Author Archives: Charles Carr

Logic Gates, Computer Architecture, and Fun

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The labs from the past two weeks have been enjoyable for me because I finally feel as though I’m closer to understanding the inner workings of computers. The impetus for me taking this class, aside from thinking it might be necessary to point to a class on my transcript that would show I have a desire to develop my technical skills, was a deep fascination with the how of computers. I feel like the understanding of binary math developed this, but being able to finally get to the mechanics of computing has been exciting.

Working with the logic gates, I understood that at some level it factored into the functions of computers, but when it was mentioned that circuits are made up of droves of these, it was enlightening; I felt like I finally got a glimpse of the operationalization of binary. I feel as though a lot of the applications, and to some extent what we discuss in class itself, fly over my head in terms of a deeper understanding, but it feels like working with logic gates got me closer to understanding the little details of computers, and it is extremely rewarding.

Today’s lab also took this feeling a step further; I understand how computer’s interface with their own data storage now and perform operations. While I am still sure there are several more layers of complexity that go into the functions of modern computing, it is these simple victories that cultivate my interest and knowledge. Overall, this class has been a rewarding experience for helping me understand computers and the context of both past and emerging technologies; these last two labs, however, have gotten me closer to my overall goal, and I feel even more energized going forward to continue my computational-learning post-graduation.

Deep down, I feel it will be helpful for me to understand how an abstract yet simple concept (such as binary numbers) is then operationalized and developed into all the technologies of today. I don’t know how practical knowing exactly how a monitor on a smart phone or laptop functions is, but at least it will be demystified to me and perhaps help me make it more accessible to others.

Privacy and Data Sovereignty

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Talking about the ethics of social media companies controlling our data made me think of an episode of Hasan Minhaj’s “Patriot Act” on Netflix. Minhaj discussed these same topics that were brought up in discussion on Monday, including the seeming cluelessness of lawmakers as to the basics of technology, as well the rich collection of data companies have built up. His main conclusion of the episode is that regulations of these companies need to change to protect our data and treat these companies as what they really are: glorified ad agencies.

The discussion also made me reflect on the difficulties or protecting our information absent necessary legislation. Because so much of the modern life relies on the internet, it is almost impossible to go completely off the grid unless you have already lived as a hermit, or you are Ron Swanson from “Parks and Recreation.” I am extremely troubled by this. Technology is a basic fact of life at this point; it is unsettling that companies are able to have an extremely detailed record of our locations, store every single one of our internet searches, and keep track of what we interact with on social media, all in the service of creating a detailed profile to sell us more. This is made worse by the potentiality that law enforcement could possibly gain access to all of this data in the future in a potentially incriminating way.

As Minhaj suggested in his show, the best possible method forward is changing the way companies interact with our data, and, as mentioned at the end of class, convincing legislators requires organization. I do not have the technical knowledge to propose nuanced solutions to these problems, but in the meantime, I will try to remain extremely conscious of the way I use my devices and these platforms.

 

Moldova’s Twitter Revolution

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Today featured two readings dealing with protests in Moldova in 2009, known as the Twitter Revolution. For background, Moldova was formed following the downfall of the Soviet Union. While others countries in the eastern block experienced economic growth during subsequent years, Moldova’s development stalled, and the country returned to Communism in 2001. Many moved to other parts of Europe for work, but with global financial crisis, many overseas job disappeared. Moreover, the EU has limited residents of Moldova’s access to other countries.

The impetus for these revolts was general elections in April 2009; exit poll were competitive, with about 35% each between the Communists and the other party. However, the election commission stated that the Communists got about half of the vote and people grew angry and skeptical of impartiality. More than 900,000 people gathered publicly and protested against the government for a few days, but the protest was finally suppressed. Social media was the main force behind organization. It served as a vehicle to garner support from the masses and inspire rebellion against the current government. Because its use was relatively unregulated, Twitter was the perfect venue; those opposed could speak out and share their sentiments publicly through hashtags in a way that would allow them to create a digital following.

After the April 5th election results and subsequent protests in Moldova’s capital, Chișinău, the PCRN government used water cannons to disperse the crowds. In the following days, hundreds of protesters, journalists, and students were arrested. Torture and police micconduct including three deaths were documented. Internet access in Chișinău was also shut off. The articles left us with multiple ethical questions, depending on which actor we focused on. Is it ethical for the government to shut down internet access during a protest? Was violent protest the most ethical reaction from the opposition groups? What is Twitter’s responsibility as a company when its platform is used in this kind of situation? 

The events in Moldova demonstrate the role of social media in a democracy and raise questions about government’s right to control the internet as well as the companies responsibility to those citizenries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching Coding and Who Gets Left Behind

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During our group discussions on Monday, TJ raised points about the actual effectiveness of making initiatives teaching coding, in that even if it is promoted, there is still likely to be a disparity in outcomes by race. There are schools in black and Latinx communities that don’t even having working computers; these groups already begin with a disadvantage in access to technology in schools and digital literacy, and even if funding is given for coding education, that doesn’t mean that it will bridge the gap. This made me realize that, while Obama’s initiative seeks to create equal opportunity, much more has to be done for it to be reality.

There was also a point raised about differences between “coding” and “programming;” more specifically, the relative benefits of teaching how to work with a certain language and developing that way verses teaching students the underlying principles with problem solving. The latter would make it such that students would be able to adapt to changes even further, while the former might prepare for a job that might one day evolve past their capabilities or become obsolete.

Connecting these two threads to American history, specifically the space race of the 1960’s when the US government poured large sums of money into higher education to promote aerospace engineering, it seems the US has a history of creating large scale programs designed to promote the economy of the future while failing to address underlying systemic problems. There are students who already have the skills, and more important, resources necessary to become effective coders and programmers; these are the people who benefit from these programs. The students who they are probably intended for, meanwhile, have began with a late start. For computer science initiatives such as Obama’s to benefit the one’s who need opportunity the most, then it seems that more attention needs to be paid to underlying issues that have prevented development in the first place.

Considering Race and Gender in the History of Computing

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Our discussion towards the end of class on Monday concerning the role of race and gender played in the development of hypertext raised questions for me, particularly concerning Vannevar Bush. I wonder whether the racial biases and sexism of the pioneers of computing had a tangible effect on the development of specific technologies, and whether this persists today?

Haas’ work detailing the history of hypermedia within Native American’s wampum tradition broke up the white-dominated discussion of computing. Clearly there is a form of multi-media and modal, non-linear story telling in Native American culture that predates the development of the internet. It might not be plausible to suggest the developers of hypertext and HTML were inspired by wampum, but it sure is plausible that we see similarities between the two. Wampum demonstrates technical proficiency and mastery people fail to attribute to the indigenous tribes of America. Clearly, there is not a racial-monopoly when it comes to the ideas behind computing.

With this, there are some difficult issue to ignore. Though Bush did not explicitly discuss race, his use of coded language did much to reveal his prejudice. Did his views, and others’ like his, impact the development of hypertext? What he foresaw was a development which would specifically preserve the knowledge of the white race. In this way, the memex, and what eventually became hypermedia and the internet, were meant for white Americans. Based on this, it would not be foolish to suggest that the development of hypertext was done without consideration for racial minorities. Moreover, Bush saw the job’s of women eventually becoming irrelevant because of computing developments, rather than women being able to do more afterwards. Much of computing developments seems to be attributed to a monolith of white males; how exactly did this impact technological advancements and their perceived uses?

 

Depression Quest

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Depression Quest was an engrossing experience that was both challenging mentally as well as a well designed use of the Twine platform. Aside from the dense and immersive narrative elements of the game, the removal of certain options was perhaps the most interesting aspect. In most instances, the options removed would be what I would personally have done if these situations were my life; I instead picked what I felt to be the best, most healthy alternative. These limited options seem to be the purpose of the narrative, though; living with depression doesn’t mean I have the right mentality to make all these decisions, and so I might resort to less healthy behaviors. Some of these decisions were also ones I’ve seen people close to me, including in my own family, have to go through. These moments where full control was limited allowed me to understand how one with depression might feel when facing even basic life decisions.

This narrative displays the scope and power of digital tools; an individual can be briefly submerged in the life of someone else and understand that psyche, developing more empathy in the process. While the ending I achieved in Depression Quest was probably the most positive one, in some cases the outcomes of my selection would be harrowing to experience in real life. The immersive quality of Twine made it so that I was invested in each outcome, making each passage more life-like and experiential; I was the protagonist and each emotion and event was mine. Much of our discussion so far has focused on how computers and their programs are best viewed within the context of their development. Outcomes are solutions to the brainstormed problems, and in this case, the digital choose-you-own adventure format disseminated information that allowed me to have a more-intense of experience conditions that many around me suffer each day.

Mahoney: The histories of computing(s)

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Scholarship on computers has tended to focus on the history of machines, presenting the age of computers as a revolution of its own; the purpose of Mahoney’s piece is to decenter the machine and instead focus on the processes and what they represent. Scholarship has traditionally focused on a linear narrative of machines dating back from the abacus, to the mechanical calculator, all the way to the PC internet of today. This approach, in fact, ignores the context of the computer’s development and what is so significant about it. The development of computers is really the collective creation of various communities  adapting the technology to their own functions. Before data processing for businesses became the primary function of computing, industries from science and engineering to military operations made use of various functions, assisting anything from improving workplace flow in manufacturing to automation of military control systems. Community development shows that people saw and expecting different uses from the tech, but historians haven’t focused on this. 

The emphasis should be on software. Software reflects the real world and software engineers are required to thoroughly understand not only the software itself, but also the context of how the world is modeled. When these fundamentals lacked, a ‘software crisis’ occurred in the late 1960s. Understanding software requires precise analysis and interaction with computer behaviors, rather than its structure, and how they operate. As a whole, studying the history of computing should focus on what the development process looked like; what applications communities wanted and how they developed the technology to fulfill their specific needs. It should involve acknowledging that computers are an output of human goals and that computers, as tools, open up new possibilities but also limit the work for which we use them. Each aspect of computers has its own history that informs what it can and cannot do.

 

Work was divided evenly among Charles, Gabriel, Georgia and Sean, with Charles editing and posting the final outline.