.. Frontline.. new News?

So if anyone has watched Frontline last week then they probably know that it was all about news media and how it is rapidly changing. They focused a lot on the emerging trend of blogging and indy-media as well as online developments that really relate well to our class. Firstly, most of America actual investigative reporting is done by newspapers, which are the hardest hit by the shift of news media to the internet (they lost a significant portion of classified ad revenue), but this is changing. The complaint is however that blogs and online news have caused the depth of coverage to significantly decline. This decline is due to the fact that newspapers that do most of the original reporting are having to cut costs and fire journalists. The problem with this is that most other news services simply regurgitate the stories that are first captured by newspapers. If the depth of coverage by newspapers declines, then it declines for all of news media as well.
But wait a minute, I thought blogs increased the flow of information, so I was confused as to why the quality of news coverage would decrease. The problem with blogs as they are today is that most of them are opinion-based, not original-reporting based. Most blogs today focus on news stories that have already hit the headlines and include simple commentary about a story. While it is true that blogs are emerging as a sources of individual reporting the concern is that they will not be able to mount as much of an effort to investigate a story as the large newsrooms at major newspapers used to be able to. We generally tend to think of the internet as expanding the flow of information, but ironically, this new technology has not made people freer but simply limited the types of information people can get. I try to view it is this way, there is now a smaller amount of information being created but it is being distributed in many more ways to many more people that ever before. This is of course the tradeoff, although news is now more accessible, the quality of news has gone down.
Frontline portrayed this with an almost fatalistic view, but I think that the expansion of the news onto the internet will also eventually lead to more original reporting. I think the problem is that people haven’t really figured out the best way to go about it, they are pioneers. The newspaper industry took awhile to develop its routine and its practices, so I think today we are in a period of transition. Once people and their ideologies can catch up to technology however, I think we will see a real benefit from online journalism and news media.

Blog Week 7 Chinese Hackers.

Here’s a blog related to technology, the future of education, the flat world and probably other less obvious things.




I was poking around SecurityFocus.com—(a pretty popular IT security website—like I usually do, wondering what ‘hackers, blackhats, Etc’ are up to around the world and came across as somewhat disheartening article about global internet security. The main thesis of the article was that it is now China that poses the greatest cyber-threat to global network security. The website sited a federal publication that was released by The Naval Network Command and stated that “attacks coming from China [are] the most significant for the United States’ military network defenders.” The purpose of these digital attacks from China have had a variety of different motives ranging from the theft of intellectual property to intelligence gathering and the creation of backdoors on U.S. military networks for later snooping. Currently the U.S. militarily holds the position that these attacks are government-driven. I found this interesting because during the Cold-War the U.S. spied on the soviet union and relied heavily on futuristic technology to do so (spyplanes, satellites, etc) and today we are seeing the fomentation of a new type of Cold-War that is being fought covertly on the internet. I think I already mentioned earlier in my previous blogs that the U.S. has planned to fight a global information war already and is prepared to be able to sever all communications on the planet—of course if this happened, so much for Friedman’s ‘flat world.’
On the education side, we have discussed and even demonstrated by using eportfolios on how new technology is being integrated into education, at all levels. If there is an information-war in the future where education is almost completely reliant on IT, then most of this nations learning facilities would more or less come to a halt, schools would have to call a virtual snow day. Also, since the hacking from China is also intended to steal intellectual property, American Universities conducting research will—or have already—fall victim to hackers who could steal research data and personal information on a daily basis. What disheartened me about this article is that new technology has allowed a Cold-War type of environment to take place that the general public doesn’t know anything about or assumes is years away and only a hypothetical possibility. I think that if the internet is going to have an expanded role in education and maintain the role it plays in defense, business, and technology, then there must be an effective method of policing the web.
Of course, to any negative there is only a positive, and that is this insecurity will mean that there will always be a demand for skilled IT professionals who specialize in network security, ‘untouchables’ if you will.

ENG1A Eportfolio assignment

the typepad site went down for maintenance so I am posting on my own blog as proof I completed it at around 10:45PM Monday Feb. 26th. I will also print one and bring it to class tomorrow as well as post this on the class blog once the site is back up.




First of all, I found this question really interesting (it is always surprising just how well we can all relate to archetypes).

Dr. Noble mentions that each part of life is like a quest, and I think that this is generally true. At first we all have to grow up and then we begin to be exposed to different ideas, develop different skills, and find what creates passion in our lives. That stage would be the call, and then the rest of the journey or “quest” is trying to realize that call, or achieve one or several goals that one sets for themselves.

Eportfolios are primarily intended to serve as a showcase of an individuals work. This can be in the format of a chronological progression or it can detail someones development in a subject or at a skill. This is the aspect of Dr. Noble that relates to Eportfolios as the typical portfolio is not just about one set of work that the owner created but it instead shows change, thought, learning, and progression. If one is Odysseus, then their Eportfolio is an autobiographical Odyssey in a sense that it shows each new challenge that they faced on their quest to master the skill that their Eportfolio is all about. In the past I had to work on a portfolio for webdesign and I had to showcase not just one skillset I mastered, but all of the technique, design, and programming knowledge I have acquired. That portfolio experience reminds me of Dr. Noble’s idea about life as a quest, because in all of the aspects of my knowledge that my portfolio conveyed, there was an inherent display of progress in what I had created. At first I had to show my basic knowledge and explain myself; why I like to deal with web-architecture, why I am passionate—my calling. Next was a display of previous projects I had worked on—essentially a retelling of all the challenges I had to conquer. The most complicated code and design in my portfolio could be compared to Noble’s homecoming, it was the grand result of all of the trials I had to face.

In the ‘flat world’ that we are reading about in class, we can see that the world is rapidly changing. If one organizes their eportfolio around Dr. Noble’s idea of a quest, then one can express how they have changed, learned, and progressed. Eportfolios are not about showing the same work over and over again, they are about chronicling all of one’s skills in an area. With an eportfolio modeled in Noble’s way, an employer can see that a prospective candidate is versatile and has a diverse skillset. In the world today, adaptability and complex skills are what is most valued and eportfolios allow a user to display real concrete evidence of what they can do. If they show how they can change and adapt than this makes the person even more attractive if they are trying to get noticed because it shows they will be able to function in the new ‘flat world’ and change when they must. It is in this way that the ‘lifequest’ idea that Noble outlines might actually be a great way to model an Eportfolio. Particularly in the IT related field, employers aren’t looking for someone that can only do one thing, they need to know that an employee can learn since the technology is always changing and they need to know that the people that they hire have a broad skillset to optimize new technologies. When one’s work is displayed as a subtle progression, these ideas can all be expressed.

Even on a personal level, one can appreciate what they have achieved even more when they realize where they have started from—or once they understand their journey.

For my last few blogs I focused on how the current educational system needs to change in order to make U.S. students competative in a globalized world. Fortunately our state has been a leader in technology and this new global change, and this still continues. On Feb 16th. California gave out 45 million in research grants to 20 state universities and research laboratories, exceeding the federal governments plan for investment into stem cell research. Although this type of research also includes a moral aspect, it is a high-technology industry that is going to create more jobs in the future and other countries who are not intrigued by the moral issue may get the edge in the next 10 years if there is little investment in stem cell research. Nearby in our own town, Stanford received 10 grants worth 8 million dollars, and the J. David Gladstone Institute in San Francisco also recieved grants. The public financing also included the first publicly funded effort to clone a human embryo. Although this may be right or wrong, this is going to lead to a new era of medical technology. Already biopharmaecuticals are generating more and more capital each day and new companies are going public almost every day. The industry is growing at an amazing rate and these drugs also have no patent laws that expire them like convential drugs, companies are ensured to make a growing profit. I personally view this type of medical technology as a crucial area for the U.S. to invest in since workers in foreign countries once they acquire more wealth will want new drugs and healthcare. Also, since these bio-tech drugs are very difficult to produce, cheap copies cannot be made by foreign companies.
This is a perfect area for U.S. dominance since it will allow the U.S. to be an exporter of the technology and it will create jobs that demand highly educated researchers. Where this falls into educational philosophy is that public investment has to create enough educated graduates to work in new technology fields. Students have to understand that they must plan to work in these new areas if they want to have the high-paying jobs. Universities like Stanford should be producing as many domestic graduates as possible and public funding at the primary levels of education can help this. Just as the U.S. fed propaganda in education about the nature of the Soviet Union and tried to motivate people to work to research and make their country superior, the same has to happen today. It seems however that more enlightened states like California are doing the right thing and not waiting for the federal government to set a precedent before they start to change the nature of education.

Blog#5

Time magazine had an article last month about how to modernize schools in the U.S. Fortunately I’ve only attended schools that are fairly modern but there are still many which are under funded and lacking in technology. A very interesting section of the article was the comparison between the 20th century and teaching today and how the format is very similar. Students sit down, take notes, listen to lectures, and the teacher writes on the chalkboard. Perhaps this is a case of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ but if private industry is modernizing for greater efficiency and production, then schools ought to do the same. The new globalized world isn’t about lectures and notes, it is about abstract ideas, critical thinking, working as a team, being multilingual.
Relating to my last blog, the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce recently released a blueprint for pre-K-12 schools to better prepare students to survive in the global economy. Fortunately it seems, at least some are preparing—albeit rather late—for the new phenomenal competition that is emerging overseas. Education must change to not just focus on traditional academic skills, but instead on the skills of the 21st century. The first way to do this is to teach children more about the world; they must be culturally sensitive and view themselves as global citizens. There should also be an emphasis on creative thinking and pattern recognition. Subjects must be combined, be it art and technology or design and mathematics. Originally, public schools were designed to educated agrarian workers and make them more well-rounded, so this will be a dramatic shift from what has come before. Up until now, schools that wished to modernize had to do so on their own with the help of local business and donations, so there must be a greater federal emphasis on bringing schools into the 21st century for schools that do not have access to a wealth community.
The best solution is to indoctrinate children to these new ideas as young as possible so by the time they are adults they will be comfortable and capable enough to succeed in the world. Educators should also always be looking to modernize or be cutting-edge in order to prepare their students as best as possible for new challenges that await. Between reform and investment I believe that schools could be radically changed quite quickly, perhaps in time enough to deal with the droves of graduates coming from East Asia and elsewhere around the globe.

Blog#4

I recently read an article about education in developing countries that I found very interesting. The article argued that stimulating the growth of education in science was crucial for developing nations if education was to be engineered for economic growth. This was somewhat alarming because it is exactly science and mathematics that the U.S. has suffered in because of a failing education system. I realized that the scientific and technological infrastructure the U.S. has today was built and maintained by older generations and that now with the current outsourcing this may put this nation in turmoil. I think that since modern science and technology are so preeminant in culture today that there really should be a greater emphasis on those subjects in lower education. Education can serve several roles, one is a propaganda role, another is economic, and yet another is philanthropic, but in order for a nation to maintain a role as a world power there must be an economic motivation. I think that the United States should implement a greater collaboration between the government, universities, and industry. The article I read simply stated that for developing countries to achieve greater levels of economic growth that they should invest a greater percentage of GNP to universities and research institutions. If one examines the history of education in America, one can find that this proved true and I would assume that it will still prove true. I think that the course education can take today is a political decision and politicians must carefully analyze the geopolitical situation around the globe to decide what should be the emphasis in education.
This also made me realize that education is not just simply to enhance man’s character, education serves a very real purpose for a nation and its global ambitions. Not only should education prepare an individual for the basic trials of life, it must also serve the ambitions of a nation. I think that it can be shown that sometimes education can be used in a crucial PR or propaganda role when trying to generate support against a national threat. Education can also create the type of citizens necessary to overcome a certain challenge. Since the greatest challenge the U.S. faces today is not military but economic—primarily the Chinese economy—it should be the role of educators and schools to teach their students how to succeed in an economy that is tied in to markets around the world. I find that it is in this way that education is the most crucial factor that determines the success, rise, and fall of any nation. I view it as a shame that developing countries are beginning to surpass the U.S. in technological fields where the infrastructure already exists in the U.S. if there was only a greater focus (hydrogen vehicles, biotechnology, fusion power, etc).

Essay Topic

I've finally decided what to do after finishing the 'book'. I'm going to talk about my own refugee experience focusing on my culture shock in america and then compare it to the culture shock that Pham has when he returns to Vietnam. For me, moving to America was a huge change and radically impacted who I am today. The same is true for Pham after his visit to Vietnam of course. I want to explore how those social perceptions change through experience. I had already visited the states before I moved but had no idea what it was actually like to live there, similarly Pham lived in Vietnam but did not remember the exact nuanaces of his people and culture. I think I might even include something from my first trip back to Croatia and the changes that I noticed while visiting. I'm very excited about the essay although I will unfortunatly miss the next class, I think I will do well on the paper. I normally wouldn't have read a book like this but I am glad that I did because I found a lot that I relate to, almost a frightening amount. I think there is some universality to the immigrant experience.

Catfish and Mandala is certainly an interesting novel. I’ve been brainstorming ideas for what to write about and what experiences I can include to relate to Pham’s experiences. I have had my own refugee experience fleeing from the war in Fmr. Yugoslavia but my only worry in creating an essay on that topic is that it is too obvious. On the other hand, what more an appropriate life altering experience to choose. What I worry about though is that if I do choose that, the essay becomes emphasized more on my own personal experience than on the comparison of my experience to Pham’s. What will jump out to the reader is not Pham’s experience made more abstract by its presence in a mainstream novel, but my retelling of my own experience. Fortunately there is still a bit of time to decide. I really want to visit Vietnam after reading the novel. I’ve never been to southeast Asia and it seems like it would be really interesting to see since its so different from anything in my experience.

Also I find that I really relate to Pham’s cultural isolation. If I am in America and I see something strange that I don’t understand, or don’t agree with, or even every time I hear someone try to pronounce my last name, I feel like a foreigner. Yet, when I go back home to Liznjan every calls me American or ‘the American’ even though I speak the same regional dialect as them, grew up with the kids over there and have gone back every year usually multiple times, me even being in America for a year dubbed me the title, ‘American.’ I usually don’t let it bother me but it’s discouraging not being able to relate to anyone wherever you go. From this lens I can understand why Pham went on such a journey especially after a tragedy like the suicide of his sister. In his description of Chi and how she was tied into Phan Thiet it seems clear that Chi was more ‘Vietnamese’ than Pham and in the tragedy of her suicide Pham was seduced to understand more about what psychological conditions Chi may have felt to lead her to such a point—feelings which Pham gets to experience firsthand. Certainly feeling isolated in a new country is a very tough thing to deal with and Chi felt that she could not even rely on her family which no doubt took a massive toll on her. I haven’t finished the book yet so I don’t want to speculate too far as to what each characters or persons motivation were, but the feelings and things that they deal with strike very close to home. I don’t have to deal with prejudice at all since I’m white, usually people just think I’m Russian or a jew from someplace in eastern Europe, and when I say I’m Croatian most people don’t know where the hell it is so they haven’t yet to form any opinion about it. In fact that, and not having any diasporas to run to in a foreign land and only a few family members in the states can really be a downer.

ENG 1A..

Well, I'm not sure how formal or informal to be, whether to swear or not since I swear a lot. This isn't my first blog but it is my first for a class and for actual credit. Just as a quick recap for myself, so far my Foothill experience has been successful and I hope it stays that way. English has been interesting so far, I don’t know anyone in the class which is too bad but everyone seems intelligent at least. I’m a little annoyed when I was trying to make this blog since I run my own server at home and spend out the ass for the service on Comcast, but the mother-loving software wouldn’t install properly on it and so it is I have to use this free service. Unfortunately I may have missed a crucial class but I haven’t heard anything amazingly unknown to me about the novel in discussion which is good. I really don’t know what else to write for a first blog, lately I’ve been pretty occupied with current events. I’m defiantly not looking to be a political science phd (poly-sci, why try) but it is interesting to look at the geopolitical relationship between nations and peoples and in understanding how they have formed to rationalize why this backwards miserable miserly world is the way that it is. I’ve thought about America and its role especially—how could one not considering the new position this nation has placed itself in—and the bad rap the U.S. gets around. The U.S. consumes the most resource, pollutes the most, etc. but while the country does all of these things, the U.S. and it’s 13 trillion dollar GDP are essentially what drives the global market. Without American consumerism the world would have little hope for quality of life and opportunity to improve. It seems to me the issue is not consumerism but rather the way it is put in to effect, manufacturing and everything else has to become much more efficient and eco-friendly. Anyhow, that’s all for this experiment of a first blog.