Module 5~Red Queens

I decided to obtain Minority Report as my science fiction assignment in Module 4.  I rented this movie from Netflix.  I tried Red Box and Vudu with no luck.  I probably could have bought it from Target, WalMart, or other places that sell videos; however, it was free with my 30 day free trial with Netflix. 
According to Dr. Thornburgh (Laureate, 2009), Red Queens are “Huge competition between two technologies; in the process, all other competitors are left behind.”  With this statement in mind, I believe that the current competition between DVD’s and Video-on-Demand (VOD) are examples of Red Queens. “The name “Red Queen” is attached to certain phenomena when a competition between two forces results in the rapid development of them both” (Thornburg, 2008c).  Although consumers enjoy watching movies in the comfort of their homes, DVD’s release more new titles than VOD (Peers, 2001).  But on the other hand, there are no late fees with VOD and you don’t have to go anywhere to find them.  An article by Martin Peers (2001) states that…

          Many consumers say they want to be able to choose from movies that      haven't shown up in their video stores. Yet the video-on-demand services will mostly offer only a few hundred movies for the   foreseeable future, and in some cases other features like reruns of TV shows.

I believe that both DVD’s and VOD are in the reverses stage of McLuhan’s tetrad due to the instant video streaming of Netflix, Vudu, and others.  These sites provide new/ old releases and TV series. Although Red Box offer new releases at an outstanding rental fee of one dollar, Netflix  and Vudu allows you to add movies to a list for future viewing and no late fees.    

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Peers, M. (2001). Video on demand arrives -- sort of --- long-delayed home service delivers movies instantly, but film choices are thin. Wall Street Journal, pp. 0-B.1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/398917676?accountid=14872

Thornburg, D. (2008c). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

Module 4~Second Life as a Disruptive Technology

Brigit McAroy

Dr. David Thornburg (Laureate, 2009) states that “New technology with the same functionality of an existing technology, but it functions more efficiently, and then obsoletes that technology.”   Linden’s Lab Second Life (SL) is a Multi User Virtual Environment (MUVE) and 3D world where everyone is a real person and the places you visit are built by people.   Second Life is a disruptive technology that has the capability to replace social networks.  Phillip Rosedale (2008) describes Second Life as “the place he wanted where you could build things and explore.  He views it as a place to explore, interact, and where you can be anything you want.”  This virtual 3D environment allows users to collaborate globally attend classes, seminars, share information, explore and create virtual words.  

Laural  McCullen and Lori Galli (http://sleec.edublogs.org/about/), a group of educators from my school district, initiated a journey through Second Life about five years ago.  They created a group called Second Life Educator of Escambia County (SLEEC) and started sharing the environment with colleagues and district curriculum specialist.  SLEEC is now part of the new virtual classes of Escambia County Schools.  One of my students will be attending virtual school in second grade next year. 

I believe that Second Life continue to emerge and grow.  The technology at hand can only become more advanced by keeping up with the demands of society. 

References:

http://secondlife.com/whatis/?lang=en-US

http://sleec.edublogs.org/about/

Elon University/Pew Internet Project. (n.d.). Imagining the Internet: A history and forecast: Forward 150 timeline. Retrieved April 22, 2013, from http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/predictions/forward150years.pdf

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Disruptive technologies. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Rosedale, P. (2008). Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html

Module 3~Rhymes of History Technology

According to Dr. Thornburg (Laureate, 2008), Rhymes of History is the “affect or impact of a new development that rekindles something from the distant past.   My example of a Rhymes of History technology would be the fax machine.  The fax machine rekindles the Morse code machine.  People use Morse code to telegraph and transmit information over wires. The information was sent as a series of electrical signals.  I can recall in the movie “Lincoln” when he was sending urgent messages through Morse code.  The most common use was sending out distress signals. Today you can just pick up a phone for emergencies and send important files and documents via fax.  The video below shows a class in the 1940’s learning how to use Morse code.   

References:

Kelly, K. (2007, December). Kevin Kelly on the next 5,000 days of the Web [Speech]. Speech delivered at the EG 2007 Conference, Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Emerging and future technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Fax Machine Image- http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://bicycle2011.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/fax_machine2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://bicycle2011.com/where-would-you-find-a-fax-machine/&h=933&w=1000&sz=374&tbnid=uXolXvWHPHJU0M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=99&zoom=1&usg=__410zryH2Gr9vMA271FsYT_EXb3U=&docid=50daJ2N0xega_M&sa=X&ei=NAthUe-2BpOE9gT07oCIBA&ved=0CEMQ9QEwBQ&dur=702

Morse Code Machine Image- http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.horsesaysinternet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/morse-code-machine.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.horsesaysinternet.com/twitter/4-reasons-twitter-is-morse-code-of-the-internet/&h=292&w=500&sz=51&tbnid=GBTVOUP5eaL2dM:&tbnh=70&tbnw=120&zoom=1&usg=__zu9itJb3yAnjCTzgIwP4-OwwbfU=&docid=XdvGA9n03eOezM&sa=X&ei=BgthUYvmApOm9gTd0YGwDQ&ved=0CDwQ9QEwAQ&dur=610