Thursday, January 31, 2013
Schedulizer
Today Sarah A. and I presented on the topic of the Schedulizer website. We commented on the pros and cons of the website while also informing the class on its purpose. Here is the link to the presentation:
The UWand - Pro
The UWand allows control of any device with ease including a Smart TV using gesture based controls in 3D. Easy setup with no confusing directions allows for an even simpler transition from a remote with many buttons to a remote with only 3 that allows you to do the controlling With this UWand you no longer have to go through the tedious task of going up, up, up, left, left, enter to get where you want on a device. Now it is a simple point and click. With this new technology it allows you to create your own entertainment, giving you universal control. Valentine's Day is coming up and I'd like to propose a scenario Imagine you're waiting for you significant other to come home after his or her long day. You're getting everything ready for a romantic dinner for two and his or her favorite movie about to be played. With the UWand and a few simple gestures, the lights are dimmed, mood music is playing and every picture frame is changed to pictures of flowers or the two of you holding hands and a roaring fire is playing on the TV. Transitioning from dinner to the movie is as simple as "swish and flick." Now the movie is about to play - "The Notebook", and every frame in the room now holds a picture related to the film and the lights are now off and you and your lover can now cuddle up and watch that movie in comfortable peace.
Because of the infrared technology is goes 46 times fast than Wi-Fi and 1430 times faster than Bluetooth allowing a more accurate and faster response from the devices. Eventually this technology will even be used on iPhones and other devices as well for massive data transfer. Walking in to a store and picking up what ever you want and leaving could be a reality with IR technology scanning your credit card as you walk out making store efficiency 100% and customer happiness at an all time high. The UWand and the technology that created it could truly make the world (and your love life) a better place.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Monday, May 14, 2012
Gender and Sexuality (Cont'd)
"Gender and Sexuality" Prezi presentation
A little bit more about Queer Theory:
The gender performativity theory that Judith Butler described in her book Gender Trouble was based on J. L. Austin's performative language theory. According to Austin, there are two types of language: constative and performative. Constative language describes something that already exists, while performative language actually "brings something into being." Two examples that Storey provided were "The sky is blue," and "I now pronounce you husband and wife," for constative and performative languages, respectively (Storey 161).
Butler believes that gender is a kind of performativity. We usually think that the nurse exclaims "It's a girl," and gives the newborn a pink blanket because the baby was born a girl. Quite conversely, those very expressions that we think of as results of the "identity" of the baby (being a girl) are what performatively create the so-called gender identity: "[...] one is not born a woman, one becomes one [...]," Butler stated (Storey 161). Each gender expression comes with a set of rules and expectations that parents, schools, and the media will work relentlessly to reinforce the "naturalness" of genders. Genders are, therefore, not "natural," but rather "naturalized" (Storey 160-162).
Taking YouTube as an example, we can see that technologies like YouTube which allow easy access to media content can really change "performativity as cultural ritual, as the reiteration of cultural norms" (Storey 162). Seeing Chris Crocker and the like on YouTube makes people realize that "one is not born a woman, one becomes one; but further, one is not born female, one becomes female; but even more radically, one can if one chooses, become neither female nor male, woman nor man" (Storey 161).
Another interesting thing we want to point out is that on social networks like Facebook, specifying your sex (male or female) doesn't dictate your gender. Because "gender is not the expression of biological sex," you can specify--in addition to your sex---that you are interested in men, or women, or both (Storey 161).
A little bit more about Queer Theory:
The gender performativity theory that Judith Butler described in her book Gender Trouble was based on J. L. Austin's performative language theory. According to Austin, there are two types of language: constative and performative. Constative language describes something that already exists, while performative language actually "brings something into being." Two examples that Storey provided were "The sky is blue," and "I now pronounce you husband and wife," for constative and performative languages, respectively (Storey 161).
Butler believes that gender is a kind of performativity. We usually think that the nurse exclaims "It's a girl," and gives the newborn a pink blanket because the baby was born a girl. Quite conversely, those very expressions that we think of as results of the "identity" of the baby (being a girl) are what performatively create the so-called gender identity: "[...] one is not born a woman, one becomes one [...]," Butler stated (Storey 161). Each gender expression comes with a set of rules and expectations that parents, schools, and the media will work relentlessly to reinforce the "naturalness" of genders. Genders are, therefore, not "natural," but rather "naturalized" (Storey 160-162).
Taking YouTube as an example, we can see that technologies like YouTube which allow easy access to media content can really change "performativity as cultural ritual, as the reiteration of cultural norms" (Storey 162). Seeing Chris Crocker and the like on YouTube makes people realize that "one is not born a woman, one becomes one; but further, one is not born female, one becomes female; but even more radically, one can if one chooses, become neither female nor male, woman nor man" (Storey 161).
Another interesting thing we want to point out is that on social networks like Facebook, specifying your sex (male or female) doesn't dictate your gender. Because "gender is not the expression of biological sex," you can specify--in addition to your sex---that you are interested in men, or women, or both (Storey 161).
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