Reading Response 3!

For this reading response I felt as if I better understood exactly what it was that I was to do.

I did choose to write about the same thing we talked about in class and I didn't know if we could do that.

In class we talked about stacks and groups, so i related those concepts into my reading response.

Vietnam's social networking

What is social networking?

  The interaction between a group of people who share a common interest; Using social contacts to network; Using internet's network groups (such as Facebook and Twitter) to network and communicate between individuals and sometimes even consumers and businesses

      Vietnam has actually launched their own social networking site called go.vn. Vietnam's government was in fear of Facebook because they could not control it. In order to sign up though users have to submit their full name and government issued identification numbers. The government is even trying to involve the kids by creating appropriate online games and online English tests. Authoritarian governments such as Vietnam are seeking to control what is spread over the internet now, rather than always blocking other social networking sites. 

The government in Vietnam has tried to ban Facebook, but it is still very accessible. 

In the "Global Post" Helen Clark told us why the ban didn't exactly work. 

Unlike China, which blocks websites at an ISP level, Vietnam does so at the DNS level. What this means, as one IT expert explained, is that the government simply tells service providers to redirect their servers away from sites as opposed to actually blocking their access. The upshot is that it's easier to circumnavigate Vietnam's firewall than it is China's, where an estimated 30,000 censors search for illicit content on the internet.

“This is trivially easy to circumvent,” said the IT expert, who wished to remain anonymous. “All you need do is change your DNS provider to one of the publicly available ones. Google DNS is a great example.”

The ease of the work around and no official mention of sanctions mean Facebook users, which number over a million in Vietnam, can plead innocence. Users chat online, tag photos and play Farm Ville.

http://www.rferl.org/content/Fearing_Facebook_Vietnam_Launches_Its_Own_SocialNetworking_Site_/2177003.html

Blogpost 3

Blogpost for Jan. 31st

In-class we talked about ten specific design words to describe to a space

(space, power, experience, principles, precedent, site, order, scale, technology, surface)

I can use these words to describe UNCG. 

Space: UNCG is a very large spaces which inhabits thousands and thousands of people.

Power:

Experience: On college Ave. the walkway leads your eye directly to the McIver building, changing how you experience the space. 

Precedent: This also goes along with experience in a way. The McIver building shows precedent over the other buildings due to its size.

Site: UNCG is not placed on flat land. The site has a few hills.

Order: The space has orders to where buildings are placed. The libraries are close to the EUC, which is the central building overall.

All of these ten words are intertwined with one another. They make the space what it is. UNCG is a series of sites meshed together to make one large space, a space of study. People come to this space from all different walks of life, all searching for something different in life. Within this space they find it.

Blog Post 2

   For friday's class we were asked to walk around campus and find buildings that represented circles, groups and stacks on and around campus.  These all copy things found in nature.

Circles: the sun, moon, sacred spots

Croups: groves of trees, reaching vertical, groups of people

Stacks: mountains, gathering resources

  Circles symbolize sacred spots and importance. In the EUC there are two circular entrance ways (one from each end of the building.) Those circles show the importance of that spot. It is a gathering place for everyone. People come from all different directions and meet each other in that spot. That spot holds a ritual of bringing everyone together. There they all become one. Circles also represent knowledge.

The tiles on the floor immolate a circle as well with sun bursts starting in the middle and going outward. Those sun-bursts also represent knowledge and a since of importance to the University. The unity of these circles symbolize the entire university. This space being what ties it all together. The circles also emphasize the entrances to the EUC. The circles are also stacks. The circles stand above the rest of the building also emphasizing importance and that they are reaching upwards. 

We also talked about stacks. The McIver building is stacked on top of a large set of steps and can be seen from further away. The proportion of this building to the rest stands out. Groups of trees and rectangles converge towards the front of the McIver building showing its importance. Repetition in the groups helps lead your eye towards that building. 

Groups can be found in many places. One in particular caught my eye near the Moore building. In the middle of the walkway there was a group of trees but within the group of trees are groups of squares. Four trees are located at each corner of the square. The six squares grouped together create a rectangle. The repetition of all the squares creates a pattern and balances out the space. The rectangle creates a sense of unity.

AND NOW FOR THE BIG QUESTION:

Do environments influence RITUALS or do rituals influence ENVIRONMENTS?

 I feel as if environments influence rituals. The way an environment is shaped creates the rituals that go on within the space. People move within a space according to how the space is designed.

First Reading Response and blog post

All about my Header

Our first assignment was to create a header that described ourself as a designer. I chose to do my header in light graffiti (writing with light). The free flowing font describes my style as a designer. I feel as if I break some rules but I try to stay direct. The LED light is very direct. It can not just be done with any light. For my drawing, the process its self was all drawn out.