Our final exam will be…
Friday May 17
11:30AM - 2:30PM
in Valley Life Science Building 2050 (our regular classroom)
• You will need to bring a pen.
• You will need to bring your student ID card.
• The exam will be in the same format as the midterm. It will be a little harder than the midterm because it will be longer than the midterm and it will be cumulative (covering all class materials).
• Please do not come late.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
IN THE NEWS
• LOCAL CYBERBULLYING LEADS TO TEEN SUICIDE: A tragic local/Bay Area incident, a student in Saratoga was violated at a party and photos were being circulated around by classmates; this incident lead to her suicide. [LINK]
• ANONYMOUS GETS INVOLVED IN JUSTICE AGAINST RAPISTS: Anonymous has had recent involvement in using information and social media to bring rapists to justice. [LINK]
• U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT STEPS-IN ON 3-D PRINTED GUN: The U.S. State Department issued a notice to Defense Distributed to no longer post the schematics/data on how to print the "Liberator" - an entirely 3-D printed gun. Defense Distributed has complied, however the schematics have already been downloaded over 100,000 times. [LINK]
• PENTAGON RELEASES REPORT ON CHINA'S CYBER-ESPIONAGE CAMPAIGNS: the report for 2012 reveals pronounced efforts by the Chinese government to acquire military technology information from U.S. organizations and to collect industrial technology information from U.S. businesses and corporations [LINK]
• "COMMENT CREW" HACKER COLLECTIVE LIKELY CHINA'S "UNIT 61398" MILITARY INTELLIGENCE: Cybersecurty firm Mandiant has traced 6 years of cyberattacks by the hacker collective "Comment Crew" to China's military intelligence organization "Unit 61398" [LINK]
• 3-D PRINTED GUN "THE LIBERATOR": The organization "Defense Distributed" recently released the 3-D printing plans for "The Liberator" - a completely functional 3-D printed gun [LINK]
• BITCOINS: MESSAGES HIDDEN IN DATA: This past Monday (April 29th), users identified messages and images (hidden in hexadecimal code) in Bitcoin transaction records [LINK].
• NEW $100 BILL - VIRTUAL TOUR: A cool virtual tour of the new American $100 bill.
• FACEBOOK PHONE: April 4th, Facebook has announced the newAndroid. . . ahem. . . "Facebook Phone." And consumer audiences are already underwhelmed. And the ad parodies are flooding in:
• ANONYMOUS vs. NORTH KOREA: April 3rd, Anonymous hackers claimed to have hacked state servers for North Korea, demanding the resignation of North Korean leader Kim Jung-Un. The International Business Times article.
• SPAMHAUS ATTACK: On March 27th, the servers of the Geneva- and London-based anti-spam organization Spamhaus fell victim to one of the largest Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in known history. The primary suspect behind the attacks is the Netherlands-based hosting service Cyberbunker; Spamhaus had recenlty blocked Cyberbunker's servers. Cyberbunker has denied these allegations.
• BITCOINS - INFORMAL NATIONAL CURRENCY: In early March, the Bitcoin sold for around $45. They are now selling for $135 and higher (current all-time high of $147). By mid-March, the nation of Cyprus reached a level of "national financial crisis" - many banks shut-down. Cypriots (and many Russians who have kept their savings in Cypriot banks) have turned to using Bitcoins - removing banks and the national economy from the equation. Cyprus will soon be the first nation to have Bitcoin ATMs. Spain is now showing similar interest in Bitcoins.
• GOOGLE GLASSES: Google looks for volunteers for their Project Glass "Explorer Program" (effectively, people to beta test their epic new Google Glasses). Baidu, China's most popular search engine, has recently announced that they will release an innovative new technology: a rip-off of Google Glasses.
• SOUTH KOREA CYBER-ATTACKED: March 20th, several Korean television stations and banks had been attacked by a group using the name "The Whois Team"; many suspect North Korea or China may be involved, but recent evidence links the attacks to sources in the United States and 3 European Nations. Link: al Jazeera news article.
• THE TALLINN MANUAL: A NATO-commissioned manunal for proposed international laws for cyber warfare was recently released. This manual proposes policies for state-sponsored cyberattacks; among other things, it advises that cyberattacks should avoid targets such as hospitals, and that in some circumstances, when facing a cyber attack, retaliation with conventional weapons can be an acceptable course of action. Link from The Verge.
• WHAT THE INTERNET LOOKS LIKE: This epic free app is an amazing visualization of the Internet.
• THE F.A.A vs. THE HARLEM SHAKE: March 1st, The FAA is investigating an incident on a Frontier Airlines flight involving a college ultimate frisbee team.
• INTERNET CENSUS: A 2012 world census on Internet use, with epic graphics.
• iPHONE TRACKING TO CATCH CRIMINALS: An example of using iPhone tracking to catch a criminal in New Orleans. A related article on how to uniquely identify cellphone users.
• IRAN INTERNET CENSORSHIP: A nice graphic explaining the underlying structures behind Internet censorship in Iran.
• ANONYMOUS GETS INVOLVED IN JUSTICE AGAINST RAPISTS: Anonymous has had recent involvement in using information and social media to bring rapists to justice. [LINK]
• U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT STEPS-IN ON 3-D PRINTED GUN: The U.S. State Department issued a notice to Defense Distributed to no longer post the schematics/data on how to print the "Liberator" - an entirely 3-D printed gun. Defense Distributed has complied, however the schematics have already been downloaded over 100,000 times. [LINK]
• PENTAGON RELEASES REPORT ON CHINA'S CYBER-ESPIONAGE CAMPAIGNS: the report for 2012 reveals pronounced efforts by the Chinese government to acquire military technology information from U.S. organizations and to collect industrial technology information from U.S. businesses and corporations [LINK]
• "COMMENT CREW" HACKER COLLECTIVE LIKELY CHINA'S "UNIT 61398" MILITARY INTELLIGENCE: Cybersecurty firm Mandiant has traced 6 years of cyberattacks by the hacker collective "Comment Crew" to China's military intelligence organization "Unit 61398" [LINK]
• 3-D PRINTED GUN "THE LIBERATOR": The organization "Defense Distributed" recently released the 3-D printing plans for "The Liberator" - a completely functional 3-D printed gun [LINK]
• BITCOINS: MESSAGES HIDDEN IN DATA: This past Monday (April 29th), users identified messages and images (hidden in hexadecimal code) in Bitcoin transaction records [LINK].
• NEW $100 BILL - VIRTUAL TOUR: A cool virtual tour of the new American $100 bill.
• FACEBOOK PHONE: April 4th, Facebook has announced the new
• ANONYMOUS vs. NORTH KOREA: April 3rd, Anonymous hackers claimed to have hacked state servers for North Korea, demanding the resignation of North Korean leader Kim Jung-Un. The International Business Times article.
• SPAMHAUS ATTACK: On March 27th, the servers of the Geneva- and London-based anti-spam organization Spamhaus fell victim to one of the largest Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in known history. The primary suspect behind the attacks is the Netherlands-based hosting service Cyberbunker; Spamhaus had recenlty blocked Cyberbunker's servers. Cyberbunker has denied these allegations.
• BITCOINS - INFORMAL NATIONAL CURRENCY: In early March, the Bitcoin sold for around $45. They are now selling for $135 and higher (current all-time high of $147). By mid-March, the nation of Cyprus reached a level of "national financial crisis" - many banks shut-down. Cypriots (and many Russians who have kept their savings in Cypriot banks) have turned to using Bitcoins - removing banks and the national economy from the equation. Cyprus will soon be the first nation to have Bitcoin ATMs. Spain is now showing similar interest in Bitcoins.
• GOOGLE GLASSES: Google looks for volunteers for their Project Glass "Explorer Program" (effectively, people to beta test their epic new Google Glasses). Baidu, China's most popular search engine, has recently announced that they will release an innovative new technology: a rip-off of Google Glasses.
• SOUTH KOREA CYBER-ATTACKED: March 20th, several Korean television stations and banks had been attacked by a group using the name "The Whois Team"; many suspect North Korea or China may be involved, but recent evidence links the attacks to sources in the United States and 3 European Nations. Link: al Jazeera news article.
• THE TALLINN MANUAL: A NATO-commissioned manunal for proposed international laws for cyber warfare was recently released. This manual proposes policies for state-sponsored cyberattacks; among other things, it advises that cyberattacks should avoid targets such as hospitals, and that in some circumstances, when facing a cyber attack, retaliation with conventional weapons can be an acceptable course of action. Link from The Verge.
• WHAT THE INTERNET LOOKS LIKE: This epic free app is an amazing visualization of the Internet.
• THE F.A.A vs. THE HARLEM SHAKE: March 1st, The FAA is investigating an incident on a Frontier Airlines flight involving a college ultimate frisbee team.
• INTERNET CENSUS: A 2012 world census on Internet use, with epic graphics.
• iPHONE TRACKING TO CATCH CRIMINALS: An example of using iPhone tracking to catch a criminal in New Orleans. A related article on how to uniquely identify cellphone users.
• IRAN INTERNET CENSORSHIP: A nice graphic explaining the underlying structures behind Internet censorship in Iran.
WEB 3.0
AUGMENTED REALITY
Moosejaw X-Ray App from Gary Wohlfeill on Vimeo.
AUGMENTED REALITY TOUCH INTERFACE
TOUCHSCREEN INTERFACE (YOU CAN USE PAPER) [DigInfo LINK]
AUGMENTED REALITY "OBJECTS"
AUGMENTED REALITY BUSINESS CARD
Hewlett-Packard develops a "glasses free" holographic display [LINK].
GOOGLE'S "PROJECT GLASS"
"TRANSCENDENZ" - A fictional film by Michaël Harboun
Transcendenz from Michaël Harboun on Vimeo.
THE LYTRO "PLENOPTIC" CAMERA
Start here. Get to know the basics. from Lytro on Vimeo.
TUPAC "HOLOGRAPHIC" PERFORMANCE
HATSUNE MIKU "HOLOGRAPHIC" CONCERT
Interview with Autodesk (3-D printer company) CEO Carl Bass [LINK]
The OMOTE 3D "Photobooth"
3D PRINTING
THE 3D PRINTSHOW, LONDON 2012
Researchers at Heriot-Watt University develop a stem cell 3-D printer to "print" living tissues [LINK].
In the United States, many regulated firearms merely have certain components regulated. With 3-D printing technology, people are already printing the regulated parts, enabling them to possess and produce (un)regulated firearms: PopSci articles on the company "Defense Distributed" which is offering the 3-D data for controlled firearms components [LINK].
"THE LIBERATOR" - a completely 3-D printed gun [LINK]
3D printing handcuff keys [LINK].
Moosejaw X-Ray App from Gary Wohlfeill on Vimeo.
AUGMENTED REALITY TOUCH INTERFACE
TOUCHSCREEN INTERFACE (YOU CAN USE PAPER) [DigInfo LINK]
AUGMENTED REALITY "OBJECTS"
AUGMENTED REALITY BUSINESS CARD
Hewlett-Packard develops a "glasses free" holographic display [LINK].
GOOGLE'S "PROJECT GLASS"
"TRANSCENDENZ" - A fictional film by Michaël Harboun
Transcendenz from Michaël Harboun on Vimeo.
THE LYTRO "PLENOPTIC" CAMERA
Start here. Get to know the basics. from Lytro on Vimeo.
TUPAC "HOLOGRAPHIC" PERFORMANCE
HATSUNE MIKU "HOLOGRAPHIC" CONCERT
Interview with Autodesk (3-D printer company) CEO Carl Bass [LINK]
The OMOTE 3D "Photobooth"
3D PRINTING
THE 3D PRINTSHOW, LONDON 2012
Researchers at Heriot-Watt University develop a stem cell 3-D printer to "print" living tissues [LINK].
In the United States, many regulated firearms merely have certain components regulated. With 3-D printing technology, people are already printing the regulated parts, enabling them to possess and produce (un)regulated firearms: PopSci articles on the company "Defense Distributed" which is offering the 3-D data for controlled firearms components [LINK].
"THE LIBERATOR" - a completely 3-D printed gun [LINK]
3D printing handcuff keys [LINK].
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
• Edutopia's "A Short History of the Digital Divide" [LINK].
• DataSpheric's description of - and statistics on - the "digital divide" LINK].
• World Internet Usage Statistics [LINK].
• The One Laptop Per Child program - utilizing the OX laptop [LINK].
• The ICTP Digital Divide Simulator - allows you to see what low/poor bandwidth is like [LINK].
• Information on the Digital Access Index [LINK].
• The Europe Information Society's pages on "digital inclusion" projects [LINK] und [LINK].
• Internet for Everyone.org - a program to promote broadband access in the United States [LINK].
• DataSpheric's description of - and statistics on - the "digital divide" LINK].
• World Internet Usage Statistics [LINK].
• The One Laptop Per Child program - utilizing the OX laptop [LINK].
• The ICTP Digital Divide Simulator - allows you to see what low/poor bandwidth is like [LINK].
• Information on the Digital Access Index [LINK].
• The Europe Information Society's pages on "digital inclusion" projects [LINK] und [LINK].
• Internet for Everyone.org - a program to promote broadband access in the United States [LINK].
8-BIT CULTURE
(image from Make Magazine)
8-Bit Music
• 8-Bit Peoples - a site dedicated to a number of chiptune composers [LINK].
• 8-Bit Weapon - renowned chiptune composer [LINK].
• Anamanaguchi - 8-bit musician, releases a new single each week [LINK].
• Amelie Poulain Plays Korg DS - 8-Bit remake of the "Amelie" theme-song [LINK].
• 8-Bit "Tron Legacy" remix by 8-Bit Weapon:
• 8-Bit - another of the great chiptunes composers [LINK].
• Beck "Gameboy Homeboy" and "Bad Cartridge" 8-Bit remixes and videos [LINK and LINK].
• Europe's Blip Festival - a chiptune music extravaganza [LINK].
• 8-Bitone chiptune music application for the iPhone (make your own chiptunes without having to tear apart a Gameboy!) [LINK].
• Video of how a Gameboy chiptune is composed:
• Interview with chiptune composer Nullsleep:
8-Bit Miscellany
• A photo gallery of Japan's Nintendo Museum [LINK].
• A great 8-Bit Halloween Costume [LINK].
• Mario Adventure - hacking "Mario" Gameboy code to create an entirely new "Mario Bros" game (requires an NES emulator - available online free) [LINK].
• Console Wars Veterans medals [LINK].
• 8-Bit Wristwatch [LINK].
"Pixels" by Patrick Jean:
• BabyCastles - the rocking 8-bit website experience by Josephs Salina [LINK].
• Röyksopp's "Happy Up Here" music video (not chiptune music, but using Atari "Space Invaders" characters in the video) [LINK].
• L.A.-based artist and jeweler Han Cholo has released a number of 8-Bit inspired pendants ("Space Invaders") [LINK].
• Miscellaneous 8-Bit artworks and products [LINK].
• "Invaded Space" photographic artworks that incorporate 8-Bit imagery into photos of modern warfare [LINK].
• The (online) Atari Museum [LINK].
• A gallery of cloth patches you could win by getting a high score on Activision console games in the early 1980's [LINK].
• "Demakes" of modern video games into 8-Bit and 16-Bit games by Junkboy [LINK].
• Aled Lewis's cool 8-bit artworks [LINK].
• "PacMan Highway" by NotWorkingFilms:
For Those of You Looking to Experience Early 8-Bit Video Games:
1). To start with, you will need an "Atari 2600 Emulator." The Stella emulator is the best, it works on Mac and PC, and it's free.
2). Download Stella (the "Binary DMG" for MacOSX or the "Binary exe/ZIP" for Windows depending upon your computer).
3). For Mac: download the application, put it in your applications folder. For PC: get a Mac.
4). On your computer, make a folder somewhere called "Atari 2600 Games," or something similar.
5). Go to Atari Age - download the ".BIN" files of the games you want to play (just click on the name of the game in the long list of games), put these downloaded ".BIN" files in your "Atari 2600 Games" folder.
6). Open Stella, it will first give you a directory window where you can search for your "Atari 2600 Games" folder on your computer. Find the folder, open it, and then select the ".BIN" file of the game you want to play.
7a). Play the game. Or . . .
7b). SETTING UP YOUR GAME CONTROLS/KEYPAD: on a Mac, click your "TAB" key and a menu window will open in Stella. Click on the "Input Settings" button in the menu. A window will open that should look something like this:
• Play "Where's an Egg" - there are no directions, but the game is simple: find out who has the egg and shoot them. Ask suspects about the egg (some will lie, some will not) - they will tell you a correct combination of person, place, and object (or not) [LINK].
• Jason Rohrer's "Passage" [LINK] and "Gravitation" [LINK].
• Molle Industria's "Every Day the Same Dream" [LINK]
• Videlectrix - they make (really fun) new games that have the appearance of old (Generation 2) video games [LINK].
• Jason Rohrer is perhaps one of the most well acclaimed creators of modern 8-Bit games. A number of his games are free on his website; I recommend trying a couple [LINK].
• Mark Essen is renowned for making modern 8-bit games, often with incredibly fun gameplay (take a look at his videos) [LINK].
• Mark Essen's game "Turbo-Turbo-Turbo" can be played on the Adult Swim website [LINK].
• Ian Bogost's 8-bit poem/game "A Slow Year" (you will have to buy this one) [LINK].
• Pica-Pic has a beautiful gallery of retro handheld games (old LCD display games) which you can play online in Flash format [LINK].
• Games You Should Play has a nice directory and gallery of new 8-bit games worth playing [LINK]. • This is not an 8-Bit game, but you should totally play it if you haven't yet - "flOw" by Jenova Chen [LINK].
CHINESE INTERNET CENSORSHIP PROTEST
• A nice glossary of Chinese Internet Terminology [LINK].
The Baidu (Baike) Mythical Creatures
• Wikipedia overview of the 10 Baidu Mythical Creatures [LINK].
• The Grass Mud Horse - China Digital Times article [LINK], the New York Times article [LINK], and the Know Your Meme article [LINK] . . . there are even T-Shirts [LINK].
• The Video/Song about the Grass Mud Horse (some may find the language offensive):
"Very Erotic, Very Violent"
• The Wikipedia description of the news and cultural materials surrounding this meme [LINK].
The "River Crab"
• Wikipedia article with simple explanation of the meaning behind "River Crab" [LINK].
• China Digital Times articles on the River Crab [LINK].
The Baidu (Baike) Mythical Creatures
• Wikipedia overview of the 10 Baidu Mythical Creatures [LINK].
• The Grass Mud Horse - China Digital Times article [LINK], the New York Times article [LINK], and the Know Your Meme article [LINK] . . . there are even T-Shirts [LINK].
• The Video/Song about the Grass Mud Horse (some may find the language offensive):
"Very Erotic, Very Violent"
• The Wikipedia description of the news and cultural materials surrounding this meme [LINK].
The "River Crab"
• Wikipedia article with simple explanation of the meaning behind "River Crab" [LINK].
• China Digital Times articles on the River Crab [LINK].
DATING, ROMANCE, PORNOGRAPHY, AND PREDATION
INTERNET PREDATORS
• Janis Wolak, et al. "Internet Predators and Their 'Victims': Myths, Realities, and Implications for Prevention and Treatment" [downloadable PDF article LINK].
• An overview of Internet (Child) Pornography "Statistics Laundering" - a brilliant study of the sources and perpetuators of incorrect information regarding predators and child pornography on the Internet [LINK].
• Bruce Schneier "Fear of Internet Predators Largely Unfounded" [LINK].
• Seth Lubove (Forbes.com) "Sex, Lies and Statistics" [LINK].
• SF Gate's Violet Blue "The Child Porn Lie (and Other Hits)" [LINK].
PORNOGRAPHY AND THE INTERNET
• From the Journal of Adolescent Research: Jason Carroll, et al. "Generation XXX: Pornography Acceptance and Use Among Emerging Adults" (2007) [JSTOR article - must be on Berkeley campus to download] [LINK].
• The Business Insider "Google: Louisville, KY Is the Most Obscene City in the U.S." (2008) [LINK].
• Interview with (in)famous SIMS cyber-brothel prostitute/madam Evangeline (language and content may be offensive) [LINK].
• "Using Video Games as Avatar Systems for Cybersex" (language and content may be offensive) [LINK].
• Margaret Talbot (The New Yorker) article "Red Sex, Blue Sex" - about the correlation between religion, income, education and sexual conduct [LINK].
CENSORSHIP, PERSECUTION, AND SCAMS
• No Clean Feed - Stop Internet censorship in Australia [LINK].
• "Extreme Pornography" Laws in the United Kingdom - "When Does Kinky Porn Become Illegal?" [BBC News LINK].
• The Davenport Lyons/DigiProtect "Witch Hunt" involving threatened prosecution of people illegally downloading (gay pornographic) films from (media piracy) file-sharing websites [LINK], and LINK].
• The State of Connecticut vs. Julie Amero [LINK]; and Julie Amero's blog chronicling the fiasco [LINK].
• Lawsuits against Jason Fortuny for his "Craigslist Experiment" involving posting a fake singles ad, then publishing online the nude photographs and personal information about the men who responded [LINK, LINK, and LINK]
• The Consumerist sting operation that caught employees of the "Geek Squad" stealing personal/pornographic materials from customers' computers [LINK].
ONLINE ROMANCE AND DATING
• Current statistics on dating websites [LINK]
• A study of female online daters [LINK]
• Janis Wolak, et al. "Internet Predators and Their 'Victims': Myths, Realities, and Implications for Prevention and Treatment" [downloadable PDF article LINK].
• An overview of Internet (Child) Pornography "Statistics Laundering" - a brilliant study of the sources and perpetuators of incorrect information regarding predators and child pornography on the Internet [LINK].
• Bruce Schneier "Fear of Internet Predators Largely Unfounded" [LINK].
• Seth Lubove (Forbes.com) "Sex, Lies and Statistics" [LINK].
• SF Gate's Violet Blue "The Child Porn Lie (and Other Hits)" [LINK].
PORNOGRAPHY AND THE INTERNET
• From the Journal of Adolescent Research: Jason Carroll, et al. "Generation XXX: Pornography Acceptance and Use Among Emerging Adults" (2007) [JSTOR article - must be on Berkeley campus to download] [LINK].
• The Business Insider "Google: Louisville, KY Is the Most Obscene City in the U.S." (2008) [LINK].
• Interview with (in)famous SIMS cyber-brothel prostitute/madam Evangeline (language and content may be offensive) [LINK].
• "Using Video Games as Avatar Systems for Cybersex" (language and content may be offensive) [LINK].
• Margaret Talbot (The New Yorker) article "Red Sex, Blue Sex" - about the correlation between religion, income, education and sexual conduct [LINK].
CENSORSHIP, PERSECUTION, AND SCAMS
• No Clean Feed - Stop Internet censorship in Australia [LINK].
• "Extreme Pornography" Laws in the United Kingdom - "When Does Kinky Porn Become Illegal?" [BBC News LINK].
• The Davenport Lyons/DigiProtect "Witch Hunt" involving threatened prosecution of people illegally downloading (gay pornographic) films from (media piracy) file-sharing websites [LINK], and LINK].
• The State of Connecticut vs. Julie Amero [LINK]; and Julie Amero's blog chronicling the fiasco [LINK].
• Lawsuits against Jason Fortuny for his "Craigslist Experiment" involving posting a fake singles ad, then publishing online the nude photographs and personal information about the men who responded [LINK, LINK, and LINK]
• The Consumerist sting operation that caught employees of the "Geek Squad" stealing personal/pornographic materials from customers' computers [LINK].
ONLINE ROMANCE AND DATING
• Current statistics on dating websites [LINK]
• A study of female online daters [LINK]
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
ASSIGNMENT #3 - VIDEO COMPETITION
THE ASSIGNMENT:
The objective of this assignment: a hands-on experience in producing and advertising a video online, in a competitive arena. This is the best way to understand the participatory and competitive nature of Internet media.
THE RULES:
• Each team will create a 1 minute (max) video and post it on YouTube (NOT Vimeo or any other video site), on APRIL 10th (NOT before, NOT after). Each team will post their video (in embedded format) on their team website.
• Teams that receives more than 2,500 hits on their video by the end of the semester will receive an "A" on the assignment. Epic win.
• The team that receives the highest number of hits among the class videos will receive an awesome prize. And will be worshipped.
• The video must be made of original content: NO materials filmed before March 20th, 2012, NO TV clips, NO movie clips, NO video games (or anything else that you did not generate yourself). The subject/content of your video must be original: NO parodies, NO satires, NO spoofs of anything else, NO recycled materials. Your video has to be entirely new content: NO current events, NO news, NO trends, etc.
• You may use copyrighted music, but you risk being edited (muted) by YouTube or the copyright holder = less views/hits.
• Play fair: NO animals or children/babies. Way too easy. And the new additional rule: you can't use the words "Norwegian" "Girls" "Pillow Fight" or "Women/Woman" in the video title.
• NO pranks or offensive or explicit materials. Anyone appearing in the video must give consent/permission.
• Nothing illegal.
• All aspects of these videos must be created by team members only - no use of outside parties in the production or distribution of your videos. You cannot enlist others to distribute your video for you, nor can you use any form of pay advertisement. You can, however, post/advertise your video on websites or any other medium you see fit.
• Teams cannot take any measures to affect the rating of another team's video. Teams cannot utilize illicit measures to increase the number of hits on their video (e.g. - "click fraud" or anything similar).
The objective of this assignment: a hands-on experience in producing and advertising a video online, in a competitive arena. This is the best way to understand the participatory and competitive nature of Internet media.
THE RULES:
• Each team will create a 1 minute (max) video and post it on YouTube (NOT Vimeo or any other video site), on APRIL 10th (NOT before, NOT after). Each team will post their video (in embedded format) on their team website.
• Teams that receives more than 2,500 hits on their video by the end of the semester will receive an "A" on the assignment. Epic win.
• The team that receives the highest number of hits among the class videos will receive an awesome prize. And will be worshipped.
• The video must be made of original content: NO materials filmed before March 20th, 2012, NO TV clips, NO movie clips, NO video games (or anything else that you did not generate yourself). The subject/content of your video must be original: NO parodies, NO satires, NO spoofs of anything else, NO recycled materials. Your video has to be entirely new content: NO current events, NO news, NO trends, etc.
• You may use copyrighted music, but you risk being edited (muted) by YouTube or the copyright holder = less views/hits.
• Play fair: NO animals or children/babies. Way too easy. And the new additional rule: you can't use the words "Norwegian" "Girls" "Pillow Fight" or "Women/Woman" in the video title.
• NO pranks or offensive or explicit materials. Anyone appearing in the video must give consent/permission.
• Nothing illegal.
• All aspects of these videos must be created by team members only - no use of outside parties in the production or distribution of your videos. You cannot enlist others to distribute your video for you, nor can you use any form of pay advertisement. You can, however, post/advertise your video on websites or any other medium you see fit.
• Teams cannot take any measures to affect the rating of another team's video. Teams cannot utilize illicit measures to increase the number of hits on their video (e.g. - "click fraud" or anything similar).
VIRTUAL CRIME
• A list of some of the more interesting recent virtual crimes [LINK].
• New York Times article on trolling [LINK].
• Megan Meier [LINK, LINK, LINK].
• The SIM Mafia - virtual vigilantes [LINK].
• The Maplestory Murder [LINK and LINK].
• The Second Life Stalker [LINK].
• The Runescape Mugging [LINK].
• The Dragon Sabre Murder [LINK, LINK].
• The Habbo Hotel Robbery [LINK, LINK, LINK].
• Interview with (in)famous SIMS cyber-brothel prostitute/madam Evangeline (language and content may be offensive) [LINK].
• The "Lineage II" Mugging Crime-Spree [LINK].
• "Gold Farming" Sweatshops in China [Article LINK, Article LINK, Paper LINK]. Related article: Virtual Economy in 'Second Life': [LINK].
Video sample of a documentary on "Goldfarming":
• New York Times article on trolling [LINK].
• Megan Meier [LINK, LINK, LINK].
• The SIM Mafia - virtual vigilantes [LINK].
• The Maplestory Murder [LINK and LINK].
• The Second Life Stalker [LINK].
• The Runescape Mugging [LINK].
• The Dragon Sabre Murder [LINK, LINK].
• The Habbo Hotel Robbery [LINK, LINK, LINK].
• Interview with (in)famous SIMS cyber-brothel prostitute/madam Evangeline (language and content may be offensive) [LINK].
• The "Lineage II" Mugging Crime-Spree [LINK].
• "Gold Farming" Sweatshops in China [Article LINK, Article LINK, Paper LINK]. Related article: Virtual Economy in 'Second Life': [LINK].
Video sample of a documentary on "Goldfarming":
419 SCAMS
• The Federal Trade Commission's "Operation Short Change" - an effort to stop scams within the United States [LINK].
• The "Life Cycle of a 419 Scam" [LINK].
• "I Go Chop Your Dollar" lyrics [LINK].
Scam-bating: Revenge Against 419 Scammers
• 419 Baiter Galleries (some materials may be offensive) [LINK].
• 419 Eater, and their Hall of Shame (some materials may be offensive).
• Ebola Monkey Man - professional scam-baiter (some material may be offensive) [LINK].
• Odd-O-Rama's list of some of the funnier scam-baiting incidents [LINK].
• Buy the book: "Scam-O-Rama: Turning the Tables on Email Scammers" by Eve Edelson [Amazon.com LINK].
• The "Life Cycle of a 419 Scam" [LINK].
• "I Go Chop Your Dollar" lyrics [LINK].
Scam-bating: Revenge Against 419 Scammers
• 419 Baiter Galleries (some materials may be offensive) [LINK].
• 419 Eater, and their Hall of Shame (some materials may be offensive).
• Ebola Monkey Man - professional scam-baiter (some material may be offensive) [LINK].
• Odd-O-Rama's list of some of the funnier scam-baiting incidents [LINK].
• Buy the book: "Scam-O-Rama: Turning the Tables on Email Scammers" by Eve Edelson [Amazon.com LINK].
INTERNET HUMOR
A LIST OF POPULAR SITES THAT FOCUS ON HUMOR (INTENTIONAL OR ACCIDENTAL)
• A recent publication of the "World's Oldest Ten Jokes" found by a University of Wolverhampton study [LINK].
• Greg Rutter's "Definitive List of 99 Things" that you should have already experienced on the Internet - a collection of perhaps the 99 most popular internet "memes," most of which are humor based [LINK].
• 5 Second Films - funny as hell [LINK].
• "Sleeveface" - the trend of incorporating record album covers into portrait photos [LINK].
• "tryork5ifp" - an eBay seller/buyer famous for some of the funniest "buyer feedback" comments ever, take a look [LINK].
• "Rathergood" - an early Web 2.0 site dedicated to making absurd/odd flash videos [LINK], particularly known for their video/song "We Like the Moon" [LINK], which was later picked up by Quizno's Subs as an ad campaign.
• "Real Ultimate Power" - an early Web 2.0 site written by a fictitious boy named "Robert Hamburger," the site focusses/obsesses on Ninjas, including an extensive collection of user-submitted photos [LINK]; this site is also known for its Hate Mail section - emails sent by angry readers who failed to understand that this site is a satire.
• The infamous "LOLCats" site "I Can Has Cheezburger?" [LINK], and a "LOLCat builder" online application [LINK].
• A general web-based "macro" creating application [LINK].
• Continuing in the practice of "macro" framed jokes such as LOLCats, "MemeGenerator" has been a popular online application for making "formulated" macros [NOTE: Many of the user-submitted macros may be considered offensive, and several of the macro templates on this site could be considered offensive for many reasons. View at your own risk.] [LINK].
• Despair.com's "Demotivator" generator [LINK], and a gallery of "Demotivated" photos [LINK].
• "Engrish" - a popular user-submitted gallery of incorrect/comical use of English by foreign cultures [LINK].
• "Animals with Lightsabers" - a collection of photos and videos of animals with . . . lightsabers [LINK].
• "241543903" the Internet "Sociological Experiment" proposed by David Horvitz earlier this year - take a photograph of your head inside a freezer, post it on the internet, and label it with the cryptic number "241543903" [LINK]. The subsequent Flickr photo collection of the results: [LINK].
• "Rick Rolling" - the infamous bad joke of luring others into seeing this heinous 1987 Rick Astley music video [LINK].
• "Fail Blog" - the infamous collection of images and people who have "failed" [LINK].
• "Stuff on My Cat" - a user-submitted photo gallery of cats . . . with stuff on them [LINK].
• "Cake Wrecks" - a working collection of horrific professional cakes [LINK].
• "Happiest People Ever!" - a working collection of images of "unhappy" people [LINK].
• "Asleep on the Subway" - a working collection of images of people asleep on the New York subways [LINK].
• "Awkward Family Photos" - a popular working collection of aesthetically "odd" portrait photos [LINK].
• "Emails from Crazy People" - a collection of unsettling and humorous emails [LINK].
• "XKCD" - a current popular web-based comic [LINK].
• "Worth 1000" - a website dedicated to Photoshop artwork contests, the competitions are often humorous [LINK].
• "Look at This F*&#ing Hipster" - a site dedicated to making fun of young "hipster" culture [LINK].
• "People of Wal*Mart" - a user-submitted collection of odd people seen in Wal*Mart stores [LINK].
• "Lamebook" - a user-submitted gallery of Facebook mishaps [LINK].
• "This Is Why You're Fat" - a website dedicated to heinously unhealthy foods [LINK].
• "Found Magazine" - a user-submitted collection of found notes and photos [LINK].
• "Chuck Norris Facts" - a popular user-submitted site, focussing on the glory of actor Chuck Norris (published as a book a few years ago) [LINK].
• "LOLJK" - a gallery of LOLJK pictures/jokes [LINK].
• A recent publication of the "World's Oldest Ten Jokes" found by a University of Wolverhampton study [LINK].
• Greg Rutter's "Definitive List of 99 Things" that you should have already experienced on the Internet - a collection of perhaps the 99 most popular internet "memes," most of which are humor based [LINK].
• 5 Second Films - funny as hell [LINK].
• "Sleeveface" - the trend of incorporating record album covers into portrait photos [LINK].
• "tryork5ifp" - an eBay seller/buyer famous for some of the funniest "buyer feedback" comments ever, take a look [LINK].
• "Rathergood" - an early Web 2.0 site dedicated to making absurd/odd flash videos [LINK], particularly known for their video/song "We Like the Moon" [LINK], which was later picked up by Quizno's Subs as an ad campaign.
• "Real Ultimate Power" - an early Web 2.0 site written by a fictitious boy named "Robert Hamburger," the site focusses/obsesses on Ninjas, including an extensive collection of user-submitted photos [LINK]; this site is also known for its Hate Mail section - emails sent by angry readers who failed to understand that this site is a satire.
• The infamous "LOLCats" site "I Can Has Cheezburger?" [LINK], and a "LOLCat builder" online application [LINK].
• A general web-based "macro" creating application [LINK].
• Continuing in the practice of "macro" framed jokes such as LOLCats, "MemeGenerator" has been a popular online application for making "formulated" macros [NOTE: Many of the user-submitted macros may be considered offensive, and several of the macro templates on this site could be considered offensive for many reasons. View at your own risk.] [LINK].
• Despair.com's "Demotivator" generator [LINK], and a gallery of "Demotivated" photos [LINK].
• "Engrish" - a popular user-submitted gallery of incorrect/comical use of English by foreign cultures [LINK].
• "Animals with Lightsabers" - a collection of photos and videos of animals with . . . lightsabers [LINK].
• "241543903" the Internet "Sociological Experiment" proposed by David Horvitz earlier this year - take a photograph of your head inside a freezer, post it on the internet, and label it with the cryptic number "241543903" [LINK]. The subsequent Flickr photo collection of the results: [LINK].
• "Rick Rolling" - the infamous bad joke of luring others into seeing this heinous 1987 Rick Astley music video [LINK].
• "Fail Blog" - the infamous collection of images and people who have "failed" [LINK].
• "Stuff on My Cat" - a user-submitted photo gallery of cats . . . with stuff on them [LINK].
• "Cake Wrecks" - a working collection of horrific professional cakes [LINK].
• "Happiest People Ever!" - a working collection of images of "unhappy" people [LINK].
• "Asleep on the Subway" - a working collection of images of people asleep on the New York subways [LINK].
• "Awkward Family Photos" - a popular working collection of aesthetically "odd" portrait photos [LINK].
• "Emails from Crazy People" - a collection of unsettling and humorous emails [LINK].
• "XKCD" - a current popular web-based comic [LINK].
• "Worth 1000" - a website dedicated to Photoshop artwork contests, the competitions are often humorous [LINK].
• "Look at This F*&#ing Hipster" - a site dedicated to making fun of young "hipster" culture [LINK].
• "People of Wal*Mart" - a user-submitted collection of odd people seen in Wal*Mart stores [LINK].
• "Lamebook" - a user-submitted gallery of Facebook mishaps [LINK].
• "This Is Why You're Fat" - a website dedicated to heinously unhealthy foods [LINK].
• "Found Magazine" - a user-submitted collection of found notes and photos [LINK].
• "Chuck Norris Facts" - a popular user-submitted site, focussing on the glory of actor Chuck Norris (published as a book a few years ago) [LINK].
• "LOLJK" - a gallery of LOLJK pictures/jokes [LINK].
PUBLISHING and INFORMATION
Personal/Important Information About You on the Internet
• Robert L. Mitchell's "What the Web Knows About You" - a terrifying look at how much personal information is readily available on the Internet [LINK].
• Enayati, Amanda "My Relentless Pursuit of the Guy Who Robbed Me - utilizing information sources to solve a crime and identify the perpetrator, Salon [LINK].
• WikiLeaks - one of the many "mirrors" of the original site.
• 9-EYES - a gallery of images of humanity, from Google Streetview.
• Internet Eyes - a new service from Devon, England: user-based monitoring of security cameras.
• Using Google Earth to identify surface-to-air missile sites around the globe [LINK].
• Aaron Zinman's "Personas" name search engine - it creates summaries of Internet references of full names [LINK].
• Identify the location of someone's IP address, find the IP address associated with an email address [LINK].
Interesting/Obscure Information Resources on the Internet
• The Standard Operating Procedure Manuals for the International Space Station [LINK].
• CrimeReports.com - a map displaying recent reported crimes, in your neighborhood or anywhere in the country [LINK].
• The Timeline of Knowledge - a timeline of the history of recording information (including natural/biological means for recording information, such as DNA) [LINK].
• "The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments" from the 1960's is no longer in print and has been "banned" from libraries because it contains chemistry experiments that are deemed as "dangerous" by current standards of safety (often viewed as "idiot-proofing" our society); however, this book is being perpetuated across the Internet in downloadable PDF format by a number of sites [LINK].
Some General Materials about the "Blogosphere"
• Tim O'Reilly's "Bloggers Code of Conduct" [LINK].
• A visual representation of the "Blogosphere" as of 2007 [LINK].
• The Twingly screensaver is a (geographic) visualization of the "blogosphere" [LINK]:
THE INTERESTING WORLD/POWER OF SELF-PUBLISHING
• "Pomplamoose" - a local (Corte Madera) self-produced band (Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn), their website [LINK], and YouTube page [LINK].
• Justin Hall's current form of "Justin's Links from the Underground" - attributed with being the first Internet blog (in the form they exist today) [LINK].
• "The Sneeze" - one of the best original content blogs [LINK], famous (earlier) for his "Steve, Don't Eat It!" series [LINK].
• Jaimie Mantzel is making a huge robot; YouTube page [LINK] and his website [LINK].
• "Lonelygirl15" - the first video [LINK].
• The Monkey Chow Diaries - a man chronicles his experience with subsisting only on ZuPream "Monkey Chow" [LINK].
PUBLIC SHAMING/PROTEST
• Evan Guttman's Stolen Sidekick webpage [LINK], and his original webpage [LINK].
• Korea's Gae-ttong-nyue ("Dog Poo Girl") [LINK].
• "People Who Sit in the Disability Seats When I'm Standing on My Crutches.com" [LINK]. • San Francisco photographer harassed by security guards [LINK].
• The broken laptop sold by Amir Tofangsazan, what remains of the first post [LINK], personal information extracted from the hard drive [LINK], an ultimatum [LINK], and the site today [LINK].
• "Sorry Mom (I Bang the Worst Dudes)" [LINK].
• Using Twitter as a medium for consumer complaint [LINK] (for example, Heather Armstrong vs. Maytag [LINK]).
• "Comcast Must Die" [LINK], expanded to "Customer Circus" [LINK].
• "Control Your Info" - a movement dedicated to informing people about the vulnerability of their online information/accounts [LINK]; their most recent stunt: hijacking over 200 Facebook groups [LINK].
• Robert L. Mitchell's "What the Web Knows About You" - a terrifying look at how much personal information is readily available on the Internet [LINK].
• Enayati, Amanda "My Relentless Pursuit of the Guy Who Robbed Me - utilizing information sources to solve a crime and identify the perpetrator, Salon [LINK].
• WikiLeaks - one of the many "mirrors" of the original site.
• 9-EYES - a gallery of images of humanity, from Google Streetview.
• Internet Eyes - a new service from Devon, England: user-based monitoring of security cameras.
• Using Google Earth to identify surface-to-air missile sites around the globe [LINK].
• Aaron Zinman's "Personas" name search engine - it creates summaries of Internet references of full names [LINK].
• Identify the location of someone's IP address, find the IP address associated with an email address [LINK].
Interesting/Obscure Information Resources on the Internet
• The Standard Operating Procedure Manuals for the International Space Station [LINK].
• CrimeReports.com - a map displaying recent reported crimes, in your neighborhood or anywhere in the country [LINK].
• The Timeline of Knowledge - a timeline of the history of recording information (including natural/biological means for recording information, such as DNA) [LINK].
• "The Golden Book of Chemistry Experiments" from the 1960's is no longer in print and has been "banned" from libraries because it contains chemistry experiments that are deemed as "dangerous" by current standards of safety (often viewed as "idiot-proofing" our society); however, this book is being perpetuated across the Internet in downloadable PDF format by a number of sites [LINK].
Some General Materials about the "Blogosphere"
• Tim O'Reilly's "Bloggers Code of Conduct" [LINK].
• A visual representation of the "Blogosphere" as of 2007 [LINK].
• The Twingly screensaver is a (geographic) visualization of the "blogosphere" [LINK]:
THE INTERESTING WORLD/POWER OF SELF-PUBLISHING
• "Pomplamoose" - a local (Corte Madera) self-produced band (Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn), their website [LINK], and YouTube page [LINK].
• Justin Hall's current form of "Justin's Links from the Underground" - attributed with being the first Internet blog (in the form they exist today) [LINK].
• "The Sneeze" - one of the best original content blogs [LINK], famous (earlier) for his "Steve, Don't Eat It!" series [LINK].
• Jaimie Mantzel is making a huge robot; YouTube page [LINK] and his website [LINK].
• "Lonelygirl15" - the first video [LINK].
• The Monkey Chow Diaries - a man chronicles his experience with subsisting only on ZuPream "Monkey Chow" [LINK].
PUBLIC SHAMING/PROTEST
• Evan Guttman's Stolen Sidekick webpage [LINK], and his original webpage [LINK].
• Korea's Gae-ttong-nyue ("Dog Poo Girl") [LINK].
• "People Who Sit in the Disability Seats When I'm Standing on My Crutches.com" [LINK]. • San Francisco photographer harassed by security guards [LINK].
• The broken laptop sold by Amir Tofangsazan, what remains of the first post [LINK], personal information extracted from the hard drive [LINK], an ultimatum [LINK], and the site today [LINK].
• "Sorry Mom (I Bang the Worst Dudes)" [LINK].
• Using Twitter as a medium for consumer complaint [LINK] (for example, Heather Armstrong vs. Maytag [LINK]).
• "Comcast Must Die" [LINK], expanded to "Customer Circus" [LINK].
• "Control Your Info" - a movement dedicated to informing people about the vulnerability of their online information/accounts [LINK]; their most recent stunt: hijacking over 200 Facebook groups [LINK].
BITCOINS
A nice brief video describing bitcoins:
BITCOIN BASICS
• The original "White Paper" by Satoshi Nakamoto, describing the design of the Bitcoin Currency System [PDF LINK]
• The site where you can download the bitcoin client software - if you want to try this currency system [LINK].
• Bitcoin Me - general information about bitcoins [LINK].
• Wired UK overview of bitcoins [LINK].
• Watch the bitcoin market fluctuate at Bitcoin Charts [LINK].
• Scan all the transaction records of bitcoin exchanges on Bitcoin Block Explorer [LINK].
• A detailed work examining bitcoin theft and user anonymity [LINK].
BITCOIN CURRENCY EXCHANGES
• Mt. Gox - the (currently) largest bitcoin exchange, based in Japan [LINK].
• Information about the Mt. Gox bitcoin currency exchange [LINK].
• Trade Hill - a new bitcoin currency exchange based in Chile [LINK].
BITCOIN NEWS
• February 2011, the bitcoin reaches parity with the U.S. Dollar for the first time [LINK].
• A Daily Tech article on bitcoins and a significant drop in value in June 2011 [LINK].
• "Rough Trades: Digital Derivatives Hit the Bitcoin Markets as Wall Street Bankers Take Interest," by Adrianne Jeffers for Beta Beat [LINK].
• "Man Says He Lost $500,000 in Virtual Currency Heist" by Dan Goodin for The Register [LINK].
• "Bitcoin Stealing Malware Found, But How to Secure Your Wallet?" in Techbuzz [LINK].
• Bitcoin Blogger - often contains recent news items about bitcoins [LINK].
BITCOIN "MINING"
• Bitcoin Miner - a site dedicated to bitcoin mining [LINK].
• Bitcoin mining software and contracts available at We Use Coins [LINK].
• Bitcoin Rigs - a place to buy pre-made bitcoin mining "rigs" [LINK].
• Bitcoin Mining Accidents - a forum for bitcoin miners to discuss difficulties with "mining" (electrical fires, etc.) [LINK].
INTERESTING THINGS TO BUY WITH BITCOINS
• Buy a bitcoin "merit badge" with bitcoins [LINK].
• Buy a souvenir token that looks like a bitcoin [LINK].
• Bitlotto - an online bitcoin-based lottery [LINK].
• Using bitcoins to buy drugs - "The Underground Website Where You Can Buy Any Drug Imaginable" in Gawker [LINK].
BITCOIN BASICS
• The original "White Paper" by Satoshi Nakamoto, describing the design of the Bitcoin Currency System [PDF LINK]
• The site where you can download the bitcoin client software - if you want to try this currency system [LINK].
• Bitcoin Me - general information about bitcoins [LINK].
• Wired UK overview of bitcoins [LINK].
• Watch the bitcoin market fluctuate at Bitcoin Charts [LINK].
• Scan all the transaction records of bitcoin exchanges on Bitcoin Block Explorer [LINK].
• A detailed work examining bitcoin theft and user anonymity [LINK].
BITCOIN CURRENCY EXCHANGES
• Mt. Gox - the (currently) largest bitcoin exchange, based in Japan [LINK].
• Information about the Mt. Gox bitcoin currency exchange [LINK].
• Trade Hill - a new bitcoin currency exchange based in Chile [LINK].
BITCOIN NEWS
• February 2011, the bitcoin reaches parity with the U.S. Dollar for the first time [LINK].
• A Daily Tech article on bitcoins and a significant drop in value in June 2011 [LINK].
• "Rough Trades: Digital Derivatives Hit the Bitcoin Markets as Wall Street Bankers Take Interest," by Adrianne Jeffers for Beta Beat [LINK].
• "Man Says He Lost $500,000 in Virtual Currency Heist" by Dan Goodin for The Register [LINK].
• "Bitcoin Stealing Malware Found, But How to Secure Your Wallet?" in Techbuzz [LINK].
• Bitcoin Blogger - often contains recent news items about bitcoins [LINK].
BITCOIN "MINING"
• Bitcoin Miner - a site dedicated to bitcoin mining [LINK].
• Bitcoin mining software and contracts available at We Use Coins [LINK].
• Bitcoin Rigs - a place to buy pre-made bitcoin mining "rigs" [LINK].
• Bitcoin Mining Accidents - a forum for bitcoin miners to discuss difficulties with "mining" (electrical fires, etc.) [LINK].
INTERESTING THINGS TO BUY WITH BITCOINS
• Buy a bitcoin "merit badge" with bitcoins [LINK].
• Buy a souvenir token that looks like a bitcoin [LINK].
• Bitlotto - an online bitcoin-based lottery [LINK].
• Using bitcoins to buy drugs - "The Underground Website Where You Can Buy Any Drug Imaginable" in Gawker [LINK].
Sunday, February 17, 2013
ASSIGNMENT #2 - MEMES
Below is a list of "memes," celebrities, or events that are famous on the Internet. Each student must select one of the below items and post the following information on their team's website:
• When did this begin to become popular/famous on the Internet and why? Provide a context and offer an analysis of why you think this became so popular (if no obvious reason presents itself).
• The details/description of the "meme," person, event, etc.
• How popular did it become and over what time span? (include "Google Insights" interest).
• Include other memes that may have emerged from this or have been influenced by this.
• Include videos or images when relevant to illustrate your description - please try to avoid posting images or video that may be offensive.
• You can select the same meme/subject as a group team-mate (but remember, one of you will do a better job on the assignment and potentially make the other look bad - or if your assignments look too similar, everyone will think you copied off of each other).
• Please make sure your full name is on your assignment, posted on your team's website by Wednesday, February 27th.
Please select one of the following subjects:
• Chocolate Rain
• "Do You Like Mudkip?"
• Nyan Cat
• Epic Beard Man (and Amber Lamps)
• Planking
• Leeroy Jenkins
• Paula Deen Riding Things
• Cinnamon Challenge
• Chuck Norris Facts
• (Full On) Double Rainbow
• Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop
• Gingers Do Have Souls
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us
• Angry Bert
• Kim Jong-Un Looking at Things
• Pokemon "Missingno"
• "Imma Let You Finish" (Kanye West)
• When did this begin to become popular/famous on the Internet and why? Provide a context and offer an analysis of why you think this became so popular (if no obvious reason presents itself).
• The details/description of the "meme," person, event, etc.
• How popular did it become and over what time span? (include "Google Insights" interest).
• Include other memes that may have emerged from this or have been influenced by this.
• Include videos or images when relevant to illustrate your description - please try to avoid posting images or video that may be offensive.
• You can select the same meme/subject as a group team-mate (but remember, one of you will do a better job on the assignment and potentially make the other look bad - or if your assignments look too similar, everyone will think you copied off of each other).
• Please make sure your full name is on your assignment, posted on your team's website by Wednesday, February 27th.
Please select one of the following subjects:
• Chocolate Rain
• "Do You Like Mudkip?"
• Nyan Cat
• Epic Beard Man (and Amber Lamps)
• Planking
• Leeroy Jenkins
• Paula Deen Riding Things
• Cinnamon Challenge
• Chuck Norris Facts
• (Full On) Double Rainbow
• Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop
• Gingers Do Have Souls
• All Your Base Are Belong to Us
• Angry Bert
• Kim Jong-Un Looking at Things
• Pokemon "Missingno"
• "Imma Let You Finish" (Kanye West)
Sunday, February 3, 2013
TEAMS AND HOMEWORK
This is for team ADMINS:
If you have been elected admin of your team, please do the following:
Please email (at PE.Soc167@gmail.com) to the head grader of our class, Perrin, the following information, before next class session:
• The names and email addresses of all of you team members. Remember: we need their names as they exist in University records (not "nicknames").
• Who you are, and make a note that you are ADMIN(ISTRATOR) for your team.
• The name of your team and a link to your team's website/blog.
• On your team blog, your first assignment is to name/identify your team while participating in an epic Internet prank: each team member must take a photo of themselves with their head in a freezer. Each photo needs to be labeled with their name (as it exists in University records), and the entire post (containing all of the team photos) must be labeled with the cryptic number "241543903."
• This must be done by next class session: Wed, Feb 6th.
If you have been elected admin of your team, please do the following:
Please email (at PE.Soc167@gmail.com) to the head grader of our class, Perrin, the following information, before next class session:
• The names and email addresses of all of you team members. Remember: we need their names as they exist in University records (not "nicknames").
• Who you are, and make a note that you are ADMIN(ISTRATOR) for your team.
• The name of your team and a link to your team's website/blog.
• On your team blog, your first assignment is to name/identify your team while participating in an epic Internet prank: each team member must take a photo of themselves with their head in a freezer. Each photo needs to be labeled with their name (as it exists in University records), and the entire post (containing all of the team photos) must be labeled with the cryptic number "241543903."
• This must be done by next class session: Wed, Feb 6th.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
READING ASSIGNMENTS
• Wallace, Benjamin "The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin" WIRED Nov 2011 [LINK].
• Welsh, Andrew and Jennifer Lavoie "Risky eBusiness: An Examination of Risk-Taking, Online Disclosiveness, and Cyberstalking Victimization" CyberPsychology 6 (1), 2012 [LINK].
• Glaser, Mark "Your Guide to Citizen Journalism" MediaShift, Sept 2006 [LINK].
• Astleigh, Richard "Web 1.0: Never Giving Up the Early Internet" CyberPsychology and Behavior vol.5 no.1, 2011 [LINK].
• Kushner, David "The Hacker is Watching" GQ Jan 2012 [LINK].
• Suler, John "The Online Disinhibition Effect" CyberPsychology and Behavior vol.7 no.3, 2004 [LINK]. [NOTE: This is a JStor article, you need to be on a Berkeley Internet connection to view/download this article].
• Norton, Quinn "Anonymous 101: Introduction to the Lulz" WIRED Nov 2011 [LINK].
• Dibbell, Julian "The Assclown Offensive: How to Enrage the Church of Scientology" WIRED Sept 2009 [LINK].
• Zetter, Kim "Oil Companies Spring a Leak, Courtesy of Anonymous" WIRED July 2012 [LINK].
• Captain, Sean "Inside Occupy Wall Street's (Kinda) Secret Media HQ" WIRED Nov 2011 [LINK].
• "A Short, Strange History of Anonymous" -
Monday, January 30, 2012
SYLLABUS
Class Time: Thursday 5:30 - 8:30PM
Class Location: 2050 VALLEY LIFE SCIENCES
Office Hours: Wednesday 4:00 - 5:00PM, 483 Barrows
Email: tim.king.phd@gmail.com
Final Exam: Friday May 17th; 11:30-2:30
This course provides an overview of the social dynamics and phenomena of the Internet. This course will provide students with an understanding of the fundamental cultural and social principles of the Internet, from the perspective of social sciences and with a focus upon the relationship between technology and society. This course examines the ways in which society is changing due to the introduction and wide spread use of computers and computer network communication. We will explore the subjects social and economic change due to the Internet – the Internet in developing nations, new social networks and their impact on social lives, predation and cyber-bullying, online gaming and the social dynamics of virtual worlds, culture without a nation – the culture of the Internet, censorship and control of information, publishing open to all, dating and romance online, exploiting new technology: cyber-warfare and virtual crime.
Course Requirements:
1). Lectures: If serious or significant reasons require a student to miss a class session, proof of reason for absence must be provided and students must notify me in advance (if possible) if they expect to miss a class session. It will be the responsibility of the student to contact me (during office hours) to collect any assignments or course materials they have missed due to absences.
2). Required Readings:
Readings will be assigned at the end of each class session. Additional readings (articles) will also be provided.
3). Exams: A midterm exam and a final exam will constitute 70% of the course grade (35% each exam). These examinations will test student understanding of in-class materials and the homework reading assignments.
4). Course Assignments: 30% of the course grade will be from assignments, both in class and out of class assignments. Several of these assignments will be in a group format and will require posting materials on the internet.
5). Academic Integrity: The University’s policy on academic honesty will be strictly enforced. If you are in doubt about quoting, paraphrasing, or plagiarism, consult your University Bulletin (also on-line). In other words, cheating in any form can be grounds for failing the entire course. Including material from elsewhere and presenting it as your own work is not permissible. All quoted text or graphics must be submitted with full citation. Text and graphics taken from the internet must be cited with a full URL reference.
6). Grading and Assessment:
Midterm Exam: 35%
Final Exam: 35%
Course Assignments: 30%
7). Performance Quality: Your grade on assignments and exams will be based upon your knowledge and understanding of course and reading materials, and your competence in applying these materials to your work and class discussions.
This schedule may be subject to change or revision:
SESSION 1 (January 23) –
• COURSE OVERVIEW - An overview of course materials.
• ANONYMOUS: None of us are as cruel as all of us - An overview of the “Anonymous” and “Chanology” movements and online organization and communications – how an informal group of hackers attacked the Church of Scientology, the Internet security firm HB Gary, Sony Music, and the Iranian Government.
Readings:
• Norton, Quinn "Anonymous 101: Introduction to the Lulz" WIRED Nov 2011 [LINK].
• Dibbell, Julian "The Assclown Offensive: How to Enrage the Church of Scientology" WIRED Sept 2009 [LINK].
• Zetter, Kim "Oil Companies Spring a Leak, Courtesy of Anonymous" WIRED July 2012 [LINK].
• Norton, Quinn "Anonymous 101: Introduction to the Lulz" WIRED Nov 2011 [LINK].
• Dibbell, Julian "The Assclown Offensive: How to Enrage the Church of Scientology" WIRED Sept 2009 [LINK].
• Zetter, Kim "Oil Companies Spring a Leak, Courtesy of Anonymous" WIRED July 2012 [LINK].
SESSION 2 (January 30) –
• THE HISTORY OF THE INTERNET - Data and internal messaging networks, email and usenet, the “browser wars” of the new millennium, the Web 2.0 Revolution of 2002-2005.
• THE LANGUAGE OF THE INTERNET – The predominance of English on the internet and its global implications. The evolution of haxor (“hacker”) and l33t (“leet”) – developing new English terminology and orthography. Overview of common internet cultural terms.
SESSION 3 (February 6) –
• SCAMMING and SCAMBAITING - The world of “419 scams” and the social sanctions through “scam-baiting.”
• VIRTUAL CRIME - The Internet as a new arena for criminal activity: goldfarming economies, public shaming, virtual prostitution, and hacking.
Readings:
• Kushner, David "The Hacker is Watching" GQ Jan 2012 [LINK].
• Suler, John "The Online Disinhibition Effect" CyberPsychology and Behavior vol.7 no.3, 2004 [LINK]. [NOTE: This is a JStor article, you need to be on a Berkeley Internet connection to view/download this article].
• MARCH 27 - NO CLASS (Spring Break)
Readings:
• Kushner, David "The Hacker is Watching" GQ Jan 2012 [LINK].
• Suler, John "The Online Disinhibition Effect" CyberPsychology and Behavior vol.7 no.3, 2004 [LINK]. [NOTE: This is a JStor article, you need to be on a Berkeley Internet connection to view/download this article].
SESSION 4 (February 13) –
• HUMOR AND THE INTERNET - What is “humor” and how do social sciences identify and define it?
• DIGITAL ECONOMY and CURRENCY – We will examine the economy of the Internet: the billion-dollar industry of "Goldfarming" in online games, to the underground economy of Bitcoins.
Readings:
• Wallace, Benjamin "The Rise and Fall of Bitcoin" WIRED Nov 2011 [LINK].Readings:
FEBRUARY 20 - NO CLASS.
SESSION 5 (February 27) –
• SOCIAL NETWORKS - The expansion of social networks on the Internet and the nature of social networks and the diffusion of information across social networks, and why they are perceived to be the "Holy Grail" for marketing.
• PUBLISHING, PARTICIPATORY INFORMATION, and PARTICIPATORY NEWS – how the Internet is changing the way we receive and report news: the participatory nature of modern news, civilian journalism, and amateur news publishing. Understanding the (almost terrifying) volume of information available on the Internet; what the Internet knows about you; how much misinformation exists on the Internet.
SESSION 6 (March 6) –
• The DEMOCRATIZATION of PUBLISHING - how the availability of publishing has changed the way we communicate and how it is changing the boundaries between "public" and "private" information and interaction.
• NEW MEDIA and MUSIC - we will examine how changes in media technologies, and the rise of social media, have irreversibly changed the music industry. We will examine the new frontier of marketing and the arts.
• NEW MEDIA and MUSIC - we will examine how changes in media technologies, and the rise of social media, have irreversibly changed the music industry. We will examine the new frontier of marketing and the arts.
SESSION 7 (March 13) – MIDTERM EXAMINATION
SESSION 8 (March 20) –
• BOTNETS, WORMS, and TROJAN HORSES: The Tools of Cyber Warfare -
The world of viruses, botnet attacks, and Internet espionage. The case study of the cyber attacks on the nation of Estonia.
• MARCH 27 - NO CLASS (Spring Break)
SESSION 9 (April 3) –
• THE DIGITAL DIVIDE - We will examine the demographics of the National and Global Digital Divides: how access to digital communications technologies is not evenly distributed across society and the globe. We will look at the change in access over the past decade, and the social implications of such imbalances.
• CHINESE INTERNET PROTEST - We will examine the Chinese protests over Internet censorship.
SESSION 10 (April 10) --
• DATING and SEX on the INTERNET - The world of pornography, predation, and sexual conduct on the Internet.
Readings:
• Welsh, Andrew and Jennifer Lavoie "Risky eBusiness: An Examination of Risk-Taking, Online Disclosiveness, and Cyberstalking Victimization" CyberPsychology 6 (1), 2012 [LINK].
• Welsh, Andrew and Jennifer Lavoie "Risky eBusiness: An Examination of Risk-Taking, Online Disclosiveness, and Cyberstalking Victimization" CyberPsychology 6 (1), 2012 [LINK].
SESSION 11 (April 17) --
• THE SOCIAL WORLD OF VIDEO GAMES - We will examine the nature of social interaction in virtual online worlds - how people behave when they can assume new identities.
SESSION 13 (April 24) --
• WEB 3.0 - We will examine the next steps in the Internet and Social Media: how augmented reality, geotagging, and mobile Internet materials are bringing the Internet into the physical world.
SESSION 14 (May 1) --
• THE SOCIAL WORLD OF VIDEO GAMES - We will examine the nature of social interaction in virtual online worlds - how people behave when they can assume new identities.
SESSION 13 (April 24) --
• WEB 3.0 - We will examine the next steps in the Internet and Social Media: how augmented reality, geotagging, and mobile Internet materials are bringing the Internet into the physical world.
SESSION 14 (May 1) --
• REVIEW FOR FINAL EXAM
Saturday, September 26, 2009
ANONYMOUS AND CHANOLOGY
• Wikipedia's description page of the Anonymous movement/community [LINK].
• Wikipedia's page on Anonymous' "Project Chanology" (systematic attacks and protests against the Church of Scientology), including a timeline of Anonymous activities [LINK].
• Image of the original discussion thread that gave rise to Chanology [LINK].
• Image of the original discussion thread that gave rise to Chanology (part II) [LINK].
• The original (recently re-released on YouTube) Jan 14, 2008 Scientology video interview of Tom Cruse (The Church of Scientology warned the site Gawker.com to remove this video from their site under threat of litigation):
To salvage a little of Tom Cruise's dignity/coolness, remember, he did do this: LINK.
• The (in)famous first video by Anonymous (Jan 2008) to the Church of Scientology, alerting them to upcoming attacks/protests:
• Wired Magazine's Jan 2008 article on the Anonymous protests/attacks on the Church of Scientology [LINK].
• A video outlining the Anonymous Guideline of Conduct for Protests:
• The Anonymous Sekrit Code [LINK].
• A Chanology "Research Portal" (Wiki format) for amassing information and materials on the Church of Scientology [LINK], including a collection of "leaked" documents from the Church of Scientology itself.
• Attributed to an Anonymous hackers, an Epilepsy Foundation message board was attacked - hackers posted flashing animations onto the messageboard; March 2008 [LINK].
• An Anonymous video clarifying/repeating the necessity to act as a group and rely upon the group:
• An Anonymous (Jan 2009) video to Scientology "We Still Run This":
• Another stylishly designed Anonymous video [LINK].
• An Anonymous instructional video on how to create and publish an Anonymous video, anonymously [LINK].
• An infamous Fox News 11 report on "Anonymous," which (in the name of poor journalism) sensationalized the activities of these groups and likely included "attacks" never committed by them. Some materials from this news report were actually adopted by these groups as a joke, such as calling themselves "Anonymous" [LINK].
• A directory of Wired Magazine's articles on Anonymous news events [LINK].
• The main logo/icon associated with the Anonymous Movement - the suit and tie, without a head [LINK].
• The logo/icon associated with the Anonymous Movement [LINK].
• The Anonymous movement message board (***WARNING:*** this is an optional link for educational purposes only. Linking to this site is NOT AN ENDORSEMENT of this site's content. THIS SITE MAY CONTAIN OFFENSIVE MATERIALS) [LINK].
• Links regarding the historical Guy Fawkes, and the form of the Guy Fawkes Mask as it appeared in the 2005 film "V for Vendetta. NOTE: though the "Guy Fawkes" masks are used in protests and imagery, this mask is actually a reference to an internet meme "Epic Fail Guy."
Image of Anonymous Feb 10, 2008 protest, donning Guy Fawkes masks (image courtesy of Paul Williams):
• Wikipedia's page on Anonymous' "Project Chanology" (systematic attacks and protests against the Church of Scientology), including a timeline of Anonymous activities [LINK].
• Image of the original discussion thread that gave rise to Chanology [LINK].
• Image of the original discussion thread that gave rise to Chanology (part II) [LINK].
• The original (recently re-released on YouTube) Jan 14, 2008 Scientology video interview of Tom Cruse (The Church of Scientology warned the site Gawker.com to remove this video from their site under threat of litigation):
To salvage a little of Tom Cruise's dignity/coolness, remember, he did do this: LINK.
• The (in)famous first video by Anonymous (Jan 2008) to the Church of Scientology, alerting them to upcoming attacks/protests:
• Wired Magazine's Jan 2008 article on the Anonymous protests/attacks on the Church of Scientology [LINK].
• A video outlining the Anonymous Guideline of Conduct for Protests:
• The Anonymous Sekrit Code [LINK].
• A Chanology "Research Portal" (Wiki format) for amassing information and materials on the Church of Scientology [LINK], including a collection of "leaked" documents from the Church of Scientology itself.
• Attributed to an Anonymous hackers, an Epilepsy Foundation message board was attacked - hackers posted flashing animations onto the messageboard; March 2008 [LINK].
• An Anonymous video clarifying/repeating the necessity to act as a group and rely upon the group:
• An Anonymous (Jan 2009) video to Scientology "We Still Run This":
• Another stylishly designed Anonymous video [LINK].
• An Anonymous instructional video on how to create and publish an Anonymous video, anonymously [LINK].
• An infamous Fox News 11 report on "Anonymous," which (in the name of poor journalism) sensationalized the activities of these groups and likely included "attacks" never committed by them. Some materials from this news report were actually adopted by these groups as a joke, such as calling themselves "Anonymous" [LINK].
• A directory of Wired Magazine's articles on Anonymous news events [LINK].
• The main logo/icon associated with the Anonymous Movement - the suit and tie, without a head [LINK].
• The logo/icon associated with the Anonymous Movement [LINK].
• The Anonymous movement message board (***WARNING:*** this is an optional link for educational purposes only. Linking to this site is NOT AN ENDORSEMENT of this site's content. THIS SITE MAY CONTAIN OFFENSIVE MATERIALS) [LINK].
• Links regarding the historical Guy Fawkes, and the form of the Guy Fawkes Mask as it appeared in the 2005 film "V for Vendetta. NOTE: though the "Guy Fawkes" masks are used in protests and imagery, this mask is actually a reference to an internet meme "Epic Fail Guy."
Image of Anonymous Feb 10, 2008 protest, donning Guy Fawkes masks (image courtesy of Paul Williams):
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