techno_blog

2006-03-31T11:42:00.000-08:00

In this quote, Postman claims that “technological change always results in winners and losers.” He points to the printing press as an example. How does Postman think society changed as a result of the printing press?
he thinks that society has become more open and able to spread ideas more clearly since the printing press was invented. using the bible as an example, when people had the word of god in thier own hands, they could read it on thier own, and interpret the bible themselves. people began to segregate eachother due to differnt beliefs on the same religion.
Who are the winners and who are the losers according to Postman?
the winners are science, and the losers is the church.
What changed as a result?
what changed was that the church was losing control, and people began to believe science more because science has more evidence.

According to Postman, what is the relationship between technology and education?
technology and education has a bad relationship. television does not share the same educational values as a school. people do not learn anything watching television. Does Postman think technology is a threat to education?
yes he does.
How?
he thinks that technology will replace teachers.
Can education be used to stem the rapid advance of technology?
How?

Do you think the rapid advance of the internet has resulted in winners and losers? Explain how you think it has changed, or will change, the nature of human interactions.

2006-03-28T11:49:00.000-08:00

My gadget is a cassette recorder. it is silver and black and was manufactured by COBY. my gadget also has a FM/AM radio. it has a tuner for the radio and volume. it has a light to show it is recording. it has a phone jack. a switch for the BEAT CUT MONO/ STEEREO. it also has a power adapter plug, that holds 3volts.

THE HISTORY OF A CASSETTE RECORDER

"'Walkman History 101'

Discussing the beginnings of the walkman probably requires a brief look at the audio scene in the '70s. The audio industry was enjoying success in the growing home stereo market, and the implementation of the transistor for a portable AM band receiver created a pocket radio "boom" in the '60s which continued well into the '70s. "Boomboxes" or battery-powered one-piece stereo systems were growing in popularity near the turn of the decade, with sound eminating through two or more loudspeakers. Consumers appreciated the ability to listen to high fidelity sound without being confined to sitting near a home stereo system. Pocket-sized micro and mini-cassette players were also successfully sold by companies like Panasonic, Toshiba and Olympus.

So, was the development of a "personal" stereo system an obvious step in the evolution of audio? Shu Ueyama of Sony cites that this invention was purely accidental. Organizational changes were taking place at Sony in 1979 and the tape recorder division was pressed to market something soon, or risk consolidation. They came up with a small cassette player capable of stereo playback. The invention was born from a tweaked Pressman (Sony's monaural portable cassette recorder) and a pair of headphones.

Sony chairman and founder Akio Morita heard of the invention and was eager to market it. The final design of the TPS-L2, the personal stereo cassette player was completed on March 24, 1979. Sony then formulated a unique marketing campaign to sell the contraption. But first, what to call it?"

i stole this from pocketcalculatorshow.com

2006-03-21T11:20:00.001-08:00

Assignment: Choose what you think are the two most important or interesting parts of your gadget and begin a new draft post where you will collect research (quotes, facts, pictures) that will allow you to provide your readers a DEEPER analysis of how these particular parts work.

For example...…if I were taking apart a walkman, I might choose
1) the electric motor
2) the read/record head

For each component, you will need to go into depth to explore HOW IT WORKS…

Name of component: gears

1) Sketch the component and label its parts, or take a digital picture with the labeled parts.

Sketch or Picture URL: width=300>

2) What is the purpose of the component?
the purpose is to control the inside of the tape when a button is pressed. when (play, record, rewind, fast-forword, and stop) is pressed, the gears adjust itselves in a manner that controls how the tape to (play, record, rewind, fast-forword, and stop) the tape.

3) What is it made of?
it is made of plastic circles aligned with teeth. some parts of the gear are metal.
Are there conductors and/or insulators present?
yes
Why are these materials important to the functioning of the device?
it is imporatant to have conductors in this device because it has a circuit board, and it needs electrical charge to travel within the device, to play the radio when someone wants to play the radio.there are smaller gears than others. the reason for this is for the speed of the larger gear to be slower than the smaller gear.

4) If there are important sub-parts, what are they?
small gears. when a small gears is moving a gear that is twice its size, the bigger gear will move slower. the ratio is 1:2. some gears have little gears on top of them, and are moved by other gears. thier is also a polywheel and a motor. the polywheel turns according to the gears. the polywheel is also connected to the motor by a rubberband.
What is their purpose
In the case above, the purple gear turns at a rate twice that of the blue gear. The green gear turns at twice the rate of the purple gear. The red gear turns at twice the rate as the green gear. The gear train shown above has a higher gear ratio:

5) How do all these sub-parts work together?
they work together to move the ribbon in the tape. when play button is pressed, the gears connect by the teeth, and can play the cassette. when you press fastforward, the gears adjust themselves, to connect to other gears that control the tape to fastforward. the same when you press rewind. when you press stop, the gears detatch themselves, and they are unable to control the casstte. the backbone to how the gears work is the motor. without the motor, there would be no power within the gear chasse to play the tape. the motor gives power to the polywheel, that moves the gears, when a button is already pressed. this is the best way i could of explained it.
Explain the concepts that are underneath the operation of this device.
the concept is to get the ribbin to move in front of the read/record head, so that the data is transferred to the circuit board by a gray wire.

name of component: read/record head

1) Sketch the component and label its parts, or take a digital picture with the labeled parts.

2) What is the purpose of the component?
the purpose of the read/record head in a cassette recorder is to transfer the data from the ribbon of the tape, and transfer it to the circuit board using a conductor.

3) What is it made of?
the read-record head is made up of conductors. it has a metal piece on the outside and the inside is made up of wires.

4) If there are important sub-parts, what are they?
oppisite of the read head, there are wires that come out of the read/record head. they are connected to the circuit board.
what is there purpose?
there purpose is transfer the collected data from the read/record head to the circuit board. the wires are made up of conductors such as copper and metal.

5) How do all these sub-parts work together?
the read/record head collects data from the tape, and the wires transfer the data to the circuit board.

2006-03-17T11:32:00.002-08:00

According to the author, why has New York become such a popular city for Blogging? Use at least one quote from the article to support your claims.
New York has become a populer city for blogging because thiers alot of peopele who have alot to say. they feel independent saying what they want to say with out peopele telling you you cant post it. which is impossible because no one can stop you from posting it when its your own blog. "Blogs are very much at home in the New York City spirit of doing things yourself, insted of depending on a big namebrand to back you up", says amweekend

What motivates people to keep their own blogs? Use at least one quote from the article to provide an example. (use the Blockquote tool in your toolbar to indent the quote.
what motivates peopele to keeps thier blogs is tha fact that popele can listen to them, tell thier stories, and get money(as far as advertising is concerend). poeple like getting thier voices heard, and they probably like the recognition. " there are so many New Yorkers out there who write really well and tell stories really well,: says Chris Hampton, who blogs at uffish.com. "More and more they are realizing that blogging is a good way to communicate wit thier audience."

Choose one New York-based blog from the article that you find interesting, and give a paragraph summary of what the blog is about. Who is the author? How long have they been blogging? Why do they blog? Inside your paragraph, provide your readers a link to the blog.
i chose ashley's blog. ashley blogs about technology, and gives a very illaborate description of how certain things work. i also found her table of the inside of a casstte recorder very intresting. i learned alot of scientific things in her blog.
to go to her blog click this->

Optional fun stuff:

a) Register your blog at nycbloggers.com This will probably result in visitors and comments on your blog.

b) Go to amNY.com and send them your favorite blog Humans Technology and Experience (htehome.blogspot.com).

2006-03-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

Conductors and Insulators...
Assignment: Last class we experimented with batteries, bulbs, wires, and a number of different materials (foil, cardboard, wax paper, etc..) to try to better understand the basic principles at work in most electrical technology...

Your assignment is to post web definitions for the following words:

electric circuit:
DEFINITION: An electrical circuit is a network that has a closed loop, giving a return path for the current
SOURCE:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_circuit
IN MY OWN WORDS: an electric circuit is powered by a source of electricity such as a battery, and controlled by wires. When connected to the battery in a closed circuit, electricity runs throughout the wire, and charged into a direction in which a light bulb is lit.

electrical conductor:
DEFINITION:Electrical conduction is the movement of electrically charged particles through a transmission medium. The movement can form an electric current in response to an electric field. The underlying mechanism for this movement depends on the material.
SOURCE:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_conductor
IN MY OWN WORDS: an electrical conductor is what carries the electricity that travels through it when released from the source that produces it. A conductor is made out of metal.

electrical insulator:
DEFINITION:An insulator is a material or object that resists the flow of electric charge.
SOURCE:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_insulator
IN MY OWN WORDS: an insulator stops the flow of electricity. It is made out of rubber, and can protect us from being electrocuted. i.e the rubber part on the outside of any wire protects us from the electrical conduction.

Make sure to include your sources.

How can YOU define these in your own words based on our experiment with batteries, bulbs, wires, and different materials?
electrical conduction travels through the electrical circuit. When an electrical insulator is present, it stops the flow from reaching all ends of the battery and makes the light bulbs turn off.
How can you test to determine whether a material is a conductor or an insulator?
I will know if I know that the object is a conductor if it is metal. If it is not, it is an insulator. If IM not sure, I will use batteries with wires to connect to the object, and find out.
How do you know when a circuit is a CLOSED circuit?
I will know when it is a closed circuit when the lightbulbs are working or on.

How do these concepts apply to your object?
they are used to conduct electricity to the object that will turn the object on.
What parts are made of conductors?
metal parts and gold parts.
Insulators?
plastic, and rubber.
How did you know?
because I learned it in class, and I know from past experiences.
Are any circuits present?
yes wires and metals.
How can you tell?
because I see it with my eyes. And when I m not sure, I test it.
Use pictures to explain, if you want.

What do you think a semiconductor is?
I think a semiconductor is when a conductor is also an insulator or has insulator parts to it. Semi means half, so I guess its half a conductor an half an insulator. Much like a capacitor.
Predict the meaning....Then look it up.
A semiconductor is a material with an electrical conductivity that is intermediate between that of an insulator and a conductor. A semiconductor behaves as an insulator at very low temperature, and has an appreciable electrical conductivity at room temperature although much lower conductivity than a conductor. Commonly used semiconductors materials are silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide and indium phosphide.
Are there any semi-conductors in your object.
yes
Where?
in various patrs of a circuit board.
What parts are made of semi-conductors and what special roles do they play?
intregated circuits are made of semi conductors. They could control the conductivity of certain materials, turning a good insulator into a decent conductor by changing certain attributes, such as the temperature of the substance or the amount of impurities found in it.

Table

2006-03-06T11:35:00.000-08:00

Part Name	Picture	Function
Circuit Board		this circuit board has many little pieces, called capacitors(stores energy), integrated circuit(chip), diode, transitor(two leads), a resonator and a bunch of little metal things.
gears		this is an intresting piece, called a gear chasse. when i press the RECORD button, a metal piece on the oppisite side, adjusts itself by a spring. the PLAY button also adjusts itself when the RECORD button is pressed. while recording, if you press the STOP button, it unhinges the RECORD and PLAY button. the FASTFOWORD button moves a white gearin the bottom to it's left. the REVERSE button moves the white gear to it's right.
record and play back head	-->	oppisite of the gears along with the metal piece is a record and playback head. it is called the record and playback head. it is labeled 223-30A K1Y30

2006-03-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

Reflections on Amish Technology Practices
Assignment: Post your reflections on the Howard Rheingold article from Friday. Questions to focus your writing:

1) Who are the Amish and why do they avoid certain technologies?
the Amish are a group of people who came here from Europe, because no one liked them or shared the same beliefs as them. they all migrated to Pennsylvania, under a set of thier own laws. they refused to use electronics due to the fact that they are afraid that technology can change the people of thier community, for the worse. they believed that technology can make things harder for them.

2) According to Howard Rheingold, how do the Amish go about adopting a new technology? What criteria do they use to decide whether or not to allow it?
the Amish are hesitant to try and bring in new technology into thier community. every few years or so, a group of bishops have a meeting in deciding which new technology are neccesary for the commune. the electronics allowed in the commune are roller skates, telephones and electric BBQ grills.

3) Do you think we should be more careful about which technologies to allow into our lives? Explain your opinion. How should we decide this? Give examples of positive and negative technologies to illustrate your ideas.
i dont think we should be careful with which technology, but with who we give it to. children in elementary school with cell phones should be a concern. i understand that it can be used in an emergency but the parents can call the schools the way they used to do when i was in elementary school. first of all it causes a distraction, and ive recently heard that a child got his cellphone taken away and never returned because he used it in class. sencond of all not many children are responsible enough to carry cellphones. they can lose it, let someone borrow it, or drop it on the floor and break it. other than that, ther's no limit to what technology can bring. we might not get flying cars in the next ten years, but it will intresting to see them top what we have now.

2006-02-17T11:19:00.001-08:00

under construction

Part Name	Picture	Function	Important connections and/or sub-parts
Circuit BOard	border="0" />	this circuit board has many little pieces, called capacitors(stores energy), integrated circuit(chip), diode, transitor(two leads), a resonator and a bunch of little metal things.
gears	img style="WIDTH: 200px;CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://humanitiesprep.org/htephotos/?thumbnail=DSC00420.JPG" border="0" />	this is an intresting piece, called a gear chasse. when i press the RECORD button, a metal piece on the oppisite side, adjusts itself by a spring. the PLAY button also adjusts itself when the RECORD button is pressed. while recording, if you press the STOP button, it unhinges the RECORD and PLAY button. the FASTFOWORD button moves a white gearin the bottom to it's left. the REVERSE button moves the white gear to it's right.
record and playback button	style="width:200px;CURSOR:hand" alt="" src="http://humanitiesprep.org/htephotos/?thumbnail=DSC00421.JPG" border="0"/>	oppisite of the gears along with the metal piece is a head. it is called the record and playback head. it is labeled 223-30A K1Y30	Next connections and/or subparts here...

2006-02-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Click View and select Source to see the html code behind this table. Read through it to become familiar with the different HTML "tags" that make up a table.

Part Name	Picture	Function	Important connections and/or sub-parts
Circuit BOard		this circuit board has many little pieces, called capacitors(stores energy), integrated circuit(chip), diode, transitor(two leads), a resonator and a bunch of little metal things.	The antenna is connected to the main circuit board.
Next part here...	Next picture here...	Next function here...	Next connections and/or subparts here...
Next part here...	Next picture here...	Next function here...	Next connections and/or subparts here...

the cassette player

2006-02-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

How a cassette player works.

Magnetic recording is a backbone technology of the electronic age. It is a fundamental way for permanently storing information.
In the audio realm, magnetic tape (in the form of compact cassettes) is a popular way of distributing music. People either buy tapes pre-recorded with material, or make their own tapes from CDs. In the video realm, video tape is used widely both in the broadcast industry and at home to store material for later viewing on VCRs. In the computer realm, magnetic recording is used on floppy discs, hard disc and magnetic tape as the main method for data storage.
find out more at http://www.howstuffworks.com/cassette.htm.

2006-02-13T11:57:00.000-08:00

this is what i learned in class today...

A capacitor is an interesting device that is used to store energy and increase the efficiency of circuit systems. Capacitors are usually surrounded by two conductor plates that hold equal but opposite charges. The measure of a capacitor is its capacitance, or the total amount of charge stored on each conductor. As energy is increased on both sides, the capacitor begins to carry a voltage. In modern technology, capacitors have a number of various uses. As mentioned already, a capacitor can be used to store energy temporarily, just like a battery would. More significantly, capacitors are used in power supply and signal processing situations important to the development and running of computer chips. As an example, capicitors can play key roles as the "on/off" switch used to represent binary code. Capacitors can be bought more cheaply in bulk from a major capacitor manufacturer or supplier. Electrical hobbiests may be able to find capacitors at a local electronics store, through mail order, or online.

2006-02-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

URL:http://www.zakon.org/robert/internet/timeline/
Author:Robert H'obbes' Zakon
Credentials/Credibility: if you click on the link above. you can access his web site and find out all this mans information. i've noticed he has a bacholors and masters degree. but he makes timelines for a living. i believe him. but its up to you to believe his information.
Content of Interest: he has alot of information. specifically under PROFESSIONAL AND VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES, it shows all the evidence you need to believe his data.
Cool picture(s) I might want to use later:none
Quotes I might use, with the exact URL:none

class work

2006-02-03T11:39:00.000-08:00

1) How is new technology presented to us by the companies that create and sell it?
new technology is displyed in a way that makes us feel. the tvs are on table tops, the DVD is under it, the rermotes are beside it, and thier is a comfy sofa in front of it. they make us visualize having it at home.
a) Observations: What images, language, textures, colors, shape, size, and other design features do you observe in this space?
list key images you observe: tables, sofas, huge tvs, flat DVDs, shiny new cell phones, really colorful lights, and MP3 players.
list key language you hear or read:english and japanese.
describe textures you feel or see: they felt new an small, and look freshly polished
describe colors or color schemes you see: silver, black; red, silver, gray; light blue, gray; black, silver, pink, light blue, yellow; and wooden floors.
describe common shapes you see: huge square televisions. rectanguler cell phones. flat DVDs. tiny MP3s.
Size. Does it seem to matter, and in which products? televisions much be huge and loud. cell phones, MP3 players, and some laptops are tiny.
Other observations: there are so many styles to tha same product.
b) Inferences: What are we being asked to believe about ourselves in relationship to technology? What values are behind the technology? Justify your inferences based on observation. State any prior assumptions you are making:
2) What is your reaction to the “Samsung Experience?” Describe any shifts that occurred in your emotional and physical state when you arrived. Try to explain the cause of these feelings.

3) Of the different products you have observed, which do you think has/will most change the way humans live in the future? Name it and explain your thinking.