Week 3 of N.C.T

Ahoy everyone!

Week three of New Communication technologies studied the Birth of the Computer. Its quite strange that I casually tap away at the keyboard and look at an LCD screen in contrast to the thinking machine that we learned was founded in the 19th Century by a man called Charles Babbage. I find myself wondering where the next two centuries will take us. Over the last two centuries from Babbage's Counting machine to IBM, Apple and Microsoft computer technology - where we have access to the extraordinary internet research and exposure (I myself have what I think to be a magnificent myspace page) and games that; with their graphics and realism - can take the user to another world. When we look at society's use of computer technology in everyday life - not just for personal use but for virtually EVERY workforce - I wonder if spectators in the 19th century, when Babbage produced his counting machine, ever believed it could lead to the point of efficiency we are at now.

When I think of the future I think: flying cars, buildings twice the size of the Q1, and a sky that is barely visible for the pollution in its way. Well - I guess we are nearly there. Planes take us from A to B - maybe a little more expensively then cars would in my idealism; Buildings are getting higher and higher; and pollution smogs cities like Los Angeles and Beijing. My proposed future is probably two centuries away - so maybe the 'fantasy' we live in now - where we would be lost without these computers - is not far off the future that someone like me speculated two centuries ago.

We also watched (part one) of a film called "Alphaville" This morning. Before I comment on the text itself - i just want to note - that I love black and white film and films with Subtitles. This may be relevant; and hear me out - because we have access to film with colour and fantastic special effects and sound; but I think that there can be so much said with simplicity. The film was set in a futuristic, far away galaxy. Interesting to see the perception of the future from a 60's point of view. It was actually portrayed as a modern 1960's society but interpreted the whole 'outer-galaxy' thing; and warped social customs. I liked that they chose to do this because I have watched movies from the 1960's that portray space aliens and such - and seriously - its not great. So in its simplicity in my opinion, so far the film is good.

More next week, till then-

Emily