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We are to the midpoint in Theodore Roszak's "The Cult of Information," and up until now, I have experienced mixed emotions based on what I have read. On one page, I found myself thinking, "Yes!
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Question: Considering the work of Ellul complete the following:
Write about/describe an example of a technique in today's society. Tell its story and the need for the creation/adoption of this technique and the new techniques that resulted from it? Could we have controlled for this technique? Is there or was there an alternative?
While I admit to being a little hesitant at reading such a grandiose PDF as presented from The technological society by Jacques Ellul, I found a bounty of words and phrases (some that I agreed with, some that I didn't) of which I made note. I'll try to make comments about as many as possible, although an entire Internet might not be enough room to give my thoughts about this text.
It's apparent how much of a stronghold social networking has on U.S. society when a story about Facebook changing its terms of service appears as the main story on baltimoresun.com. That would be equivalent to seeing a story about a credit card company changing the fine print in its terms and conditions, or your favorite cereal changing the order of ingredients on its new packaging.
1. Based upon you interpretation of the Yeaman article and your experiences, how would you define “critical theory?†What key terms do you feel are needed to create this definition? Write a brief definition and include a list of 5 terms (not including critical & theory).
From the Archive
If people are really starting to get on your nerves (I mean, come on, how can they not?), and you are a great babbler, there is finally a simple alternative for you. And as always, that alternative can exist at your very own home, assuming you have a computer, Internet access and time to waste.
I thought about writing an article about plagarism, then I decided I would first see if I could copy it from someone else.
HA! That was supposed to be funny ... or maybe just sad.
There is a recent report from the BBC saying that the Internet has made copying sources easier. Furthermore, the professor quoted in the story says that the new generation of students see nothing wrong with copying material found online.
I have a little extra time this week, so I decided I would find an extremely thought-provoking aspect of technology to write about.
Then I thought, forget that, I'll just put together a couple of essays from my volumes of research on the adult Web site industry. Then I thought, no, I should really save that for something big, like Columbus Day. So I landed somewhere in between for this week's column.
If your one of those people who like to tinker with computer systems and see what sort of trouble you can cause, I have the website for you.
The HackersLab is free webspace that contains video game-type levels. The site, which began in 1999, is an alternative for hackers so instead of tearing down the Internet, they might be able to sharpen their skills for a better good.
I will be making three book appearances in September, marking my first events since the early summer. Yeah, work and other things have gotten in the way! First, on Sept. 13, I will be selling books and raising money for the Waverly branch of Baltimore's Pratt Library. I'll also be there doing a little volunteer work, as I tutor at the Waverly library on a weekly basis.