Back to School Blogging

Read, Brock. (2004). Back to school blogging. In P. De Palma (Ed.), Computers in society (pp. 63-66). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.
Unit 4, Article 14

Review by Kim Doyle

Blogging is helping new students enter college more confident and better prepared, as suggested by Brock Read in this article. Blogging has become a way for students to connect, ask questions, share advice or just get acquainted in a web-based environment. Nora Goldberger for example, whose experience was shared in this article, spent a great deal of time on a blog (group web-based journal) developed by Emily McRae, a sophomore at Davidson College. Nora, also preparing to enter Davidson College, received very helpful information about dorm life, meals and which courses she should take.

Web-based tools like LiveJournal, a free service, have made it possible for students to develop blogs where high school and college students can go to share information as well as to make social connections. Administrators agree this is becoming a useful tool for students and is actually helping freshmen become more self-reliant students. They are benefiting from the advice that upperclassmen are posting.

Leslie Marsicano, director of residence life at Davidson College, actually recommends the site to students and parents who call with questions about housing. Denying speculations that she has recruited upperclassmen to log on and mentor incoming students, she states that it works so much better if faculty and administrators stay off. College officials do have an interest in these online opportunities and suggest they can be better advertisement than a “glossy brochure”.

Brock says that blogs are also places where students go for socializing. Some blogs are more “chattier” and less focused than Davidson’s blog. Others form study groups through blogs and choose roommates. Whatever the purpose, this article presents blogs as a very helpful resource for students.

Reaction

I find this interesting. The skeptic in me wonders how safe these are and how accessible information might be to the wrong person. According to this article, however, blogs are not as accessible as other web sites such as MySpace and are therefore more secure. Obviously young students, especially students having just graduated from high school, have grown up with computers and it is natural for them to use online resources in this way. If they help students navigate the transition from high school to college and feel more prepared, academically or socially, then I guess that’s a good thing. Clearly they're not going to go away.

When Long Hours at a Video Game Stop Being Fun

Stross, Randall. (2004). When long hours at a video game stop being fun. In P. De Palma (Ed.), Computers in society (pp. 48-49). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.
Unit 3, Article 11

Review by Kim Doyle

In this article Randall Stross reveals the conditions under which entertainment software developers work to remain leaders in the industry. In 2004, when this article was first published, games for video consoles and personal computers had become a $7 billion-a-year business. But, as Randall points out, workers in the business are not happy with the hours they are required to work nor their compensation for doing so. Jamie Kirschenbaum, an employee of Electronic Arts, Inc. the world’s largest developer of entertainment software, filed a class action lawsuit against the company for failing to pay overtime compensation. Working an average of 65 hours a week, once necessary two weeks prior to distribution of a new release, has now become a regular occurrence. “Crunches” as they are called, used to also be accompanied by additional compensation but Kirschenbaum indicates this is no longer the case. Jeff Brown, a spokesman for Electronic Arts, indicated this was not unique to his company. He went on to say that they are interested in the opinions of their employees and conduct employee surveys every two years.

The International Game Developers Association conducted an industry wide “quality of life” survey in 2004 that confirmed that “crunch time” is a regular occurrence in the entertainment software industry. Furthermore, it warned young individuals just starting out how unlikely forming relationships and starting families becomes once working in this business.

Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, after spending a sabbatical as a researcher at Electronic Arts points out how “young” the workplace is. EA had 3,300 employees at this time and reported hiring 1,000 new employees each year. In the past about 10% of its new employees were hired directly out of college, but the plans are to increase this to 75%. Among the reasons for this is the cost savings from lower salaries when hiring from a younger group. The company also realizes that younger employees are also the most “suggestible”. Professor Pausch said he hear managers refer to how “young kids don’t know what’s possible”. As Pausch further points out, however, “they will learn when they get their schedules”.

Reaction

My experience with video based games and entertainment begins and ends with solitaire. As much time as I spend on computers for work and personal use, I have no interest in remaining in front of the screen for recreational purposes. It is therefore quite surprising to me to learn that the industry of software entertainment is a multi-billion dollar industry. While I believe that no employer should take advantage of its workers in the way Electronic Arts and other similar businesses seem to be doing, as this article illustrates, it is ultimately the choice of the worker to remain. Even Kirschenbaum, after filing a class action lawsuit against his employer (EA), he remained with the company. I just can’t seem to muster up too much sympathy for these folks.

The New Gatekeepers

Lamb, M. Gregory. (2004). The new gatekeepers. In In P. De Palma (Ed.), Computers in society (pp. 24-26). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.
Unit 2, Article 6

Review by Kim Doyle

In this article Gregory Lamb provides a brief analysis of the major Internet search engines, or Web “gatekeepers” as he refers to them, and what users should know. Our access to the vast amount of information available on the World Wide Web is controlled by Internet search engines, the three largest of these being Google, Yahoo and MSN (just emerging at the time this article was written). Steve Jones, a communications professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago and founder of the Association of Internet Researchers is quoted in this article stating, “Search engines represent information gatekeepers unlike any we’ve had before”. Jones points out that in the past, people, for instance librarians and newspaper editors, used to provide a service of helping others access information. Now Internet search engines make information far more accessible, literally at our fingertips.

As Lamb suggests, this access to information via Internet search engines is not necessarily a bad thing. Users should know, however, that information available is largely influenced by companies and advertisers that are willing to pay billions of dollars for space on search engines to ensure their companies are appearing at the top of search rankings. This has indeed become a multi-billion dollar industry. By 2008, Random Secrecy, a market intelligence firm predicts that search engines will generate purchases of up to $92 billion. Despite this, however, users have three primary complaints about Internet searches. They can’t find what they need. When they do they don’t know how to interpret the data they find, and they worry about the quality.

The Web is so big it’s hard to wade through all the information that searches produce says Duncan Witte, chief operating officer for BrightPlanet, a specialty Internet-search company in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Internet search companies are trying to make improvements that will make it easier for searchers to find what they need. Some companies are trying to specialize, some may be able to know where users are and localize a search and others will get to know a user’s searching habits and attempt to anticipate interests. These ideas are still in the future, so for now the millions of Americans searching the Internet each month must rely on the search engines to help them find the information they are looking for.

Reaction

I’ve been curious why someone would use one search engine over another. The comparison Lamb makes between search engines and telephone books helps me understand how search engines work and what influences search rankings. To test this out I conducted the same search on Google, Yahoo and MSN. My search was for information on “children and computers”. Google produced fairly generic information, i.e. articles about the pros and cons of extensive computer use by children, and other analyses conducted by professional early childhood organizations. Yahoo produced some of the same, but more sites providing information about computer games and other computer “learning” activities available for children were ranked near the top. The top rankings on MSN were exclusively about computer games and activities and the developmental benefits for children of computer usage. Hmmmm…

Brain Circulation:How High-Skill Immigration Makes Everyone Better Off.

Saxenian, A. (2002). Brain circulation, how high-skill immigration makes everyone better off. In In P. De Palma (Ed.), Computers in society (pp. 37-40). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.
Unit 3, Article 8

Review by Kim Doyle

In this article Annalee Saxenian submits that the high numbers of immigrants employed in the Silicon Valley is a benefit, rather than a threat, to the American workforce. In 2002, when this article was first published, over a quarter of Silicon Valley’s workforce were immigrants. This has caused significant debate over U.S. Immigration Policy that focuses primarily on the extent to which the presence of foreign-born professionals has displaced American workers. The countries from which these workers come also believe this emigration to the United States to be an economic loss for their countries. Many assume that this movement of highly skilled workers benefits one country over the other. In this article Saxenien submits that those immigrating to the U.S. are actually highly skilled entrepreneurs that are starting new businesses in the U.S. and creating jobs rather than displacing American workers. Thanks to “brain circulation” as she calls it, this is a benefit to both sides.

In addition to creating new U.S. businesses, these skilled immigrants are also maintaining their ethnic ties by developing social and professional organizations for the purpose of professional and technical advancement. However, while the Chinese and Indian immigrants socialization is exclusive to their ethnic networks, they acknowledge that working with U.S. businesses is essential. Among the most successful are those that draw on their ethnic resources and integrate with U.S. enterprises. For example the links between the high-tech communities of Silicon Valley and Taiwan are resulting in benefits to both economies.

Saxenien points out further that these social and professional organizations linking immigrant entrepreneurs with each other also facilitate linkages with their counterparts at home. This creates transnational communities and provides opportunities to participate in a global economy. New transportation and technology communications allow even small firms to work within an international economy. It is, as Saxenian submits, a new model of globalization, a fact that U.S. immigration policy makers must consider as immigration laws are established.

Reaction

This article presents a perspective on this phenomenon that I have not previously been aware. I am among those that have assumed that employment of skilled immigrants has a negative impact on American workers. Outsourcing of technology is often spoken of within a negative context claiming it results in the loss of jobs for American workers. While I know this does happen, reading this article has broadened my perspective of this issue and its relationship to immigration law.