Final Blog Post

I thought I should dedicate my last blog post to the drone strikes. We have gotten advanced with technology these days especially when it comes to aviation. With the addition to drone strikes it has made warfare safer in a sense that military men do not have o present at the site the drone strikes. Drones are more efficient then bombs because the targets are more specific.

Final Blog Post

As I was doing my map project, I was reminded of drones and air warfare. It amazes me how advanced we have gotten when it comes to aviation and anything related to the air. We went from using air planes to drop bombs during World War II to being able to drop bombs with drones and no one has to actually be in combat. Drones have definitely made warfare a little safer for military men. It is true that once you drop a bomb, you don't know who is going to get hurt but that is a fact when it comes to any kind of war. There will always be casualties, but i believe drones have made targets more specific.

Final Blog Post

The drone documentary that we watched in class held a lot of weight to it. The psychological impact that the bunkers had on the operators was astonishing. They were forced to emotionlessly shoot with the drones and obey orders, despite the possibility of not having an accurate shot on the target. Because of this problem, there were many innocent civilians that continued to get killed from the American drones that were in Afghanistan. This issue really made me wonder—is it worth using these drones with less accuracy and killing innocent bystanders if it terminates the lives of dangerous people?

Final blog post

While watching the drone documentary In class I was shocked at how big this production of drones had become. I thought it was crazy how people sit in a room all day and control these drones half way around the world. What really struck me was the thought about how watching and killing people on a screen. I feel like it takes out the emotion from it. Also thought it was interesting how they were trying to find people to operate drones using video games. These people that they find this way might then view these drone attacks as just video games. When you're half way around the world these attacks may just seem virtual to some and this could possibly increase the number of innocent causalities. 

Drones

It wasn't until the middle of 2012 did drone toys become popular. With advancements in technology, such as lighter material, smaller and longer lasting batteries, motors, and GPS causes them to pop up everywhere. They are great for all ages. I remember my brothers getting some for Christmas, and they were excited to take them to our grandma's house. She has a big, open backyard with lots of area for them to explore. But they are also perfect for adults who are looking for a DIY project.

Before this class, when someone mentioned drones, these remote control toys with cameras attached were what I commonly thought of. And i associated them with fun memories of my brothers have fun with their toys. But since taking this class, my idea of what a drone is and who it affects have changed. I really enjoyed watching the drone documentary. I think that it contained a lot of information that it not always understood. One of the quotes that impacted to me was along the lines of "Someone can kill millions of people without ever having touched the ground." This connects the idea that drones combine aerial and remote sensing. It was interesting to listen to perspective of those who fight wars operating the drones. They sit in a dark bunker, lite by the screens that they use, and when they are commanded to shoot they shoot. But as pointed out, this can have psychological affects on them realizing they are killing potentially innocent people. But due to contracts signed, they have to shoot and trust that the person they are killing is the one they wanting to kill.

Final Blog Post

For my final blog post, I want to talk about the beauty of coding.

For the past couple of weeks, I have just been coding for a class - ECS 30 - and it has given me a new viewpoint of maps, and a general perspective of my surroundings. While technology surrounds our daily lives, most of the time we take it for granted. Need to find the nearest Taco Bell? Just turn on your phone and search for it.

The only reason that we have such a convenience in our daily lives is all due to the diligence of engineers and computer scientists around us. What we have achieved today, and what will shape the near future is the collective efforts of engineers all across the world.

What has made communication and maps so accessible. I cannot fathom how the first few digital maps were made. What people have done with digital maps for the map project is so simple compared to how these maps were made - "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

I am just curious how technology will shape the images of America in the future.

Final Blog Post

In the final blog post, I would like to talk about the creation of my map project and the reflections about what I learnt in this course.

For the map project, only after I started working on it than I realise how difficult it is to create a map. It requires a extremely detailed planning and you cannot be wrong about the locations of the map. My map is about bikes which is related to the lives of students in UC Davis, and that is why I tried to make it perfect. Through different methodologies and research works, I still can't make it to be the map I wanted to be. There are quite a lot of barriers, such as impossibility to visit all the bike racks in UC Davis and therefore I am not able to create an extensive map by myself. Yet through the making of this map, I realised how great Google maps or simply technology is as they create such hi-tech maps to benefit different users. Apart from that, from an internet article, I also learnt that Google Maps is actually collecting databases from the users everyday. For example, if you are using Google Maps in navigation on certain highway, Google Maps will collect the real time data together with other users, thus determining whether the highway is crowded or not and show other users the crowdedness of the road. We are utilising technology, at the same time we are also contributing to it.

While for this course, it is actually an eye-opening experience of knowing how Americans interpret the environment around them. For example, the national aerial view can actually be regarded as a way to symbolise democracy and express the idea of American exceptionalism. All these allow me to know more about the rationales behind the images of America.

Militainment in video games

In the drone documentary we watched, I thought it was interesting that the military seemed to be scouting out kids who were good at video games. It was kind of shocking that the military was moving in that direction, especially with such impressionable young kids. However, I don't think that war and military style video games are necessarily desensitizing children to violence and war. There have been plenty of studies proving that violent video games don't really effect children more than other video games, because there is a separation between the player and the game. And although it may make it easier for soldiers to kill using drones, they are not necessarily free from the psychological effects of killing. Just as we saw with the soldier in the video, who was relating his drone stories, physical separation does not effect ones' guilt of killing. So even if a kid is really good at shooter games, doesn't mean they'd be able to become the kind of soldier the military wants.

Final Blog: Simulation or Real?

With the final blog post, I wanted to discuss the drone warfare documentary we saw in class.
This was a very powerful documentary, which had a lot of emotion in it. This video focused on the reality of drone warfare in the military and showed how former drone pilots feel about the experiences they had and the actions they made. When the video showed the screens the pilots used in order to complete their missions, I noticed that it looked very familiar to video games I have played before. The similarities were astonishing. This was shown later in the video when they discussed how the military and entertainment have many connections. I was very interested how the military was getting ideas from entertainment and recruiting people who had specific skills linked to video games. It was also very tough to see the pilots talk about what they did. Pushing a button seems so simple, but the repercussions are so vast. I feel like these pilots have such a hard time dealing with responsibility due to their job.

Final Blog Post

After learning all the different terminologies and definitions of various mapping verbiage, the "maps" app on the iPhone has impressed me. The amount of time and effort it must have taken to configure every avenue and landmark is hard to perceive. Things that seem so small and simple, such as an iPhone app, often have an unknown precedence. This class has allowed me to view things in an alternative manner.

Final blog post

Something that really resonated with me was the video we watched instructing kids on what to do in the case of a nuclear bomb attack (I think it was a commercial during the 60s?). It reminded me of what it was like to be in Israel two summers ago. There was a period of a few months where rockets were fired into cities every day and the sirens were going off all the time (and people had anywhere from 5-30 seconds to get to the nearest bomb shelter or safe area depending on what city they were in). There was also a commercial and a song taught to young kids in school (similar to the commercial we saw in class) that taught them what to do in the case of a "red alarm" or "red siren". It was interesting because to most people, watching that commercial in black and white seemed so crazy and outdated, but in other places in the world it is still a reality today.

Final Post

I would like to discuss the video that we watched recently in class. My freshman year of high school I took an International Relations class with a teacher who was very in-tuned with American foreign policy. In this class I learned about America's questionable military influences across the globe, and I was very surprised that not many Americans knew of this phenomena. Spending more on our military than any other nation, once must speculate where that money is going. I think that the American public should be more aware about our use of drones in the Middle East, but this would entail us having unbiased media coverage on the topic. I don't want to support the bombing of civilians via my tax dollars, or remain ignorant on the subject.

Final Post: The Fugitive

A few weeks ago I watched the movie the Fugitive with Harrison Ford and I found that the movie has some excellent examples of the use of aerial views. In the film Tommy Lee Jones plays a US marshal hunting a falsely convicted murderer played by Harrison Ford. In various instances helicopters are used to search for Harrison Ford which shows the importance of remote sensing discussed in this course. However, the remote sensing proves insufficient to locate the fugitive which is in line with the idea that aerial views do not contain all the information about a given area. In one instance during a foot chase US marshals watch Harrison Ford from a bird's eye view at the top of building and communicate the information to Tommy Lee Jones. I thought this movie had some cool examples of remote sensing and bird's eye views.

Final Blog Post: Killbox by Joseph DeLappe

For my final blog post, I wanted to talk about Killbox, a game collaboratively made by artist/activist Joseph DeLappe, and artists/game developers Malath Abbas, Tom Demajo, and Albert Elwin. The first part of the game is basically a simulation of a drone operator's experience. The player views a landscape and buildings from above, and targets, presented in the form of tiny spheres on the ground, can be selected by pressing "T." The player then presses "M" to fire a missile, and a second screen in the upper right corner of the monitor displays an black-and-white animation from the missile's perspective, presumably in a similar format to what a real drone operator would see. Targets are eliminated and surrounding buildings explode into rubble. This process repeats several times over as emotionless chatter plays out in the background. After a couple rounds of this, the player's perspective then switches from the drone operator's experience to that of the targets on the ground, and the player operates the movements of one of the spheres. You can interact with other spheres on the ground, mimicking real-life social interaction, and the game takes on a more whimsical and personable tone, much like a third-person rpg. Then in chilling turn of events, the missiles start to fall and buildings explode around, forcing the player to run for cover. This game forces the player to empathize with both the drone operator and the drone targets' living experience (of course, only through the lens of a screen), and the sudden shift in perspective prompts both personal connection with drone operators/targets and personal reflection on the use of drones themselves. It's free for download at turbulence.com, accessible by searching "killbox" on the site's search engine.

Final Blog Post: Greek Mythology in CLA30

In my final blog post, I would like to talk about a connection to class that I took note of recently in my Classics 30: Word Roots class. Last week in lecture, we discussed multiple stories of Greek mythology. One story we talked about a map of the Underworld and those who resided there. In the map the multiple "levels" of the underworld was was shown from the point of view of neither planometric or bird's eye view. The point of view of the different levels was shown as elevated and from the side. If anything, it was similar to a bird's eye view. The map was done on a piece of pottery and this was interesting to me because I was working on our final map projects at the time. The contrast between how the different methods of map drawing between the Greeks and in modern times is very interesting. I opted to create my map on a white posterboard paper, the fact that the map of the underworld was done in pottery, which is very involved work, intrigued me. In addition, the map of the underworld was said to scare people in Ancient Greece at the time, so they would not want to end up in the underworld after death. This reminded me of how maps and landscapes years ago would sometimes influence people's decisions to flock to different locations to visit.

Final Blog Post

This past weekend my roommate lost her phone. I immediately helped her use the "Find my iPhone" feature, hoping we'd be able to track the location of her phone. Luckily, it was only at Chipotle where we were able to go pick it up. Mapmaking in relation to technology amazes me; with the power of smartphones we're practically able to track our friends, anywhere, at any time. We're always updated on what our peers are doing. Over five years ago, this idea seemed to be impossible. Modern technology combined with maps is the foundation of the future. As seen in the documentary Drone, we now have the ability to drop bombs from an "autopilot" functioned aircraft from anywhere in the world. This makes me curious as to what will come next. What will the power of mapmaking and modern technology help us accomplish in the future?

The Final Post

I wanted to use this last post to talk about the map project. Although there was a lot of work involved in creating a map, it taught me a lot of lessons. The first is how hard it is to make a map. Going around to every building on campus and surveying it took countless hours but it was well worth it because I'm familiar with nearly every building on campus. This brings me to the idea that map makers really know the layout of what they're drawing when they create a map. It's one thing to look at an area and map it out on a piece of paper, but it's another to know by heart and memorize each and every part of that land and be able to recreate the map at any given time. I'm thankful that I did this project because now I know where the best places to study on campus are and I use this information everyday to my benefit when I'm walking around campus and looking for a place to hang out. This class also taught me that there's more to maps and cultural imagery than what's presented to the audience. We really have to dig deep and figure out what happened in that time period to understand different perspectives and why those people perceive it that way. For example, the World's Fair incorporated many countries into their attractions which could show that the United States is respectful to their nationality and the individual foods / inventions that they bring to the world but at the same time, that country could see how big their building is in comparison to the other countries at the fair and feel like they've been belittled or have not received enough recognition.

Final Blog Post

After taking this class, I realized that maps and some of the ideas we discussed are actually more prevalent in today's society that we actually thought. On the first day of class I though I would probably never need to use a map, But what don't realize is that the use of maps is used in today's media, on our smartphones and all around us. if you go shopping at the mall, there  are maps in the middle of the mall. I have watched several movies or TV shows lately that have related to maps and this class such as Star Wars, The Bachelor, and The Revenant. And of course we use our phones everyday, and even if we are not using google maps directly or some other map, the location services on our phone are mapping or recent locations. Maps are actually all around us, and will never lose their use.

Google Earth

I was exploring the country using Google Earth recently and it is truly mind-blowing how accurate and efficient the maps and landscapes are. Users can simply type in an address or zoom in on certain geographical features and the app simply clarifies the image for the viewer. Remote sensing was utilized in creating this technology. This also remained me the Corona, the first satellite system, since advanced satellite systems were used in creating Google Earth.

Post #3

Tonight I flew home for the weekend and while the sun was setting, the lights from the cities beneath me emerged. I have flown into Los Angeles countless times but this time I noticed the prominence of the grid system. Additionally, I observed the abundance of cars moving between these cities and towns on freeways and busy streets. Upon my arrival I evaluated this vast and urban expanse from above. This evoked feelings of urgency and excitement as I approached home. I now understand and appreciate the emotional quality of Ariel views and I accredit this new found nostalgic awareness to ams 30.

Thesis Extra Credit

Did you know you can experience peripheral vision in a film? To experience this first-hand, visit a cinerama theater near you. You won't regret it!

Cinerama Thesis

Using a clever technology strategy, Cinerama created a unique way for its audience members to view the world by allowing them to feel as if they were actually there, in the footage.

Cinerama Thesis

The creation of Cinerama revolutionized the film and entertainment industry and allowed people to experience the wonders of the world from a whole new perspective.

Cinerama Thesis

Early advertisements of Cinerama highlight the exclusive nature of the entertainment and attempt to instill a cultural appetite for the new experiences offer only by Cinerama.

Cinerama Thesis

The invention of the Cinerama captivated the population of the United States, as it was a technology that gave the world the opportunity to see a form of Cinema that they never had seen before.


Megan Rust
AMS 30
Section 2

Cinerama Thesis

This ad is converting the impact that Cinerama had on the public in that it developed new technology and gave people the opportunity to see the world of cinema through a new, revolutionary, peripheral lens.

Neera Gujral
Sydney La Claire
Vergil Shu

Cinerama Thesis

Fred Waller revolutionized technology beyond movie theaters by developing a system of virtual reality that lead to simulations like the Waller Gunnery Trainer and, most notably, Cinerama.

Alex Shaffer
Kellie Lien
Janzen Lee
Robert Klainark
AMS 30 A04

Cinerama Thesis

Cinerama is the most technologically advanced film of its time because it uses triple screen projection, it immerses peripheral vision, and it is only featured in two theaters in the entire world.

Julissa Riberal
Ashley Beyer
Sabrina Gomez
Katie Stephens
Section 04

Make up assignment 2/9

In the first article, It talks all about the background to google maps and how mapping software will always continue to grow. There is always one more thing you can add to make the application more efficient and easier to work with. 

For the second article it talks about how google maps has progressed over the years and the mapping technology improved. It explained how much "behind the scenes" work went into building google maps. This constant improvement of google maps really opened up the doors to so many things that a person could do without stress or confusion. It also discusses google maps's competitors and how everyone is trying to make the map more accurate or more friendly to use. 

In the third article "Seven Wonders of the World to Explore on Google Street View", It talks about how google has mapped out virtually these "wonders" of the world making it accessible to many people. It's a way to experience something that one may never be able to do.

For the first article, I had never realized how much actually went into a google map. We take having these maps for granted too. I use it so often and never think twice about how speed limit, traffic, ramps or any other things you could encounter on the road was incorporated. It all seems so simple when you don't think about it. 

I thought the quote in the second article where it said, "A map is never finished, there is always more to be done" was really interesting. It also reminded me a lot about what we have been discussing in class and how the continuous growth of maps and landscape in the U.S. kept expanding and giving people a sense of perspective. Our maps will continue to change and more will be added to it. 

For article three I found it really inspiring how google has added these videos. It helps people who would never be able to see these places like climbing El Capitan and give them a sense of what the rest of the world looks like. This shows people how much the world has to offer and lets people understand that the world is so diverse. 

In the video in the article "Seven Wonders of the World", I watched the video of the Galapagos. Its a place that I have always wanted to go and watching this video made me want to visit these islands more. I felt like the video shot and the camera angle made the video so realistic. It was very realistic not only in the way of the angle but also in the way that the video was so "rough" it showed the true Galapagos. Because I feel like sometimes videos or photos of places can hide what one will actually experience. 

Make Up Assignment 2/9

1. Google has taken the layout of the world and digitally transformed it into something useful that people can access easily every day. By compiling all different kinds of data from several different outlets, it has put together a realistic and advanced map that covers over five million miles of the Earth. People from google drove all around the world with cameras on top of their cars to give the maps authentic street view images.

Apps like Google Maps have thoroughly developed to help people with the navigation of different areas. Google Maps appeared on smartphones when the first iPhone came out, transforming the way people used and viewed maps. Since Google Maps first came out as an app, many people have tried to copy the idea and have come up with new apps of their own. 

Google Maps offers street view images of cities and streets and it has also collected views of places cars cannot drive to. It offers beautiful views of places unseen by many. 

2. Although having the street view imaging on maps can be very helpful to see where you are going, it can also be distracting. It is hard to use the street view imaging while driving because it takes the attention away from driving and more on how to get to the place you need to be. 

3. I watched the video about Kenya’s Samburu Park, and I am astounded by how they used camels to record the street views. In the article, they also mentioned that they used the street camera to see a lot of other animals such as elephants. It is amazing that the use of animals can help aid the universe in locational diagnostics. 

Around the World in 80 Days

This past weekend I watched the movie "Around the World in 80 Days" with the one and only Jackie Chan. While watching this movie I got to see a lot of bird's eye view from up above while Jackie Chan was traveling on a balloon. Not too long ago in class we learned about hot hair balloons and how they had and still today impact the way we not only travel, but view the surroundings around us. Although it was not used as a military mode the images from about gave us a good look of the landscape below.

Make Up Assignment

1. Google is definitely known for the accessible information and they use their information in order to create wonderful maps. There maps cover 5 million square miles around the world, which is a significant amount of square mileage. Google came up with the idea of street view, which allows people to drive in cars with cameras on top of the cars so that they can capture images of roads, house, and street signs.

Before there was Google Maps there was the old fashion map quest, then Google changed the game and created the Google maps app that allowed people to use their maps on their smartphones. When apple release the iPhone in 2007, Google released there app as well. Ever since Google came out with there product, they have drew in a many different competitors that are trying to out do Google’s app.

Google map decided to use their street view concept to give people a great view of different parts of the world such as the seven wonders of the world. They documented virtual experiences in places such as NASA, Yosemite, and even the Marseille. People who now don't have to actually go to these places to experience the greatest, they can now just look on Google. around the world.

2. I have mixed emotions about Google’s street view concept. I do not like the fact that people can search my address on Google and get a clear view of what house looks like. It kind of makes me uncomfortable. But I think the concept is good because it allows for people to see street signs and get proper directions and know exactly what in the area of their destination.

3. I thought the video about the walk on Marseille was cool because now I can have that as a idea for when I want to propose to my future wife.

Make-Up Assignment for 2/9

Brian Quintero
TA Alexandra
AMS 030
10 February 2016

Make-Up Assignment for 2/9

1. Provide a brief summary of each of the three links, about a paragraph or so for each.

Link 1: This link did not show up for me. I sent you an email before hand about the issue.
Link 2: The second link Google Maps: a decade of transforming the mapping landscape, explains that smartphones and computers navigate and plan our journey for us in today's society. Without such technology we are lost and excluded from society. Google Maps became “the de facto between the digital and physical world” not only providing directions, but the signs, building, street, and many other street rules.
Link 3: While reading and watching the videos it helped me understand how maps truly help us discover an area and its surroundings. The videos helped me have a better perspective and view of what maps on IPhones and computers can do.

2. Write a separate paragraph thinking critically on some of the ideas presented in any of the three links - a critical observation, a critique, or a different interpretation you may have.

 I agree with the second link Google Maps: a decade of transforming the mapping landscape because in today's society technology is so highly advanced that we can ask our IPhone to look up the directions to an address, and in seconds it will provide all the routes with a birds eye view of the landscape.

3. Respond to one of the three YouTube videos included in the "Seven Wonders of the World on Google Street View," writing on your experience, feelings, or observations watching the video.

Watching the Galapagos video surprised me in how advanced our technology of maps has become on Google Maps. Observing its climate, environment, and natural habitat over GoogleMaps was mind-blowing.

Make Up Assignment

1. Article 1: “How Google Builds Its Maps—and What It Means for the Future of Everything”

This article discusses how GT (Ground Truth) technology works. Google uses satellite and ground imaging, using Google cars, to piece together their digital maps. Sometimes, they copy street signs from the Google car’s photographs and paste them into the map. Also, when new roads are constructed or rebuilt, the satellites and Google cars detect the changes, allowing map builders to edit the map.

Article 2: “Google maps: a decade of transforming the mapping landscape”

A decade ago people would use a website called multi map to find directions. The user would type in their desired destination and print out the step-by-step directions. Two Danish brothers teamed up with Google to create an online maps application, which would allow people to scroll, zoom and search. Google maps was officially launched on February 8, 2005. Larry and Sergey came up with an idea to attach a camera to the roof of a car, which lead to the creation of the Google car. In 2007 Google maps was featured as an application on the first-generation Apple iPhone.

Article 3: “Seven wonders of the world to explore on Google Street View”

Jonathan Steele’s team wore mapping cameras to document National Parks, National Trails and coastlines. Google creates virtual experiences for the online viewers, providing them with the opportunity to walk with wild animals in Kenya, climb 3,000 feet in Yosemite, take an evening stroll though Marseille and explore Liwa from a camel’s perspective.

2. I thought that reading about the evolution of Google and their mapping system was interesting and innovative. Google started out as a browsing site and has flourished rapidly over the past decade. I was not aware of Google’s incorporation of the 7 wonders of the world, so that was also interesting. I enjoyed reading these articles.

3. The cinematography from the “Explore Liwa with Google Maps” video looked very professional in comparison to some of the other videos.  

Make-up Assignment 2/9/16

1. Google has used the amazing technological advancements to help mankind in many ways. They’ve put together a single, highly advanced map that covers five million miles of the world. In addition, the images are accurate and realistic because of the camera that were used on vehicles. 

2. Google Maps: a decade of transforming the mapping landscape.

The Launch of google maps lead digital maps to become mainstream approximately ten years ago today. Google’s goals was to create one map of the entire earth in which a user could browse the entire earth. Google maps finally was featured on the first iPhone in 2007. Eventually, they ran into issues with cars gathering data for them such as address information and wifi networks in foreign countries. The wifi information resulted in a 7 million dollar fine. 

3. It was astonishing for me to see the way that Kenya took advantage of camels to record data and imaging of street views. Street cameras were also used record data on elephants. Over six hundred elephants were recorded. 

Remote Sensing

Learning about remote sensing reminded me of how now drones can be used on freeways and highways in order to ticket people who are speeding. I always see signs when I'm driving on certain highways that say "Speed Enforced by Drones". I also have a friend that was ticketed by a drone one time. It's crazy that remote sensing can be used for so many different purposes like giving people speeding tickets.

Make up assignment 2/9

1. Google has taken the world’s “physical information” and turned it into something useful that people can access every day. By compiling all different kinds of data from several different sources, it has comprised a realistic and advanced map that covers over five million miles of the world. People drove all around the world with cameras on top of their cars to give the map real street view images.

Apps like Google Maps have come a long way to help people with the even worst sense of direction navigate their way around. Google Maps appeared on smartphones when the first iPhone came out in in 2007, changing the game on how people used and viewed maps. However since Google Maps first came out as an iPhone app, many competitors have come up with new apps of their own, creating even more features that Google Maps now has to compete with.

Not only does Google Maps offer street view images of cities and streets, but it has also compiled imagery of places you can’t drive to like Kenya, the Liwa desert, the Galapagos Islands, the Amazon, other cool places around the world.

2. Although having the street view imaging on maps can be very helpful to see where you are going, it can be somewhat distracting. I would never use the street view imaging while driving because I would get way too confused/distracted and probably end up getting lost looking for details on the map that may or may not help me find where I am going/what I am looking for.

3. I thought the video with the camel in the desert was really incredible. I don’t know when else I would ever be able to see raw footage of the open desert.

Ocean

The ocean is a very big place. Scientist have yet to discover the depths of the darkness within the deep sea. Our knowledge of the ocean expands everyday, we learn to understand it. Imagine if we knew how deep or even what lies in the ocean. We don't know but we have mapped out what we have discovered as a human race. Our technology can only takes us do far. Eventually we'll uncover all the deep ocean secrets and the creatures that live within it.

American Sublime

In class and discussion we talked about the American Sublime and how it has changed over the years. I have thought a lot about how tourism has impacted the sublime, and I believe it has hindered the beauty of the sublime. Personally, I love to explore nature and go to beautiful places to observe the scenery. But more often than not, the location I am trying to access is full of tourists, typically you have to pay money (or at least to park), and the places are marked off or fenced in so you can not explore on your own. This causes the sublime to be less beautiful than it would have been 50-100 years ago when these destinations were not tourist destinations.

Air and Space Museum

Over summer me and my sister went to the Air and Space Museum in San Diego. While walking through the museum it showed the growth and change of airplanes and the influence it had on people in the U.S. This reminded me a lot of what were learning in class because the ways of seeing from airplanes offered a different perspective from individuals. This way of seeing continued to grow over time as the airplane continued to advance. The Air and Space Museum's articles and what were learning in class right now is very similar in the way of how advancing technology of airplanes change the way many people look at the United States. 

Maps of Conceptual Space

In this course we primarily focus on maps of physical space since this is what constitutes most maps. It occurred to me in one of my other classes that maps don't necessarily have to represent physical space. In my kinetics class my professor was drawing a block flow diagram outlining the steps of a reactor design algorithm and I thought to myself, "hey! that's a map!" It used symbols to convey information and was even intended to give directions to solving a problem just as maps can provide directions to solving the problem of getting somewhere. I thought it was pretty cool that maps can be extended beyond what immediately comes to mind when hearing the word.

Bessie Coleman

I was honestly surprised that I've never heard of Bessie Coleman before lecture today, considering how important she was for making advancements for both women and African/Native Americans in aviation. It was fascinating to hear her story in class. I thought it was so inspiring that she wanted to pursue flight so much that she worked as a manicurist to save money and studied French at night, all to go to foreign country with a completely new culture, in order to get her international pilot's license. She was willing to brave adverse conditions (monetarily, as the daughter of a single working mother, and socially, as a young Black and Native woman in the cultural climate of 1920's America) in order to be the first female African American pilot and the first person of Native American descent to hold a pilot's license. I highly recommend looking up more on her life if you're curious about her, because her life was pretty incredible.

Make-Up Assignment for 2/9

1.For the first article, How Google Builds Its Maps—and What It Means for the Future of Everything, talks about how a google map is actually built, with lots of underlying logic and databases. And the article also mentioned that they don’t merely collect data from single reliable source, they would try to look for more information and data by themselves. For example, in building the imagery of street view, they incorporate the idea of OCR into it and state that with the improvements in computer vision and OCR, they may have the chance to turn any word into the physical world.  

As for the second article, Google Maps: a decade of transforming the mapping landscape is talking about the evolution of Google Maps and about how the features become a reality in the Apps. For instance, the article is describing how street view is created by a car equipped with sensors and cameras.

Eventually for the third article, it is quite self-explanatory by the name of it, Seven Wonders of the world to explore on Google Street View. Actually, it is about the successes of Google Maps in getting street views of beautiful places, such as Yosemite in California.

2. For the idea that Google Maps links the online world to the offline world, it’s partly true. But however great the Google Maps is, we cannot deny the fact that google maps makes us rely more on the technology instead of recognizing the routes ourselves. Sometimes Google Maps can be misleading and can lead you to routes of a longer distance. So, basically this idea is partly true. Whilst Google Maps provides technological advances and convenience to us, one should know how to strike a balance between technology and its one cognitive ability.

3. I watched the one about Kenya’s Samburu Park, and I am amazed by how they utilized camels to record the street views. In the article, they also mentioned that they used the street camera to spot more than 600 elephants. This makes me wonder the possibility of Google Maps working in environmental aspect, such as using real-time processing skills to track the species.