Comm 151: Exam #1 (Suggested Questions)
What did Ho and McLeod state that CMC can reduce? (1 point)
"CMC helped reduce chilling effect of fear of isolation (but not did not significantly reduce the impact of current or future opinion congruency or communication apprehension)"; [Class 9: slide 25]
Describe a few characteristics of what "going online" was like in 1996, the year Slate was founded. (1 point)
- most people used terrible modems to get online - only 20 mil. ppl were online - ppl spent an average of less than 30 minutes per month online - would have to wait a minute for a page to load - Yahoo = a hand-maintained hierarchical listing of sites - no MP3 files - little streaming of videos - no blogs - no Facebook - top website = AOL.com [Lecture 8: Slide 18]
What are the impacts of the invention of microprocessors? (3 points)
- the microprocessor mostly allowed for the production of personal computers - small, powerful, and cheap to produce - potential for new tech for automobiles, communication devices, and office equipment [Lecture 5: Slides 12-14 or Class 3: The Age of Miracle Chips]
List and elaborate on three of the four benign consequences of uninhibited communication (3 points)
1) Free exchange of ideas 2) Avoid dominance of "irrelevant" or distracting factors such as personal characteristics...[dream of a color-blind society] focus on intrinsic merit of ideas, not person. - Closer to ideal of "marketplace of ideas" where best ideas will win 3) No ego involvement... can focus on task 4) Might avoid tyranny of individuals who might dominate group because of their status, charisma, authority, age, gender, or other characteristics. - Avoid group-think or social conformity, and "Spiral of Silence" (Noelle- Neumann 1974) more easily. - More extreme or unpopular views likely to be aired. [Lecture 9: slide 24]
The Gopher is a "triple play on words". State the three aspects that the Gopher gets its name from. (1 Point)
1) U of M's mascot was the gopher 2) a gopher is a critter that digs for something 3) the term "go-fer" means someone or something that "fetches" something [Lecture 8: slide 14]
There has always been a negative connotation when it comes to video games. However, its benefits aren't always addressed, especially in the psychological aspect. Garnic, Isabela et. al propose that video games help improve effects across a broad spectrum of disorders and address limitations. What were the three limitations they were talking about?
1) a number of evidence-based approaches largely rely on imparting psychoeducational information, usually in some "intending to teach" style - study found that a video games that can impart knowledge but use elements of play and game mechanics that have been proven to be immensely engaging may help this limitation 2) these intervention programs do an adequate job of imparting new knowledge, but they leave a large gap between what youth actually know and what they do in their everyday lives 3) many intervention programs are hard to access and those in most need of care have a difficult time accessing treatment programs because they either live in hard-to-reach rural locations, work or go to school during treatment hours, or are physically or psychologically unable to commute [Class 10: "Benefits of Playing Video Games" (pg. 10)]
In the Kwak article, what are four of the seven categories of toxic behavior? (1 point)
1) assisting enemy team 2) intentional feeding (suicide) 3) offensive language 4) verbal abuse 5) negative attitude 6) inappropriate name 7) spamming 8) unskilled player 9) refusing to communicate with team 10) leaving the game [Class 10: Slide 6 or Class 10: "exploring cyberbullying and other toxic behaviors..." (3740)]
Which four key areas did the chip makers identify as having huge potential for long-term growth? (1 point)
1) automobiles 2) communication 3) office equipment 4) businessmen [Class 7: "The Computer Society : Thinking Small]
One of the readings assigned discusses the evolution and production of the "miracle chip" that continued to get smaller and smaller. This reading focused on the business opportunities that would arise from this new technology. This article stated that for long-term business growth within this industry, "miracle chip" makers began looking toward 4 key areas that they believed had huge potential. Please name 3 out of the 4 key areas and then give one example of how the miracle chips would have been used to improve this particular area. (3 points)
1) automobiles - putting a computer in cars would allows for a more elaborate electronically controlled ignition system 2) Communications: - chips would be used in family phones to monitor equipment and alert maintenance teams to potential problems before they occur 3) Office Equipment: - as the business market for minicomputers grew it lowered the cost for these devices and provided an economical way to get more value for the money out of an existing main frame [Week 7: The Computer Society: Business: Thinking Small.]
In reference to the readings by Granic et al (2014) on benefits of video games, what are some of the benefits that are linked towards our psychological wellbeing? (3 points)
1) cognitive (e.g., attention) 2) motivational (e.g., resilience in the face of failure) 3) emotional (e.g., mood man- agement) 4) social (e.g., prosocial behavior) benefits [Class 10: Granic et al (2014)]
What are the 4 main domains of the benefits of playing video games?
1) cognitive benefits 2) motivational benefits 3) emotional benefits 4) social benefits [Class 10: "The Benefits of Playing Video Games."]
According to D. Raj Reddy's fears, how could sophisticated computers in the wrong hands could tamper with people's relationships? (1 point)
1) could be turned into weapons 2) tamper with peoples relationships by having "computers-instructing the other computers to cut off telephone, bank and other services"; [Lecture 5: slide 11]
Name 3 types of "toxic behavior" in online gaming. (1 point)
1) cyberbullying 2) griefing 3) mischief 4) cheating [Class 10: "Exploring Cyberbullying and Other Toxic Behavior in Team Competition Online Games"]
What are the benign consequences of uninhibited communication?
1) free exchange of ideas 2) avoid dominance of "irrelevant" or distracting factors such as personal characteristics (aiming for a color-blind environment and society) - could now focus more on the qualities and merits of the idea instead of the person - idea "marketplaces of ideas" where the best ideas win out 3) no ego involvement, can focus on the task at hand 4) avoid tyranny of individuals who might dominate the group due to status, charisma, authority, age, gender, etc. - avoid group think, "spiral of silence", or social conforminty - more extreme or unpopular ideas more likely to be aired [Lecture 9: Slide 24]
What were three primary gender differences between men and women regarding social interaction and MMORPG's? (3 points)
1) male players make more friends online than females 2) females are more likely to meet with their online friends in person 3) females are more likely to talk about sensitive issues with online friends, be attracted to other players, and date other players in real life [Class 10: Social Interactions in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers (p. 582)]
The Great Renaming of the newsgroups within the Usenet aimed to "alleviate the difficulties associated with administering a loosely organized Usenet and also make it easier for Usenet users and networks to decide which newsgroups they were interested in visiting or carrying." After much discussion and argument the creators established the "Big Seven" hierarchies that were implemented which helped organized newsgroups within these categories. Please name 5 out of the 7 new hierarchies. (1 point)
1) misc. 2) comp. 3) sci. 4) soc. 5) talk. 6) rec. 7) news. [Class 8: Usenet News]
What are the three ways in which CMC can affect perceptions?
1) people are only able to reason about others from pieces of info (only know little about the other person, extrapolate from small initial info pieces 2) basis of interactions is often commonality that led individuals to congregate in the same place 3) by cognitive reallocation, where your focus is on conversation planning rather than on whether your breath smells, remembering to smile, etc. (helps to channel conversation) [Lecture 9: Slide 13]
Name 3 of the 5 features from the phone described in "Your Telephone of Tomorrow" that we still use today. (1 point)
1) push-buttons 2) direct-dial 3) pocketable phones (portable cell phones) 4) fancy new ringtones 5) answering machines 6) speakerphones [Lecture 3: slide 32]
What is one problem with using print as information storage? (1 point)
1) required humans to encode AND decode info 2) Errors were a big problem [Lecture 2: Slide 6]
What were the findings from the Hanging Out and Hanging Up project?
1) ripple effect (if one person checks their phones everyone else does as well) 2) deeper conversations without phones 3) more awkward situations and lulls in conversations without phones 4) phone checking is more annoying if its with a person you don't know well [Class 10]
What were the three major problems with analog? (1 point)
1) slow - calculations transmitted through physical movement 2) physical limitations - some calculations difficult to represent physically 3) inflexible (unitasker) - "hard-wired" for only a single calculation - had to rebuild if you wanted to do a different task [Lecture 2: Slide 23]
Based on Granic et. al's article, "The Benefits of Playing Video Games," expand on three of the following four benefits of gaming: social, motivational, cognitive, emotional. (3 points)
1) social = Players seem to acquire important prosocial skills when they play games that are specifically designed to reward effective cooperation, support, and helping behaviors - Social skills are also manifested in forms of civic engagement: the ability to organize groups and lead like- minded people in social causes. A number of studies have focused on the link between civic engagement and gaming. 2)motivational = We propose that video games are an ideal training ground for acquiring an incremental theory of intelligence because they provide players concrete, immediate feedback regarding specific efforts players have made. Summary: although playing games is often considered a frivolous pastime, gaming environments may actually cultivate a persistent, optimistic motivational style. This motivational style, in turn, may generalize to school and work contexts. It is also probably the case that certain types of games will more likely foster these healthy motivational styles, while others may not. 3) cognitive = playing these games promotes a wide range of cognitive skills. This is particularly true for shooter video games (often called "action" games by researchers), many of which are violent in nature - this does not apply to all video games - can allow users to practice their problem solving skills - has also been associated with enhanced creativity Summary: specific types of video games seem to enhance a suite of cognitive functions, some of which appear to generalize to real-world contexts. 4) emotional = Several studies have shown a causal relation between playing preferred video games and improved mood or increases in positive emotion - Thus, game playing may promote the ability to flexibly and efficiently reappraise emotional experiences, teaching players the benefits of dealing with frustration and anxiety in adaptive ways -The extent to which adaptive emotion-regulation skills are learned through gaming remains speculative at this point [Class 10: "Benefits of Playing Video Games"]
According to Rosenberg, Robin, Shawnee, Baughman, and Jeremy, what are the 4 typologies of gamers? (3 points)
1) superpowered helper 2) helicopter helper 3) superpowered tourist 4) helicopter tourist [Class 10: "Virtual Superheroes"]
What is the biggest "gratifying fantasies" of modern technology that Turkle points out in her TED Talk "Connected, but alone?" ? (1 point)
1) we can put our attention wherever we want it to be 2) we will always be heard 3) we will never have to be alone" [Lecture 9: slide 19]
What numerical value does the binary number 11011 represent? (1 point) From Class 3, slide 21: Digital Tech is Binary
= 27 [Lecture 3 (slide 21): Digital Tech is Binary]
What are BBS's? (1 point)
= Bulletin Board Systems which was basically one modem that people could then connect with their own local modem by dialing into the big one - people could do things on the BBS such as 1) download / share files 2) leave posts or messages (that would stay up for days or weeks) 3) a cheap little comunity [Lecture 8: Slide 6]
Who is "Eliza?" What significant conclusion regarding online interaction can be extrapolated from the instance regarding Eliza? (1 points)
= Eliza is a "computer therapist" or computer program that emulates a Rogerian psychotherapist, however it has almost no intelligence and only output certain strings of words based on keywords that users type into the program one significant conclusion is that even though ELIZA is not intelligent the program can create an illusion of intelligence. [Class 9: slide 21]
The creation of ____ was marked as a major event tied to the Great Renaming of Cabal. (1 point)
= The backbone cabal [Class 8: Usenet Newsgroups History]
What was the fun fact about the green National Poison Center symbol? (1 point)
= The symbol backfired and people actually began to eat things with the symbol rather than steer away from them.
What was Hypercard? What distinguished it from the internet?
= an offline tool for easily making interactive hyperlinked documents (which were "stacks" of "cards") - instead of hyperlinks that connected different websites this was cards that have information on it about a specific topic that were linked together [Lecture 8: Slide 13]
Why is UCLA considered the "birthplace of the internet"? (1 point)
= because it is the place where the first message was sent via the "internet" known as the ARPAnet at the time using packet switching
What is the social identification theory? (3 points)
= believes that individuals tend to categorize themselves into members of in-groups or out-groups, in which they associate with perceived ingroup traits, while perceiving out-groups as possessing stereotypically extreme traits or views [Class 9: "Social Psychological Influence on Opinion Expression in Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Communication"]
In comparison to electricity or telephones (choose 1), why were computers adopted at a faster rate? (1pt.)
= computers were adopted at a faster rate because the infrastructure needed to create and adopt computers was more easily built than the infrastructure for telephone and electricity (ie: hard to put up all these wires and cables so that homes could have access to telephones and electricity) [Lecture 7: slide 13/14]
What is the "golden rule" in Usenet? (1 point)
= did not want to pay for "fluff", so they tried to segregate groups out into separate, "optional" groups [Lecture 8: slide 9]
What is the "equalization effect" phenomenon?
= in which individuals who may be reluctant to speak out in FTF discussions because of status differences might feel more comfortable making contributions in CMC groups [Class 9: "Social Psychological Influence on Opinion Expression in Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Communication"]
What is a network effect? Explain and illustrate using an example. (1 point)
= is the theory that the value of a product increases (more people will ant to buy it) if there is already a market of people using or purchasing a certain product or a ton of user are already using this product An example is like how people only want to buy all Apple products because it is easier to use within society. For example, when you want to share a photo with someone you can use airdrop with another iPhone or use iMessage with another iPhone but not an android. [Lecture 7]
Antikythera was an early 'computer'. What was its function? (1 point)
= it was a machine that helped track time, movement of celestial bodies, eclipses, and timing of Olympic Games when your turned the crank [Lecture 2: slide 10]
Fire control computer can do the life and death math. What is life and death math used for? Give an example to explain how this function can be achieved.
= math that directed guns of ships to hit opponents more accurately by sophisticated multivariate calculations an example is how a machine could use math to calculate "superelevation" which takes into account the range and elevation of a target in order to find where a gun needs to be pointed [Class 2: slide 21]
What does it mean to say digital tech is binary? (1 point)
= means that a machine only understands switches of either "on" or "off" (ie: the electricity is "on" or "off" [Lecture 3: slide 21]
What medium did H.G. Wells imagine the "Permanent World Encyclopedia" would be produced on? (1 point)
= microfilm because it was a compact, had efficient storage, and easy to access, duplicate, and distribute [Class 2: slide 29]
Referred to as a "computer on a chip" was was the vital innovation that helped lead to the personal computer? (1 point)
= microprocessor [Lecture 5: slide 14]
What does Turkle say is the Goldilocks effect in her Ted Talk "Connected, but alone?" (1 point)
= not too little, not too much, just right = talking about your interactions and communication with each other, we want to find a happy medium of FTF and CMC [Turkle Ted Talk]
In Broadbent's TED Talk, she holds a positive attitude toward Internet-mediated communication, and she develops a notion called "democratization of intimacy." What is "democratization of intimacy" according to Broadbent? (1 point)
= people are using new communication channels (ie CMC) to breaking this imposed isolation that institutions (in the public sphere such as work places) are imposing upon them - they are doing this by calling their mom from work or sending a personal email in a conference meeting or texting under their desk at school [Lecture 9: slide 16 Broadbent's TED Talk]
Briefly state what "Spiral of Silence" means. (1 point)
= the increasing pressure people feel to conceal their views when they think they are in the minority [Class 9: "Social Psychological Influence on Opinion Expression in Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Communication"]
What is the social role theory and how might it effect CMC? (3 points)
= theory that group members use observable status characteristics (e.g. age and gender) as a basis for establishing initial leadership and influence hierarchies - might affect CMC because in many forms of CMC may deemphasize status characteristics and physical aspects of groups - people cannot visually see each other which eliminates the possibility of social role since this theory is based on the ability to visually observe another person's visual characteristics [Class 9: "Social Psychological Influence on Opinion Expression in Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Communication"]
Describe the basic functions of the Mundaneum and how it relates to the Internet. (3 points)
= wanted to set up a bibliography of all human knowledge by using a massive card catalog and filing system - The resources or databases were meaningfully hand-linked by staff - people could submit questions via mail or telegraph (for a fee). This worked like a search engine [Lecture 3: (Slide 14)]
Briefly state how the emojis can both aid and hurt CMC communications (1 point)
Aid: emojis can send most FTF cues (other than smell and pressure), they can aid us in giving people cues when using CMC (if correctly interpreted) Hurt: can be ambiguous when deciphering what an emoji means [Lecture 9: slide 11]
What was the Bulletin Board System and describe three characteristics of it? (3 points)
BBS = just a computer with a single (usually) modem that people with modems would try to dial into 3 characteristics: 1) could download or swap files 2) leave posts or messages (days/weeks later) 3) cheap little community (very local because of long distances charges) [Lecture 8: Slide 6]
What are the benefits and limitations of Bush's Memex? (worth 3 pt.)
Benefits: - a great storage unit that can provide readily accessible documents - ability to scroll Limitations: - not portable - minimal storage space - no data processing, just data storage [Class 2: slides 30-33]
What is the significance of a Turing Test? (1 point)
it allows humans to see if a computer system is intelligent and exhibits certain human behaviors [Lecture 9: slide 21]
According to Ho and Douglas, between face to face or computer-mediated communication, when it is more likely that someone would express their opinion? (1 point)
Computer-mediated communication = more likely to express their opinion because CMC reduces social cues and anonymity which reduces status consciousness and inequality, and moderates the effect of fear of isolation which then encourage people to voice their opinions [Class 9: "Social-Psychological Influences..."]
What year was the first YouTube video posted and what is the content of this video? (3 points)
Date: April 23, 2005 Content: "Me at the zoo" a man called Karim posted an 18-second long report from the elephant enclosure at the San Diego zoo [Class 8: From the first email to the first youtube video]
What is the name of the device proposed by Alan Kay in 1968, equivalent to a modern-day laptop/iPad? (1 point)
Dynabook [Lecture 7: Slide 6]
What was the first "Killer App" for networked computers? (1 point)
E-mail [Class 7: Slides 19]
What was the biggest problem with print as an information storage? What innovation was the intended solution? (1 point)
Errors were the biggest problem when encoding and decoding information when storing info. The Difference Engine aimed to solve this issue because it broke complex calculations into simple addition and subtraction [Lecture 2: (Slide 12 and 16)]
Which corporation dominated the computing industry in the 1960's? Answer - Lecture 3
IBM (74% of the market)
Which corporation dominated the computing industry in the 1960's?
IBM = had 74% of the market with 7 other companies splitting the rest [Lecture 3: 27]
According to the article "Bussiness Thinking Small" in 1978, what was the world's largest manufacturer of miracle chips? (1 point)
Intel [Class 7: Thinking Small]
What led to the death of Netscape and how? (1 point)
Internet explorer lead to the death of netscape. - because when people obtains Windows, this automatically came with the search engine, Internet Explorer. Since this was convenient and most people were buying Windows computers people began using this more and more instead of Netscape. [Class 8: slide 16]
Although the carterfone was not important for its technology, it helped overrule an old FCC Tariff and establish what? (1 point) From Class 5, slide 3: Any Lawful Device
It helped establish that the telecom system was not ruled by telecom Co.'s. It specifically enabled modems to be popular. [Lecture 5 (slide 3): Any Lawful Device]
What is the similarity and difference between Multiuser Dungeon Gamers (MUD) and MMORPGs? (1 point)
MUDs (multiuser dungeon gamers) vs. MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers): similarity: - in that they both incorporate role-playing and multiplayer systems with the use of instant messaging difference: - MUDs are mainly text-based and lack the visual representation of the role-playing world [Class 10: "social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers" (pg. 576)]
What was a really important limitation of early visionaries? (1 point)
Many of these early ideas such as Memex were all built on painstaking human labor * No one was thinking about automating these info searches [Class 3: Slide 16]
What did Jacquard Loom's machine do? Explain its relevance to early computer programs? (3 points)
Mechanical loom systems that allowed looms to create more complex and intricate patterns using various punch cards that told the machine which threads were in play at any given time. Its relevance to early computer programs is that these punch cards had different patterns on them that either allowed the thread to be pulled through by a pin or not be pulled through by a pin. This is similar to 1's and 0's in binary coding because either the thread is up or its not. [Class 2: Jacquard Loom's: early computer programs]
Compare and contrast Vannevar Bush's "Memex" and the iPhone technology that we have today. (3 points)
Memex = a device where someone could store all their books, records, and communications. It is mechanized to that it can be consulted with great speed and flexibility. iPhone = would not have an entire library digitized but there would be tons of music, e-mail, and lots of books/documents Style: - Memex = it would consist of a desk, that could also be operated from a distance, that had translucent screens where material could be projected to read, also contained a keyboard with sets of buttons and levers - iPhone = a small hand-held device [portable] Storage capacity: - Memex = was said to take hundreds of years to fill the storage if they uploaded 500 pages (40 MB) of pages per day [200 years = 8 GB, which is 1/16 capacity of iPhones] - iPhones = hold a lot more storage Content: - Memex = could purchase content (books, pictures, periodicals, newspapers) on microfilm that is inserted into the device - iPhone = this is similar to the iPhone's music app or photo app Search capabilities: - Memex = could consult a certain book by tapping its code on a keyboard and the book would pop up - iPhone = like searching for a website with a URL or the app store Moving through things on the device (scrolling): - Memex = pushing certain levers so that the person could read the book in front of him and the pages are "projected at a speed which just allows a recognizing glance at each" - iPhone = scrolling with your finger Data processing: - Memex = no data processing, just a better file cabinet - iPhone = can calculate things and perform different tasks, can data process [Lecture 3: Slide 13]
How do people present themselves using modern CMC, and what skills do they need to succeed? (3 Points)
People present themselves in a overly self-censored and controlled way where they optimize their self-presentation. They need textual skills (particularly wit and knowledge) which matter more than in other contexts (such as things like appearance/hygiene) [Lecture 9: Slide 14]
What is play? In the context of developmental psychology, what are the benefits of play? According to the author, how does playing video games relate to the function of play in developmental psychology? (3 points)
Play = a function that allows children to experiment with social experiences and simulate alternative emotional consequences, which can then bring about feelings of resolution outside the play context - allows opportunities to reproduce real-life conflicts, to work out ideal resolutions for their own pleasure benefits of play = allow themes of power and dominance, aggression, nurturance, anxiety, pain, loss, growth, and joy to be enacted productively * the same emotional themes identified in children's play experiences in general (e.g., dominance, nurturance, anxiety, and growth) are also explored in video games, allowing for important cognitive, emotional, and social competencies to be acquired* [Class 10: "Benefits of playing video games"]
What are some of the positive and negative consequences associated with the creation of email?(3 points)
Pros: 1) eliminates time-zone problems 2) can easily transport documents, photos, and video clips 3) organize discussion groups, deliver news stories, confirm purchases Cons: 1) could contract a computer virus 2) a loss of privacy because something you post in a mailing list gets stored and can show up years later on the Internet 3) potential to send the wrong message to the wrong person [Class 8: The 30-Year Path of E-Mail]
List three pros and three cons of early computers. (3 points)
Pros: 1) made mechanism of supply and demand operate more responsively (faster interactions) 2) could obtain more memory and data then every before 3) could help execute things more precisely and faster such as automobile engines to hospitals. Cons: 1) envisioned a future where governments could possess one immense, interconnected computer system: Big Brother 2) human dependence on computers 3) fear that microcomputers could turn into weapons where they could tamper with people's relationships [Class 3: The Computer Society: The Age of Miracle Chips]
What engine designed by Charles Baggage has still never been build by anyone? Why not? (1 point)
The Analytical Engine. It has not been built because the designs were expensive and complicated. It also would have been a very large machine [Lecture 2: (Slide 17)]
What was discovered as the "very early computer" built around 200 B.C? What did it do? (1 point )
The Antikythera mechanism. You turn the crank to track time, movement of celestial bodies, eclipses, and organized/tracked the timing of the Olympic Games [Lecture 2 (slide 10)]
Describe the function of the Difference Engine. (1 point)
The Difference Engine broke calculations down into simple addition and subtraction, using mechanical cogs and levers that physically represented these calculation. [Lecture 2: Slide 16]
What is the Hollerith Tabulating Machine and what did the company later become? (1 point)
The Hollerith Tabulating Machine was designed to help tabulate 1890 census data using punch cards read by passing an electrical current. The company who did this later became IBM. IBM later dominated the computing industry and held 74% of the market. [Class 2: Slides]
The Cole and Griffins reading included a survey of "self-selected" MMORPG players. Explain the design issue of this experiment. (1 point)
The design issue is that the experiment recruited participants from social and gaming forums and e-mails. Many of these participants self-selected themselves which meant that the sample for this experiment was not necessarily random which can greatly affect the results and the ability of the study to generalize their findings to the whole gaming world - some of these participants have potential to be more social since they are participating on an online forum which can skew the data and make the study seem like social interactions in online MMORPGs are more social than they actually are [Lecture 10: Slide 7]
Name some of the main characteristics of the first true "personal computer" that are still being used on our personal computers nowadays. (3 Points)
The first true "personal computer" is considered the Altair. [Class 7: From Altair to iPad]
Describe the the idea/process behind "packet switching" and how this protocol allowed digital networks to become more efficient and effective in allowing people to communicate online. (3 points)
The idea/process of "packet switching" is that smaller "packets" of data or info would be sent to and from one computer to another, instead of sending one large packet or data all at once. Packets were numbered and carried certain info of where the packet came from and when it was sent. [Lecture 4]
What was the main problem with Berners-Lee's "World Wide Web" and what program ended up taking over shorty after? (1pt)
The main problem with Berners-Lee's world wide web was that it only was able to be run on NeXT computers and was limited to only those computers, the program that ended up taking over soon after was the Gopher internet search engine, which ran on multiple computers. it was less straightforward and the interface was not yet built or up and ready for immediate use like the other programs such as Gopher Gopher which was more straightforward, already working, and easily accessible (via download) ended up taking over shortly after [Class 8: The rise and fall gopher protocol]
To what purpose did early intellectuals like H.G. Wells believe a collection of all human knowledge, such as the internet today, would aspire? (1 point)
The purpose of this collection of all human knowledge would ideally create world peace where we could dissolve human conflict into unity. This collection of all human knowledge rested on the theory that if humans knew more about each other than we would understand each other better which would then allow us to get along better and dissolve any conflict. [Class 2: "The Idea of a Permanent World Encyclopaedia"]
What concept did Leonard Kleinrock, Donald Davies, and other independent scientists invent That allowed for digital message switching on the ARPANET? How does this work? (1 point)
They invented the concept of packet switching, which was a quick and efficient way to send info and data by sending smaller, little "packets" of data or info from one computer to another [Lecutre 5: (Slide 6)]
In Farhad Manjoo's article, Jurassic Web, the web's fast rise to the forefront of society is discussed. Why does Manjoo question the sustainability of the web in the future? Do you think the web is sustainable? Explain why or why not. (1 point)
While Manjoo recognizes that the web is very ingrained in society, he believes that in the same way that the web came about so quickly, we may be surprised at how quickly it could be replaced as well. 20 years ago, no one was "blogging" or "googling", nor did people even have those terms in their vocabulary. The web's rise came about so quickly, Manjoo wonders if it will last or fall as quickly as it came. [Class 8: "the Unrecognizable Internet (Farhad Manjoo Article)]
Like print, Babbage encountered difficulties in terms of data storage. What machine did Babbage work on and what was the machine's purpose? What problems did Babbage encounter during this process? What was his solution? Whose ideas did he borrow to help overcome these obstacles? (3 points)
Worked on a machine called: The Difference Engine It's purpose: help solve complex calculations with minimal errors by breaking them down into simple addition and subtractions - used "analog" computing = mechanical cogs and levers to physically compute the calculations (speed up calculations through physical movement Problems: his funding was cut after controversy and labor dispute, his son died, metalworkers of the day were not up to making the precision parts required Solution: build another machine called the analytical engine that could perform any arithmetical and logical operations you asked of it, could also be programmable Borrowed an idea: borrowed the concepts used in the weaving industry who used punch cards to program which threads would be used or not. He used the same technique to program his machine, instead of positions of threads the holes in his card would represent the mathematical commands to the machine [Class 3: "Numbers Game" or Lecture 2: Slide 8&9]
Why is Usenet called an "asynchronous" worldwide bulletin board system? (1 point)
asynchronous because people are not typing out and responding in real time where you see users typing each word letter by letter ex: watching someone type things on google docs vs. sending a text message [Class 8: slide 8]
Why did email not catch on soon after it was developed? What changed that allowed email to become more popular? (1pt)
because many people did not have the skills or have easy access to the technology or the internet at the time so no one was using e-mail the arrival of the World Wide Web and the opening of the Internet to commercial traffic allowed the network to be widely accessible to the public which then allowed online services to provide home users with an Internet-based e-mail account [Class 8: The 30 year path of E-mail]
What type of encoding suggested by Jacquard Loom allowed for easier computing?
binary encoding [Lecture 2: Slide 35]
In general, how do modern day computers compare to earlier analog computers? (3 points)
both modern and earlier analog computers both perform mathematical or logical operations that can assemble, store information however, modern computers are much faster than earlier ones, they can make correlations and process much more complex information and they can be programed with multiple functions - many earlier analog computers only served one function and would have to be completely rebuilt in order to do another function modern computers also use electricity to power their machinery and calculations while early computers used physical movement [Lecture 2: Slide 5 this question is broad and covers a range of potential answers, so the answer can come from anything else that was discussed in class as well]
How does CMC allow us to optimize our self-presentation?
by allowing us to have greater control over revelations (ie: what gets posted or not posted to our social media) - can created self-censored, composed interactions [Lecture 9: Slide 14]
While many studies conducted in the past have examined how violent videogames can lead to aggressive behavior, what potential behavior does virtual reality facilitate as observed in the studies conducted by Rosenberg et al.? (1 point)
can lead to greater helping behavior in the real world or encourage prosocial behavior [Class 10: Virtual Superheroes: Using Superpowers in Virtual Reality to Encourage Prosocial Behavior (p. 7)]
The emergence of integrated circuits (ICs) drastically reduced what two things? (1 point)
drastically reduced the: 1) size 2) cost 3) electrical drain of any equipment in which they were used [Class 3: "The Numbers Game"]
What was considered to be a "killer app" and why? (1 point)
e-mail because it was widely used, easily accessible, and cheap [Lecture 7: Slide 10]
What was the significance of the Apple I? What did its success prove?
it created a new computer that looked more user friendly and more like an everyday piece of machinery (due to the focus on design by Apply) its success proved that design mattered and that personal computers could become an everyday item that multiple people used [Lecture 7: Rise of Apple II Video]
Why was the adoption of tablets faster than electricity or phones?(1 point)
it was faster because there was little infrastructure that needed to be put in place and the infrastructure that was needed (ie: the internet or computer models) was already readily available [Lecture 7: slide 13-14]
What is the difference between market share and installed base in terms of computers? (1 point)
market share = the percentage of a company's product compared to the totally of all products sold in that category over a given period of time installed base = the ratio of one brand or platform that is currently in use compared to the total number of computers in existence [Class 7: "from Altair to iPad]
How does modern CMC send FTF cues? (1 point)
modern CMC can send FTF cues through emojis and animated figs (if correctly interpreted) - most except smell and pressure [Lecture 9: slide 6]
What was Paul Otlet's vision of a global network of "electric telescopes" that would allow people to search millions of files and what does the word loosely translate to? (1 point)
name = "réseau" lose translation = network or web [Class 2: "The Web Time Forgot."]
What is the difference in outcomes of Virtual Reality players who engage in prosocial/neutral games and aggressive games? (1 points)
players who played prosocial games vs. neutral or aggressive games were more likely to exhibit prosocial and helping behavior such as helping to pick up pencils that were "accidentally" spilled [Class 10: Virtual Superheroes: Using Superpowers in Virtual Reality to Encourage Prosocial Behavior (Introduction)]
How does prior gaming research differ from gaming research today in terms of focus? (worth 1 pt.)
prior gaming research tended to focus on the potential harm gaming can do to promoting violence, addiction, and depression gaming research today tends to focus on how video games can foster or improve "real-life" or "real-world" skills such as increased cognitive ability (e.g., attention), motivational ability (e.g., resilience in the face of failure), emotional ability (e.g., mood man- agement), and social ability (e.g., prosocial behavior) [Lecture 10: slide 9 and Class 10: Granic et all (2014) reading]
What symbol was used to denote separation of the name of a user from the name of the machine the user was on?(1 point)
the @ sign [Class 8: The 30-Year Path of E-Mail]
What influenced the helping behavior of the participants with the ability to fly as compared to the participants in the helicopters? (1 point)
the participants with the ability to fly might have been primed with concepts and stereotypes related to superheroes in general or to Superman in particular, and thus this would facilitate subsequent helping behavior in the real world as compared to those participants who were just in the helicopter. [Class 10: "Virtual Superheroes" (Discussion section)]
What is being communicated between the modems in a "modem handshake"? (3 Points)
they are communicating to each other and seeing what kind of language each other is speaking and seeing what programs each can do and what they can transmit Negotiate and exchanging information about what their capabilities are, once they finish that negotiation it switches to data. At the beginning it was like "what kind of modem are you" etc. [Lecture 8: Slide 17]
Name one reading/person who predicted the future of computer-mediated communication and what did they predict?
they predicted that future phones would have the capability to: 1) direct-dial people (no more getting your call sent through an operator) 2) have push-button or key pad 3) facetime (phone with video capabilities) 4) portable phones [Class 3: "Your telephone of tomorrow" or Lecture 3: slide 32]
Why did telephones and electricity take the longest to be adopted?
took the longest to be adopted because it required a lot of infrastructure (ie: telephone or electric wires) and was very expensive and hard to put in place [Lecture 7: slide 13]
