In class, we discussed different types of information and languages. Anne asked "how important (essential??) is inefficiency, incompleteness, lack of understanding, to our both "slowing down" and "staying connected"? (eg, the QWERY phenomenon). Some of us seemed to think that there is a zero-sum balancing out between efficiency and understanding when it comes to recording what we say with technology.

Drawing on Grobstein's quote, he asks that if there are highly unambiguous "languages" (mathematics.. computer languages), and how come ordinary language is highly ambiguous in interpretation..does it serve to facilitate discussion? Maybe ambiguity even evokes new knowledge..

After first reading Octavia Butler's "Bloodchild," my immediate conclusion was that the egg-implanting Tlic were evil and monstrous, and the Terran, who seemed to be human-like, were helpless and should be pitied. After our discussion in class about this short story, I realized that the relationship between the Tlic and the Terran is much more symbiotic than it is parasitic (after all, the Terran were referred to as "hosts"). It's obvious that the Tlic need the Terran to host their young, since without them, they would be unable to reproduce. But the dependence on the Tlic by the Terran is not as clear. If the Terran had simply refused to host the Tlic eggs, it would not be possible for them to survive alone on the Preserve.

I have a strange sort of relationship with online gaming. 

I’ve always wanted to get more into gaming than I am, and have suffered short self-competitive bursts with games from Super Smash Bros. Melee to Farmville to vocabulary quizzing games. My drive was always based on trying to improve myself—trying to become faster, better, higher-leveled, unlocking achievements, rewards and items.

So far in this class we have discussed the different ways in which we decipher gender, among many other topics. We constantly talk about the gender binaries we encounter in real life and online, how people generally do not fit cleanly into one idea of gender, and how this binary has been extended to the animal kingdom. I would like take these discussions and extend them into the representation of people in recent popular films. I am specifically looking at TRON: Legacy and Avatar.

The technology is there, the good clinics are safe, and I applaud women who think it’s worth spending money on cosmetic surgery. It’s money spent on themselves and their happiness. –A woman who had surgery on the face

(Open the attachment for a bigger, clearer image. In Word, zoom in for a closer look)

“Call centers are like a secret society behind closed doors.” –Chris, 30 Days: Outsourcing

 The Creations and Creators of Frankenstein, Conceiving Ada, Teknolust and Tron: Legacy

In an attempt diverge from the habitual research/thesis papers, here is a picture representing some scenes and elements that stood out to me from the three films and one novel we have looked at in the duration of this Gender and Technology course.

At the top, Frankenstein, On the right, Conceiving Ada, on the bottom, Teknolust and on the left, Tron: Legacy.