn't do before, with effects through the entire social structure.

[2010/09/11 11:43]  Deanya Zenfold: >> scott:  for example, the steam engine had effects that reached across social structures.

[2010/09/11 11:44]  Deanya Zenfold: >> scott:  And the 2nd thing that occurs is that fundamental change is at the core of generating and changing information.

So this information reovlution is about Information.

And it derives from previous industiral revolutions.

[2010/09/11 11:45]  Deanya Zenfold: >> scott:  What might be three main technologies of the information revolution?

[2010/09/11 11:45]  Steve100 Juanos: micro processors, data bases, networking ?

[2010/09/11 11:45]  Buffy Beale: electricity, transitors and bill gates

[2010/09/11 11:45]  Bevan Whitfield: transistor

[2010/09/11 11:46]  Aphilo Aarde: microelectronics

[2010/09/11 11:46]  Ju Roussel: PC

[2010/09/11 11:46]  Aphilo Aarde: 2 computers

[2010/09/11 11:46]  Aphilo Aarde: 3) telecommunications

[2010/09/11 11:46]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> And this new paradigm is based on three technologies

 

 1) Microelectronics

 

 2) Computers

 

 3) Telecommuncations

and it's also based on

 

 4) Genetic engineering - which is the decoding, recoding and reprogramming of information codes of living matter.

[2010/09/11 11:47]  Ju Roussel: Game layer over society!?

[2010/09/11 11:47]  Aphilo Aarde: palimpsestic - a scroll that has been written over repeatedly

[2010/09/11 11:47]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> yes you may say that it is a game layer or a scroll

[2010/09/11 11:48]  Deanya Zenfold: but it's more information than game.

[2010/09/11 11:48]  Ju Roussel: Spotted last week in NYT: The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry, and Invention - W. Rosen [book review] http://nyti.ms/af2DoK

[2010/09/11 11:49]  Steve100 Juanos: what would you include in tele communicatoins?

[2010/09/11 11:49]  Aphilo Aarde: hardware of networking

[2010/09/11 11:49]  Aphilo Aarde: e.g. 1st transatlanitc

[2010/09/11 11:49]  Aphilo Aarde: cable

[2010/09/11 11:49]  Steve100 Juanos: yes we went from phone to all this other stuff

[2010/09/11 11:50]  Deanya Zenfold: >>scott: and the stuff that ties it all together.

[2010/09/11 11:50]  Deanya Zenfold: >>scott: Microelectronics is the foundation of the information revolution.

 And this can be traced back to the vacuum tube (electronics)

The vacuum tube allows for a series of impulses

 to be processed in a binary mode of amplification and interruption.

[2010/09/11 11:51]  Deanya Zenfold: >>scott: Vaccum tubes gave rise to the transistor, and micro chips have millions of transistors.

What occurs in the information technology revolution is the development of INTEGRATION  

 where with chips, reserachers squeezed more and more circuits into tinier spaces.

[2010/09/11 11:53]  Deanya Zenfold: >>scott: Because this was funded by the government, the transistor was in the public domain since the beginning.

[2010/09/11 11:54]  Deanya Zenfold: >>scott: Transistors were signficant because they were much smaller than the vacuum tube.

 And to be reliable and fast, transistors needed to be conductive, but not too conductive :)

 And it wasn't so easy at teh time to find these materials,

[2010/09/11 11:55]  Deanya Zenfold: scott: >> And it wasn't so easy at teh time to find these materials,

 until Gordon Ted at Texas Instruments in Dallas started working with Silicon.

 And the material was there!

And this shifted the ability to process information signficantly..

[2010/09/11 11:56]  Deanya Zenfold: >>scott:  You can think about a transistor like a drawing on a chip.

[2010/09/11 11:57]  Deanya Zenfold: >>scott: These two advancements: the invention of the transistor and the material that would allow fast -- but not too fast -- conductivity, allowed many new developments.

[2010/09/11 11:58]  Deanya Zenfold: scott>>  And this shifted the ability to process information signficantly.

In 1957, on the integrated circuit, which is a chip  

 you cut into - programmable chips were simultaneously and indpednely invented.

 By Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments

 and Bob Noyce in Silicon Valley with Intel.

 And the integrated circuit - a chip you cut into to program

 is the founding story of the microelectrnoics industry.

[2010/09/11 12:00]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> 

 And it's comparable in signficance with the invention of electricity and the engine.

[2010/09/11 12:00]  Buffy Beale: ok, sounds good

[2010/09/11 12:00]  Deanya Zenfold: And now the integrated circuit is implanted everywhere.

[2010/09/11 12:01]  Buffy Beale: Wasn't the race to space a driver in the tech?

[2010/09/11 12:01]  Buffy Beale: kk

[2010/09/11 12:01]  Deanya Zenfold: and the cold war, too i would think yes?

[2010/09/11 12:02]  Steve100 Juanos: are you worried about the decline of gov't funding declining the tech revolution now?

[2010/09/11 12:02]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> yes, Buffy, we will get to that in the next couple of talks.

[2010/09/11 12:03]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> Yes, Steve, I think the technology industry is still very profitable, so I think there will be enough monies for ongoing innovation, but yes, I do think it's an important factor.

[2010/09/11 12:04]  Steve100 Juanos: thx

[2010/09/11 12:04]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> government funding is very important -- some important developments have been missed.

[2010/09/11 12:04]  Silvia Wendel: great!

[2010/09/11 12:05]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> break for 10 minutes

[2010/09/11 12:05]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> please come back at 12:15 slt

[2010/09/11 12:05]  Buffy Beale: me too thanks Aphilo

[2010/09/11 12:06]  Deanya Zenfold: a previous class transcript can be found here:
http://socinfotech.pbworks.com/Soc+Info+Tech+Class+Transcript+Jan+9+2008

 

((dropped notecards of current copy and paste file onto participants.))

[2010/09/11 12:11]  Second Life: Items successfully shared.

[2010/09/11 12:11]  Second Life: Items successfully shared.

[2010/09/11 12:11]  Second Life: Items successfully shared.

[2010/09/11 12:12]  Second Life: Items successfully shared.

[2010/09/11 12:12]  Second Life: Items successfully shared.

[2010/09/11 12:12]  Second Life: Items successfully shared.

[2010/09/11 12:14]  Buffy Beale: back

[2010/09/11 12:14]  Bevan Whitfield: ty Deanya

[2010/09/11 12:15]  Deanya Zenfold: sure! :)

[2010/09/11 12:15]  Deanya Zenfold: they're messy but something!

[2010/09/11 12:15]  Bevan Whitfield: it's fab!!

[2010/09/11 12:15]  Buffy Beale: a suggestion Deanya is to prefix any handouts with WUaS then I can find them later :)

[2010/09/11 12:15]  Deanya Zenfold: good thinking!

[2010/09/11 12:16]  Buffy Beale: its the little things lol

[2010/09/11 12:16]  Deanya Zenfold: I will also save transcript of this class to both wiki and notecard and can drop it on everyone after class.

[2010/09/11 12:16]  Buffy Beale: it's ok Deanya, I can pick it up at the wiki it's a lot of work to drop on everyone

[2010/09/11 12:17]  Buffy Beale: or, dare I say, there could be a group you could post to?

[2010/09/11 12:17]  Roman Takacs: . o O (cool ! that would be nice ... and wiki is nice ...)

[2010/09/11 12:17]  Deanya Zenfold: eh, there aren't that many of us.

[2010/09/11 12:17]  Buffy Beale: kk

[2010/09/11 12:18]  Deanya Zenfold: Maybe we can start a group next week right before class and then everyone can join it.

[2010/09/11 12:18]  Zotarah Shepherd: Notes the discarded wine glass floating in the middle of the floor.

[2010/09/11 12:18]  Deanya Zenfold: you have to have members join within 24 hours or else the group and its name become defunct.

[2010/09/11 12:18]  Bevan Whitfield: I saw that too lol!

[2010/09/11 12:18]  Zotarah Shepherd: hehe

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Steve100 Juanos: I think that is a convresation peice.

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Steve100 Juanos: :)

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Buffy Beale: lol me too thought we were going to have a party afterwards

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Bevan Whitfield: might have to have my alt join it tho unless I can find a group to drop

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Deanya Zenfold: makes me want a glass of wine.

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Deanya Zenfold: right

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Deanya Zenfold: i didn't suggest a group first since there is already a google group and the wiki

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Zotarah Shepherd: That is how I use my alts too

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Deanya Zenfold: and low cap on groups

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Bevan Whitfield: I can have one! it's 9:15 pm in the south of France :-)

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Ju Roussel: Let's use the existing group. It's called

[2010/09/11 12:19]  Ju Roussel: Soc & Info Teach ~ Aphilo on Berkman

[2010/09/11 12:20]  Bevan Whitfield: can make a hippo group maybe?

[2010/09/11 12:20]  Aphilo Aarde: Hello

[2010/09/11 12:20]  Buffy Beale: someones heating their lunch or coffee up :)

[2010/09/11 12:20]  Aphilo Aarde: Sorry - rest room was a walk away

[2010/09/11 12:20]  Roman Takacs: . o O (i thought it was a garbage truck backing up to the cafe ...)

[2010/09/11 12:20]  Aphilo Aarde: (I don't have convenient internet at home).

[2010/09/11 12:20]  Buffy Beale: lol

[2010/09/11 12:20]  Zotarah Shepherd: Good idea to turn off your microphone when not speaking

[2010/09/11 12:21]  Steve100 Juanos: I have almost the perfect "cuppa" tea

[2010/09/11 12:21]  Aphilo Aarde: (cafes aren't great for voice ... )

[2010/09/11 12:21]  Bevan Whitfield: I'm sure I can find a group

[2010/09/11 12:22]  Buffy Beale: Will we talk about the people, the programmers etc?

[2010/09/11 12:22]  Roman Takacs: ... o O (the venture capitalists ?)

[2010/09/11 12:23]  Steve100 Juanos: fyi: ncnearspace.org -- some modern odd hardware hacking..

[2010/09/11 12:23]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> Hackers could be said to be informed by an ethos of creativity, joy, passion, and hard work, all of which informed much of software development, much of which was not for profit.

[2010/09/11 12:24]  Aphilo Aarde: Add to wikis - http://www.webnographers.org/index.php?title=Books#History_of_the_Internet

[2010/09/11 12:25]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> Roman, we will talk about venture capitalists, and yes, Buffy we will talk much more about hackers -- Please add to the wikis : webnographers.org for instance, and share your knowledge.

 

((Kos drops in and has a brief introduction))

[2010/09/11 12:25]  Ju Roussel: Kos is astrophysicist!

[2010/09/11 12:25]  Deanya Zenfold: Ryan : History of the Internet and Digital Future

[2010/09/11 12:26]  Deanya Zenfold: http://webnographers.org/index.php?title=Books

[2010/09/11 12:26]  Aphilo Aarde: http://www.webnographers.org/index.php?title=Books#TCP.2FIP.2C_Internet_Architecture_and_Virtual_Ethnography

[2010/09/11 12:26]  Aphilo Aarde: Internet Architecture and Innovation

[2010/09/11 12:28]  Kos Hallard: Hoot

[2010/09/11 12:28]  Bevan Whitfield: hi Kos

[2010/09/11 12:28]  Second Life: Items successfully shared.

[2010/09/11 12:28]  Zotarah Shepherd: Hi Kos

[2010/09/11 12:28]  Buffy Beale: hi there Kos

[2010/09/11 12:32]  Kos Hallard: I programmed my first computer in 1959

[2010/09/11 12:32]  Kos Hallard: NYC

[2010/09/11 12:33]  Kos Hallard: Inventory

[2010/09/11 12:34]  Deanya Zenfold: http://socinfotech.pbworks.com/FrontPage

[2010/09/11 12:35]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> After the inventio of the chip (the integrated circuit)

 between 1959 and 1962, the first round of chips were developed.

 And the price of semiconductors fell by 85% in 3 years.

 Compare that with cotton in the early 19th century, where

 an 85% drop took 70 years.

[2010/09/11 12:36]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> And production of integrated circuits from 1959-69

 increased by a factor of 20

 and 50% of these went to the military.

[2010/09/11 12:37]  Kos Hallard: Life Insurance companies used them

[2010/09/11 12:37]  Roman Takacs: even in the 60's, tracking satellites was a full time job ...

[2010/09/11 12:38]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> The military was funding many of these companies; 140 different companies came about after the military funding dissolved.

[2010/09/11 12:38]  Kos Hallard: Mit got there first commercial computer based on transistors in 1962

[2010/09/11 12:39]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> 1971 was a major benchmark

 with the invention of the microprocessor, which was a computer in a chip.

[2010/09/11 12:40]  Ju Roussel: Spell the name ? Shackley?

[2010/09/11 12:40]  Steve100 Juanos: book?

[2010/09/11 12:40]  Aphilo Aarde: Schockley

[2010/09/11 12:40]  Aphilo Aarde: Regional Advantage

[2010/09/11 12:40]  Aphilo Aarde: by Prof. AnnaLee Saxenian

[2010/09/11 12:40]  Aphilo Aarde: The New Argonauts -

[2010/09/11 12:41]  Aphilo Aarde: Both books are published by Harvard

[2010/09/11 12:41]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> we'll get to these books in a sec.

[2010/09/11 12:42]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> The microprocessor is a computer in a chip, which Ted Hoff at Sharp invented.

 And this invention led to computers becoming installed everywhere

[2010/09/11 12:42]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> Ted Hoff wanted to make a more reliable and cheaper calculator - and this led to this computer in a chip

 So more and more information power became packed into smaller devices.

 this is called Integration capacity.

[2010/09/11 12:43]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> Researchers were trying to see how many lines they could imprint on a chip.

 They used a process called photolithography - printing with images.

[2010/09/11 12:44]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> Chemicals etch out drawings and overlayerd drawings.

 They were also asking how fast they could do this.

[2010/09/11 12:45]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> 1 micron = 1 millionth of a meter

[2010/09/11 12:45]  Deanya Zenfold: And the 1st integrated circuits in 1971 had circuits 6.5 microns

[2010/09/11 12:45]  Deanya Zenfold: by 1995, they were .35 microns

 and by 2000 they were .18 microns

[2010/09/11 12:46]  Steve100 Juanos: unless we pull some rabits out of the hat were done .. but concurrency coming

[2010/09/11 12:46]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> does anyone know how big one is these days?

[2010/09/11 12:46]  Steve100 Juanos: yes, we need a new way for ic

[2010/09/11 12:47]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> Memory capacity also increased dramatically.

 It's measured in bits - 1 megabit = a million bits

 And in 1971 memory processed 1024 bits

[2010/09/11 12:47]  Deanya Zenfold: and in 2000 it increased by 1 million times.

[2010/09/11 12:48]  Ju Roussel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore's_law

[2010/09/11 12:49]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> And these developments led to Gordon Moore's law - at Intel

 (it's not so much a law as a guess)

 He was referring to speed, and made a guess verified by experience

 That the capacity of chips was doubling and will double every 18 months, as the price drops by 50%.

[2010/09/11 12:50]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> And now the process is accelerating, and new exotic materials are being used, so it's difficult to extrpolate Gordon Moore's law .

[2010/09/11 12:51]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> 

 So the microelectronic revolution is the founding story of this information.

[2010/09/11 12:51]  Kos Hallard: The problem is that the software is lagging

[2010/09/11 12:51]  Deanya Zenfold: scott:>> We will in the future look at the computers revolution and the telecommunications revolution.

[2010/09/11 12:51]  Kos Hallard: Especially for parallel processes

[2010/09/11 12:51]  Aphilo Aarde: Creative Commons,

[2010/09/11 12:51]  Aphilo Aarde: Network Neutrality

 

((Scott asks for additional suggestions for topics for further study this semester))

[2010/09/11 12:51]  Steve100 Juanos: kurzweil .. I think in "the age of spirtual machines" mentions that in a way moores law has been working since the census machines .. but new methods are needed t continue.

[2010/09/11 12:51]  Aphilo Aarde: Nanotechnology

[2010/09/11 12:52]  Aphilo Aarde: Virtual Worlds

[2010/09/11 12:52]  Buffy Beale: How humanity coped

[2010/09/11 12:52]  Ju Roussel: Your session on Silicon Valley was so brilliant! I want a voice repeat!

[2010/09/11 12:52]  Roman Takacs: "always on"

[2010/09/11 12:52]  Aphilo Aarde: Wiki and new forms of knowledge production

[2010/09/11 12:52]  Steve100 Juanos: very interested in how IT and the internet opens up accessabilty to knowledge in 3rd world and impovished areas

[2010/09/11 12:52]  Ju Roussel: yes

[2010/09/11 12:52]  Buffy Beale: yes Steve, for sure

[2010/09/11 12:53]  Roman Takacs: thinking more of cellphone mobil keitai techn

[2010/09/11 12:53]  Aphilo Aarde: OLPC ...

[2010/09/11 12:53]  Silvia Wendel: augmented technology

[2010/09/11 12:53]  Steve100 Juanos: or the ecimos in Canada

[2010/09/11 12:53]  Steve100 Juanos: or even Applachia

[2010/09/11 12:53]  Aphilo Aarde: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Languages

[2010/09/11 12:54]  Ju Roussel: Aren't they discontinuing OLPC? But working on a tablet?

[2010/09/11 12:54]  Buffy Beale: or the new computer dev'd in India for sale for $10

[2010/09/11 12:54]  Zotarah Shepherd: Close the digital divide a bit

[2010/09/11 12:54]  Aphilo Aarde: 3000-8000 languages

[2010/09/11 12:55]  Aphilo Aarde: basis for a universal translator ... based possibly, for example, on Google Translate and other translation software conversation

[2010/09/11 12:55]  Ju Roussel: or like TED speeches are translated by volunteers

[2010/09/11 12:55]  Steve100 Juanos: ibm did some nice croud sourcing on languages..but that info went into a black hole. hopefully something open could happen.

[2010/09/11 12:56]  Aphilo Aarde: http://www.webnographers.org/index.php?title=Books#Language.2C_Linguistics_and_Virtual_Ethnography

[2010/09/11 12:57]  Aphilo Aarde: http://worlduniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Hardware_Resource_Possibilities

[2010/09/11 12:58]  Buffy Beale: yes agree and more in use

[2010/09/11 12:59]  Kos Hallard: T don't think that the band width is there in West Africa

[2010/09/11 13:00]  Aphilo Aarde: Interviews with Manuel Castells

[2010/09/11 13:00]  Kos Hallard: That can be don by TV, that worked when I was in Ivory Coast in 1972

[2010/09/11 13:01]  Aphilo Aarde: http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people/Castells/castells-con0.html

[2010/09/11 13:01]  Aphilo Aarde: video lecture - globetrotter uc berkeley interview

[2010/09/11 13:01]  Aphilo Aarde: http://socinfotech.pbworks.com/FrontPage

[2010/09/11 13:02]  Ju Roussel: BOOKS MENTIONED TODAY:

 Abbate, J. (1999). Inventing the Internet. Cambridge, Mass. ; London: MIT Press.

 Chandler, A. D., & Cortada, J. W. (2000). A nation transformed by information : how information has shaped the United States from Colonial times to the present. Oxford England ; New York: Oxford University Press.

 Saxenian, A. (1994). Regional advantage : culture and competition in Silicon Valley and Route 128. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

 Saxenian, A. (2006). The new argonauts : regional advantage in a global economy. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

 Van Schewick, B. (2010). Internet architecture and innovation. Cambridge, Mass. ; London: MIT Press.

[2010/09/11 13:02]  Steve100 Juanos: and strange things are happening. 10G bit networks in a movie house for example

[2010/09/11 13:02]  Kos Hallard: TV is now better since it can work integrated crcuits which take less power

[2010/09/11 13:02]  Zotarah Shepherd: Nope

 

((Scott mentions that he is interested in building a virtual Harbin for anthropology reasons.))

[2010/09/11 13:03]  Aphilo Aarde: http://harbin.org

[2010/09/11 13:03]  Zotarah Shepherd: Been there a few times

[2010/09/11 13:03]  Zotarah Shepherd: Yes it is.

[2010/09/11 13:03]  Zotarah Shepherd: Interesting

[2010/09/11 13:04]  Aphilo Aarde: http://scottmacleod.com/papers.htm

[2010/09/11 13:04]  Aphilo Aarde: http://blip.tv/file/2053061/ "The Making of Harbin Hot Springs as Ethnographic Field Site"

 

((Scott asks if there are any further questions for today))

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Zotarah Shepherd: Nope

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Ju Roussel: Applause!

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Aphilo Aarde: Thanks for coming :)

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Steve100 Juanos: thx

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Zotarah Shepherd: /me claps

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Buffy Beale: just to say thanks

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Silvia Wendel: THANKS!!!

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Bevan Whitfield: thank you so much to both you and Deanya!

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Aphilo Aarde: yw

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Aphilo Aarde: :)

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Roman Takacs: Fine here ~ Thanks for organizing us !

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Buffy Beale: /me claps madly

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Aphilo Aarde: Thank you, Deanya!!!

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Zotarah Shepherd: Thank you Aphilo

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Deanya Zenfold: thanks scott!

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Deanya Zenfold: :)

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Bevan Whitfield: so should we come early next time to make a SL group?

[2010/09/11 13:05]  Zotarah Shepherd: Thnaks Deanya

[2010/09/11 13:06]  Zotarah Shepherd: Thanks even

[2010/09/11 13:06]  Aphilo Aarde: Please join the groups at Google Groups and FB, if inclined

[2010/09/11 13:06]  Aphilo Aarde: And see you soon!

[2010/09/11 13:06]  Roman Takacs: Ciao !

[2010/09/11 13:06]  Silvia Wendel: see you!

[2010/09/11 13:06]  Silvia Wendel: yes!

[2010/09/11 13:06]  Zotarah Shepherd: My Education Thesis Collective discussion group meets at 5:30 today slt

[2010/09/11 13:06]  Ju Roussel: voice doesn't seem to work for me

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Ju Roussel: gotta run though

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Zotarah Shepherd: on my sim Ralanora

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Aphilo Aarde: Bye for nowOk Ju

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Ju Roussel: yes, look up my profile

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Buffy Beale: bye all

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Ju Roussel: sorry I have to run now

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Buffy Beale: have a delightful day

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Bevan Whitfield: you too and bye BB!

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Buffy Beale: or evening :)

[2010/09/11 13:07]  Buffy Beale: cya Bevy

[2010/09/11 13:08]  Aphilo Aarde: Bye All :)

 

((we are discussing the Second Life-based group))

[2010/09/11 13:08]  Bevan Whitfield: well I am sure I can find a group slot or can add one to my alt

[2010/09/11 13:08]  Aphilo Aarde: Please join, too, the Second Life group

[2010/09/11 13:08]  Bevan Whitfield: which one?

[2010/09/11 13:08]  Deanya Zenfold: yes scott, haven't been able to find it in search

[2010/09/11 13:08]  Zotarah Shepherd: I am glad my computer did not crash from being so hot.

[2010/09/11 13:08]  Aphilo Aarde: Soc & Info Tech - Aphilo on Berkman

[2010/09/11 13:08]  Aphilo Aarde: is its name.

[2010/09/11 13:09]  Bevan Whitfield: ok I'll go thru my groups and then add that one if that is the one we wil be using for this class

[2010/09/11 13:09]  Deanya Zenfold: good -- did a copy paste and found it

[2010/09/11 13:09]  Silvia Wendel: me too!

[2010/09/11 13:09]  Bevan Whitfield: if not I'll sign up as Bevan Weymann

[2010/09/11 13:09]  Bevan Whitfield: not sure which group I can get rid of yet

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Aphilo Aarde: Soc & Info Tech - Aphilo on Berkman:)

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Aphilo Aarde: I know the feeling

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Bevan Whitfield: as Bevan Whitfield so have to think :-)

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Aphilo Aarde: Bye for now :)

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Zotarah Shepherd: I might have my alt Zotarah Citron join

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Deanya Zenfold: bye!

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Steve100 Juanos: bye

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Zotarah Shepherd: Bye

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Bevan Whitfield: bye Zot!

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Bevan Whitfield: me too!

[2010/09/11 13:10]  Zotarah Shepherd: Bye Bevan. Good to see you.

[2010/09/11 13:19]  Second Life: Teleport completed from http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Berkman/146/115/26