In Honor of Meme's Week...

My tour is titled in lolcats speak.

Virtual Space

When it comes to virtual space, it can trap us in another world we didn't think could exist. Virtual space such as World of Warcraft and SecondLife has taken gaming to another level, the lines between what is real and what is made up are becoming blurred more and more each day. People can now form relationships and get married with their avatars and these relationships have created and destroyed real relationships outside of their virtual world. Once you are addicted to this world it is hard to get out, people create friendships, have homes, and it is easy to escape from the worries of the real world such as money, bills,jobs or disabilities. Some can say that the media age has introduced us to a world outside of the one we were born with, a world where we have more control over the things that please us the most. And once you are in this world, how do you adjust to the normal world again? The virtual becomes real and the real doesn't exist to you anymore. You live in reality but you choose to ignore the vital necessities to function as a healthy human being. In Second Skin the majority of gamers are between the ages of 20-35, this is a vital time in our lives where we are deciding what we what to become and accomplish and who we are. The choice is to either migrate into society and to get a job and get married and have children or become a slave to the game and have your goal to reach level 70 by the end of the week.

With a click of a button we are instantly transformed out of the matrix and into a new world where we can be anyone we want to be and have the life that we desire. For most of these people it is as though they have been introduced to what they've been longing for and missing in their life, they can now truly "live" and be the person that they know they are and what to show people.

Stress vs Tranquility

For this assignment I decided to channel these two emotions through my various experiences at school. I've had mostly positive and happy moments at the Lang 11th street building while I have had numerous stressful interactions with technology at Arnold Hall at the 13th street building. So here are some pictures that I have taken of my favorite and least favorite places throughout campus.

My 24 hours

I slept for the past 24 hours because I have the worst cold of 2011 but my roommate tried to wake me up to go to class. That didn't work.

Then my friend Rachel bought me food and we hung out on her bunk bed.

Then my other suitemate Cindy, let me borrow some cough drops.

Then I went back to sleep.

The Medium is the Message

The most persuasive argument is that any medium is an extension of ourselves and that the content of any medium is always another medium. Now I believe what McLuhan is saying is that the message of any medium is essentially though human factors and that they both rely on each other. I also agree with the quote that "we are too prone to make technological instrument the scapegoats for the sins of those who wield them". We are quick to blame technology for the problems that we have but it is not the technology, it is the way we use it. I didn't really understand the "etherialization" power of media. as well as the "private point of view" and if I better understood that then maybe it would have a stronger argument.