Caroline's Castle

My tweets

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:00:31 GMT

Wed, 08:54: #accretive debt collectors block you from emergency room w/o credit card http://t.co/GMbuaaCi & 2nd guess your care http://t.co/3zcYWdUG

Games and Identity

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 17:13:37 GMT

This week I’m looking at some virtual pet games.

Unfortunately, the first I tried was this Purina pet game: http://www.oyunlar1.com/online.php?flash=2159 Which was not only boring, and waaay heavy handed with the product placements, inflicts the most annoying music on the players, and is subtly racist/sexist:

That’s right, only white people pet their cats. And it’s pretty much a male hand, though they did leave that a little ambiguous. (don’t argue, if it was a woman’s hand it would have shaped, painted nails, and jewelry. and be shopping.)

It’s something I first noticed when I worked in the cereal aisle at a grocery store (though it has gotten a bit better since 2002): all mascots are white and male, and if they are animals, are as white as an animal can be. Excepting Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, of course.

It’s a lazy and culturally insensitive thing to always choose ‘white male’ as the default, and complain it’s too hard to allow the players to choose (they did get to choose from 3 breeds of cats, after all), and I think it ends up alienating players. It’s hard to adapt an identity when you’ve been flagged as not the ‘default’.

I remember how important it was to me when ‘Red Lotus’ was introduced in ‘Deathtrap Dungeon’ - finally I could play a female! and how pathetic my only role model was so blatantly sexist:

I mean really, you’re going to fight in heels and a thong? It’s insulting. But I loved playing the game because of her.

It’s an important design decision, directly relates to the players ability to form an identity in the game, and is overlooked so often it ought to be included in Norman’s books just to remind people. (I can think of many examples of products that completely ignore their gender and ethnically diverse users). </rant>

Next I tried Scary Spider: http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/ I used to be arachnaphobic (before I went to Africa and discoverd that there are far more terrible things than spiders) and so this game was a little thrilling. It doesn’t have much game play - drag the spider, pull it around by it’s legs, or feed it bugs. But it was fun like horror movies are fun.

Last I tried Shidonni: http://www2.shidonni.com/v2/MainPage.aspx , or tried to anyway, but the Linux version of Silverlight (moonlight) wouldn’t play it, and my virtual machines are down. The idea was cool: you get to draw a virtual pet, then play with it! Very neat, very constructionist.

I’m looking for an educational virtual pet, but haven’t found any that teach anything other than, um, pet care? Oh yeah, and feed your pet only Purina.

Second Life: for research?

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 18:01:23 GMT

I have heard a lot about Second Life. Now, as a rule, I avoid these MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) because I know exactly how addictive they are, and how time seems to loose meaning and slip by while you play for hours (and hours, so many you become embarrassed and start hiding it) and your email and homework and chores will wait just a few more minutes you’re just about to level up! And then, of course, when you do level up you get hit with a rush of rewards and cool new powers and, well, you worked so hard to level you’ll just spend a couple of minutes exploring, and then, since you’re a higher level but haven’t yet mastered the new skills, you are targeted by new monsters and it’s a bit dangerous so if you don’t keep playing you might get killed and then (cover your ears, children) you’ll level down which of course can’t be tolerated so you’ll play for just a bit longer to level up again.

I played EverQuest, fondly nicknamed EverCrack, a decade ago when these games were cruder and not nearly as compelling as they are now, and yet I was disturbed enough by how much I could not seem to regulate the time and energy I invested that I quit. I was actually, ironically, inspired to quit by Sims, a real-life simulator that suggested you can measure every activity by its returns in fun, social engagements, money earned or spent, or skills learned. By this metric, the MMORPGs were super high in fun, but that was diminished by the stress they put on real-life commitments, and returned only marginal social benefits (while they’re clearly more social than watching TV, you’ll get far more return from investing the same amount of time into face-to-face activities).

So, it was with a lot of trepidation that I joined Second Life. I could have chosen a less treacherous game for my class journaling project, but I had heard things about Second Life. Things that seriously intrigued me. I had heard the paradigm-changing idea of having a real, take-it-out-of-the-atm-and-pay-your-rent-real exchange rate between the in-game money ($L for Linden Dollars) and most major world currencies. I had heard you could buy, and own, real estate (Virtual Realty, if you will). And, most important, I had heard you could take classes, attend conferences, walk through exacting simulations of famous landmarks, or even human anatomy. If I’m to be serious about learning and understanding the promise of digital education, I had to investigate.

I did take some precautions – I gave my Avatar a name linked to my RL (Real Life) professional work (Madam Caroline), and connected it to my Twitter, Linked-In, and other work-related social media. I chose a sensible avatar with a respectable business-casual appearance. I also installed it in my work-account on my home computer, which turned out to be several hours’ worth of tweaking video card drivers and 32-bit libraries (I run 64-bit Ubuntu Linux). If I make my Second Life account have real-life consequences , would it be less fun, and less an addictive escape?

Juul wrote about how computer games can, and should, be played by diving in first, without reading the manual. I think manuals are for reading, and have come to appreciate the benefits from reading them first. Knowing that I’m in the minority, and wanting to experience it as most people do, I launched it and jumped in.

Second Life drops you in a ‘tutorial-zone’ with large, simple English (or language of choice) and Pictogram embellished signs giving you the very basics on moving, zooming, and interacting with objects. Each of the signs was numbered and in a room set up to let you explore the new feature, and was clearly designed for users with low computer and game literacy. The other new players assumed familiarity from shared circumstances and started messaging me, asking questions about the controls, inquiring if I was a new player. One even seemed to be trying to troll me, running around me and making gestures, seeing if I’d react. This clued me into a part of the Second Life culture: the game is the social interactions, and some people play against you.

Compared to other ‘newbie islands’ I’ve been on, I was disappointed by how minimal the guidance was, and I did acutely feel the lack of narrative. Without a storyline, I had to create my own motivation for wandering around the world. My second favorite way to learn a computer game (after reading the manual) is to read all the menus, and click on everything. I did this for a while of lonely meandering, and was on my way to a newly discovered tutorial-zone when Roxy asked me to check if her microphone was working.

Roxy looked like a million dollars, proof of the rumor that the market for hair, clothes and skin designers was hot enough for people to make a living. She swooped me under her wing, gathered up another new player, and started dolling us up. She taught me how to receive and install hair, skin, shoes, and even a new walk. She took the time to show me the details of changing the skin-tone and toe-nail polish on open-toed shoes, assuring me it was these details that would get me the attentions of the right kind of people on Second Life. My co-newbie did not speak good English and was difficult for Roxy to work with, but despite sighs of exasperation and frustration Roxy used an on-line translator program and spent more than an hour helping this stranger.

Roxy did lay down some ground rules, knowing we didn’t know better than to run around while talking or when to use public vs private chat. She also took pains to point out etiquette and cultural norms: she gave me a bunch of items free, but I’d be expected to pass these things on to other newbies later and support the stores through purchases.

And then, I looked at the clock. I’d been playing for four hours, the time just slipping away. Roxy made plans with me to teach me more, with impressive above-and-beyond courtesy. My dreams that night were of Second Life.

I did not stumble upon any formal classrooms during my brief foray into Second Life, but I certainly found a model of casual apprentice or mentor-based instruction. While it did feel a bit contrived to say I was doing research into online learning, I did learn a lot. If I want to understand the way Second Life intersects with formal educational systems, though, and not just learn how to style my hair, I’m going to have to read some manuals before I log in again.

Kahn Academy for the win!

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:20:10 GMT

I've just bought a new tablet: I'm taking a class in computing in the classroom and it seemed prudent for me to try using some technology in the classroom, which I'm sure will feel very awkward at first as I've spent so many years getting quite good at taking notes on paper, but as educational technology is the future (and what I want to study) here I am getting rather annoyed at my on-screen keyboard.

Anyway, what I really wanted to write about is the Kahn Academy app I downloaded for it.

The Web-OS app is clean and easy to use, giving you access to thousands of educational videos without any distraction of cat videos or ads like you'd get if you watched the videos on YouTube. Although I recommend finding yourself a quite, distraction free time an place to work thorough the videos, the magic is that you can pause, rewind, and rewatch as often as you need, and you can watch them anywhere you can get internet access.
At first I thought these videos would primarily be targeting those who either don't have access to, or have not done well in traditional educational settings, I was delighted to learn that they are being used by whole classes in public schools to tremendous effect.

Using friendly, casual spoken English and multi-colored demonstrations, the classes start at the most basic level and take a learner through a skill tree to college level materials. The lectures are tied to interactive-feeback quizzes and live volunteer tutoring help, and all the data can be linked to a teacher dashboard. It is designed with an international, multi-cultural audience in mind.

The topics focus on the Maths and Sciences, and is transforming the way they are taught. With Kahn Academy, students can take risks, explore, and confirm mastery of each topic before moving on, avoiding the "swiss-cheese" gaps of other educational models that move a class relentlessly through material.

But, despite all these amazing possibilities, Kahn Academy doesn't have the hubris to claim it will replace classroom learning, but only that it frees up teachers and students to do the interesting, fun, group work in class, and let the lecture be done as homework. Additionally, by reducing the amount of busy work for both teachers and students, and giving the teachers detailed metrics of each students progress, time in school is spent on quality, individualized coaching.

I looked at Kahn academy a few years ago, and it was interesting then, but wow, has it come a long way. The tablet app is a wonderful was to get started, and I am excited to delve deeper into it!

The blurred scroll evokes nothing.

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:37:11 GMT

We have less physical metaphors for cherishing, and destroying, our memories. The tear-stained letter smelling faintly of her perfume; the crumpled photograph at the bottom of the drawer, his face burned out with a cigarette; the note of encouragement, creased from being carried in your pocket as a good luck token, deliberately lost in desktop clutter such that it will be found again, at random, or perhaps, exactly when it is needed.

Once, I dated online, and such was the need for a sense of connection to my physical reality, that I would put on the same scented lip-gloss, play the same album, even wear the same straw hat, just for a sense of presence.

Once, I dated by cell phone, and would lay on my bed with my phone clutched to my chest, dreamily playing the text-message sound. When my phone died and all our text messages were lost, what evidence existed to stand testament, to prove the reality of what we had shared?

We have spent thousands of years learning how to preserve our paper records, and many tragedies occurred before we learned about multiple-copies, acid-free paper, fire-proof boxes, foreign translations; we've tried vellum, and stone, and ritual memorization. So it's no surprise that our digital data will take some time to perfect from obliteration.

I recently copied the contents of my old floppy disk backups onto my external hard drive backup. I found emails that only survived by the grace of not being paper. But I could only read a few of the unsorted thousands before it felt the easy preservation was more of a burden than a pleasure. Events of my past I'd prefer to view through a blur of romantic nostalgia were less enjoyable seen with perfect and unforgiving clarity. Some of the emails were from an ex, and I found that the satisfaction of burning a letter is much more resonant than the dullness of 'deleting'. Even now I have the lingering unease of my multiple, identical backup copies scattered through the years on CDs, hard drives, and cloud. I am doomed to find, and delete, the same emotional booby-traps for years to come. I only have to rip up a paper letter once. Do we want to keep everything, if it means we will never lose anything?

I've attended events where the inevitable digital photo slideshow in the after-party will run longer than had the event itself. I've missed spectacular sights because I was searching for my camera to preserve what I could have just enjoyed. If I was forced to be more selective about which mementos to keep, I could shape a narrative of my life, honor memories by investing time, energy, and money in their presentation. I suspect this is much of the allure of scrapbooking.

When data is both proliferated and obliterated so easily, what role of privacy? I struggle to understand discretion possible only by being too obscure for my leaked data to draw attention, yet what if I become famous, or infamous? What a boon to paparazzi, to bereaved, to law enforcement, to biographers!

I doubt the paper letter will ever entirely fade away, as it has a weight of emotional significance unrivaled by email. Without a backup or backspace, I have to be deliberate in my words and promises. Writing a letter is faith that I'll hold the same ideas and feelings from when it is written to the future when it's delivered; it becomes an artifact of shared time. Most of all, I find comfort knowing the paper I hold in my hands, will later be held in the hands of someone I love.

Inspired by: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/magazine/what-happens-when-data-disappears.html

My tweets

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:19:07 GMT

Wed, 09:57: This week's pile of papers to grade for my job as an adjunct instructor http://t.co/xVZoSGi6

Мои твиты

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:54:53 GMT

Пт, 22:25: The OWS movement isn't about bumper sticker politics, it's about having conversation http://t.co/EmfJaeUa via @slate

Мои твиты

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:28:04 GMT

Пн, 11:32: Panic from the rich regarding the 99% movement: http://t.co/GJIGaz9z
Пн, 12:43: Jon Stewart: How is occupy wall street different than the 'tea party? One is staged, the other is for reals: http://t.co/Svfc18HA

My tweets

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 07:13:32 GMT

Tue, 14:40: Stanford's free A.I. course http://t.co/ulWYn75B will be a fascinating experiment in distance & distributed ed - I'd take it if I had time!

My tweets

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:21:13 GMT

Thu, 11:56: Diebold voting machines can be hacked by remote control http://t.co/A4edZRwb Our democracy is only as valid as our voting methods

My tweets

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:38:03 GMT

Tue, 15:02: Is civiCRM or a donated Microsoft Dynamic crm better for a non profit w simple database needs and no tech staff or budget? I'm to find out!
Tue, 20:23: I just aquired a giant stash of wrapping paper from the 60s, 70s and 80s! What fun designs! http://t.co/8TF3QDi

My tweets

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:19:28 GMT

Thu, 18:29: Volunteered all day at grassroots leadership college: anit-virus updates, website tweaks, database re-design & backup solutions! fun work :)

My tweets

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 19:17:22 GMT

Tue, 16:43: Day 1 of school break: battling the inbox dragon. Over the eons it has grown fat & sleepy. With the gods favor, I may survive the battle...
Tue, 23:35: RT @JohnD1967: Daily Kos: Pelosi NAILS the Class War: Low wages are designed to keep you in debt to the banksters - http://t.co/KcdGwd1 ...
Tue, 23:53: RT @TEDchris: Luxury vs community. David Brooks' NYT column today strikes me as profoundly wise... http://t.co/I4Diu6B

My tweets

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:20:49 GMT

Tue, 11:49: Is life as an adjunct hard? Read: Confessions of a Tenured Professor - Inside Higher Ed: http://t.co/xQyKT0Y

My tweets

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:18:33 GMT

Mon, 02:02: I'm looking at grad schools! I'd like to do Science and Technology Studies, but I'm giving consideration to geography and cost.

My tweets

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:18:29 GMT

Sat, 12:09: At barcamp madison, listening to a talk on living sustainably - very interesting!
Sat, 12:15: Amish produce auctions in Dalton recommended for getting cheap veggies! #madcamp

My tweets

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 17:18:17 GMT

Sat, 18:09: I'm volunteering with the recall efforts tonight!
Sat, 18:34: This call center for the recalls is amazing! Holy-grassroots-effort batman!
Sat, 20:29: So much energy and determination at the volunteer center for the August 9th Wisconsin recall elections! http://yfrog.com/gyuq7btj
Sat, 20:30: Madison recall election party on August 9th - wish I coyld go! http://yfrog.com/h0hccwjj

My tweets

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:18:25 GMT

Fri, 00:32: RT @DefendWisconsin: TOMORROW is the last day to request an "in person absentee ballot" for the Aug 9th general election. http://t.co/c9 ...

My tweets

Sat, 30 Jul 2011 17:18:22 GMT

Fri, 13:29: Fun Thing http://j.mp/rghDEz

Fun Thing

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 18:29:10 GMT

This is just about the funnest thing I've ever seen on the Internet:

seawitchery.tumblr.com/post/4070384205

My tweets

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 05:56:39 GMT

Mon, 01:43: Why not WikiAnswers? http://j.mp/n0MBgN

Why not WikiAnswers?

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 06:43:33 GMT

If you decline to open your textbook and instead copy and paste from wikianswers into your homework, your teacher may wake her household up laughing when she uses Google to translate the albanian phrase you inadvertently included: "te qifsha nanen pse nuk lexon librin"

My tweets

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 17:18:23 GMT

Sat, 12:57: What a cool idea: the front lawn #garden! http://yfrog.com/kjrm8wej sure saves time mowing!

My tweets

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:18:26 GMT

Wed, 01:03: Yay! My Linux class went well, now to convergence!

My tweets

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:47:38 GMT

Sat, 01:15: Kitten is all tired out after her workout! http://yfrog.com/kh65592741j