Red Queens and Increasing Returns

                               Red Queens and Increasing Returns

Thornburg defines Red Queens as two technologies that are in fierce competition with each other to gain an advantage over their competition by meeting new needs and becoming better (Thornburg, 2008c).

Arthur defines increasing returns  as “the tendency for that which is ahead to get further ahead, for that which loses advantage to lose further advantage” (Arthur, 1996, p. 100).

When you decided to obtain a DVD for your science fiction assignment in Module 4, where did you go to find a movie based on a Philip K. Dick book? Did you rent or purchase a DVD, or did you view it digitally on your computer using Netflix or a similar vendor of video-on-demand? Actually, I borrowed a copy of Total Recall on VHS so this is what I used to view the movie. I have a combo VHS/DVD player.

Is the current competition between DVDs and video-on-demand an example of increasing returns or Red Queens? Based on what Dr. Thornburg stated on increasing returns, the competition between DVD and Videos on demand (VOD) would fall into this category.

 Justify your response with sound reasoning and specific examples. Over recent years, some of the major movie rental stores have closed. I would say this is due to the momentum in sales of VOD. I have adopted this method in the past year. Although the movies are not as current, the convenience is what increased sales. DVD’s are delivered to your mailbox or may be watched instantly through Netflix, etc.

Where do you think DVDs and video-on-demand are on the four criteria of McLuhan’s tetrad?

ENHANCES: More control in viewing movies; playback is easier to control

OBSOLETES: VHS have been replaced with the DVD’s

RETRIEVAL: Allows one to play movies which began with VHS

REVERSES: Loss of information from damaged DVD’s

References

Arthur, W. B. (1996). Increasing returns and the new world of business. Harvard Business Review, 74(4), 100-109. Search using the Business Source Premier database by the article's title.
Thornburg, D. (2008c). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

 

 

The Disruptive Power of Second Life

The Disruptive Power of Second Life

1. How is Second Life a disruptive technology?

According to Dr. Thornburg (Laureate, 2009), disruptive technologies are those which may surface without warning, change the way things are done, but have the same functionalities of an old technology while functioning more efficiently.

Second Life, launched in 2003, enables users to interact in virtual worlds, play games, travel and socialize in real-time with user-created personas, called avatars. Second Life is considered a disruptive technology because it surfaced rather quickly, applying technology to create virtual worlds which have the potential to replace traditional computer games, and change traditional face-to-face and distance learning.

Second Life Tutorial

http://secondlife.com/whatis/

2. What technology or innovation did it replace?

Second Life enhanced the video gaming technology of the past. It allowed the user to become more involved in the process.The 3D effect made the technology more realistic.

3. How many years do you think Second Life has left before another emerging or disruptive technology replaces it?

Linden Lab cooperated with IBM in 2008 to pioneer an open virtual world grid, where users' avatars would be able to travel freely between Second Life and OpenSim virtual worlds. OpenSim offers institutions greater control over their virtual worlds and greater ability to make backups of and share their virtual assets using XML-based archive formats (Livingstone, n.d.).

                           Virtual World Watch

4. What are the social benefits of Second Life, and what might the social implications of virtual worlds in your industry be?

People are able to trade and make purchases with the Second Life technology. Second Life gives companies the option to create virtual workplaces to allow employees to virtually meet, hold events, practice any kind of corporate communications, conduct training sessions in 3D immersive virtual learning environment, simulate business processes, and prototype new products (Wikipedia, n.d.)

http://www.modohisland.com/thwakk/pbs/what-is-second-life.html . In education, Second Life offers a great opportunity for virtual experiences.

References

Hologram on CNN: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7fQ_EsMJMs&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRck4hpWRKs&feature=related

Livingstone, D. (2011). Second Life is dead, long live Second Life? Retrieved from

http://www.educause.edu/EDUCAUSE+Review/EDUCAUSEReviewMagazineVolume46/SecondLifeIsDeadLongLiveSecond/226180

PBS. (2009). What is Second Life? Retrieve from

http://www.modohisland.com/thwakk/pbs/what-is-second-life.html

Thornburg, D. (2009). Evolutionary technology Vodcast: In Laureate Education, Inc. Emerging and future technology

Virtual World Watch. (2011). Jim Scullion's contribution to snapshot #10. Retrieved from

http://virtualworldwatch.net/snapshots/

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Second Life. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life%23Education

Tag:  Second Life Harvard

Rhymes of History

Rhymes of History

 The Camera

    

          Man has always been fascinated with his image. Early man was able to view his reflection in water. Over the years he learned how to capture and save the image.

          "Photography" is derived from the Greek words photos ("light") and graphein ("to draw") The word was first used by the scientist Sir John F.W. Herschel in 1839. It is a method of recording images by the action of light, or related radiation, on a sensitive material (Bellis, M., n.d.).

          Alhazen (Ibn Al-Haytham), a great authority on optics in the Middle Ages who lived around 1000AD, invented the first pinhole camera, (also called the Camera Obscura} and was able to explain why the images were upside down. The first casual reference to the optic laws that made pinhole cameras possible, was observed and noted by Aristotle around 330 BC, who questioned why the sun could make a circular image when it shined through a square hole (Bellis, M., n.d.).

          The camera has evolved over the years from early experiments to the digital cameras of today. What does the new technology rekindle? It rekindles man’s desire to record history in pictures.

Reference

Bellis, M. (n.d.). History of photography: Advancement of the camera. Retrieved from http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/stilphotography_3.htm

Cameras: http://inventors.about.com/od/weirdmuseums/ig/Illustrated-History-Photograph/Camera-Obscura.htm

Emerging Technologies Tetrad

The Solid State Drive offers greater storage than hard drives of the past. These devices are very durable because there are no moving parts. Access time of information is very rapid.

Reference

TechTarget. (2012). Solid State Drives.

Retrieved from http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/definition/solid-state-drive



Emerging and Future Technology

Identify a current technology that has emerged in the last few years that shapes learning or productivity in your industry.

One of the most used items of technology that has emerged in the last few years is the document camera. There are many brands available with wide price range. Document cameras are also know as image presenters, visual presenters, digital visualizers, digital overheads, and docucams, are real-time image capture devices for displaying an object to a large audience ( This item has become a great asset to all teachers in the local work environment. An LCD projector along with the document camera has been used to enhance teaching and learning.

                                           

                                Elmo TT-12 Document Cameram  Today’s Classroom

What problems or challenges have been associated with this technology?

For the best image quality the more expensive cameras must be purchased. Other than experiencing power outages and replacing bulbs, there are no problems associated with using the document camera. A five year warranty is available.

What societal need does it meet, and what are its benefits?

The document camera has many benefits in the classroom and is a great teaching tool. Teachers are able to engage students in lessons by projecting excellent visuals with great detail. USB flash drives & SC cards can be used to save images and video files without the need for a PC/Mac (Today’s Classroom, 2011). It comes with a remote and has a built in microphone.

What would make this technology even better avoiding the pitfalls?

The starting price for document cameras is around $700.00. Schools on limited budgets would probably not be able to purchase the high-end cameras and would have to deal with lesser quality images. Maybe in the future a new design could improve the image quality of the lower priced cameras.

References

Today’s Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.todaysclassroom.com/elmo-tt-12-document-camera/?gclid=CKrooKSy6q4CFQuf7QodEiZmJg