THE MACHINE

In this video called "The Machine is Us/ing Us" by Michael Wesch, he talks about the difference between digital text and the written world and how mark up languages on the internet can influence how we can influence content on the internet.

One of the things that is a major difference between the written world and digital text, is that digital text is very flexible or adaptable to each person's interpretation. XML vs HTML make it possible to seperate content and form, which is important, because it simplifies the processing of changing the content we come across the internet and making it our own without having to worry about a set format. When we have the ability to constantly change and connect different sources together by hyperlinks and combining content, we are creating pathways. The internet is the machine, and with every connection we make the machine learns new information. In this way we are controlling the information that the machine learns, because we create the pathways and combine information. However, the machine also controls us, because the things that we read or think about are often dictated by what is popular on the internet at the moment. While the internet is a good tool, it can also become faddish if we don't use it properly. We are actively involved in shaping the content of the internet, but that content also shapes us, so it becomes a never ending cycle. 

The Adventure of Moby Dick

    While I have read Moby Dick (a very long time ago), I must admit that the first time I read it did not make an impression on me. I remember long monotonous descriptions and characters that seemed depressing and all too prone to rambling on and that is about it. I believe that at the age that I read it, I was reading more for the ability to say that I had gotten through it. However, this time I am approaching Moby Dick from an entirely new perspective. I want to really understand why this book was made to be a Classic, for one, and two, I want to understand how Digital Culture can change how I relate to this novel.
My understanding is that Ishmael is a very mysterious character and he immediately adds intrigue to the story, because you don't learn much about him other than the fact that he is trying to escape his tendency towards depression and suicidal thoughts. He believes that joining the crew of a whaling ship will give him a more practical purpose in life. However, since he was a Teacher, as a narrator, Ishmael is more than your average sailor. His thoughts tend to be very descriptive and philosophical in nature, making the set up of this story feel like a moral and introspective adventure, more than a a wild tale of daring deeds.
I was impressed with Ishmael's character from the start, because I have at one time or another in my life felt like my life was not going the way I wanted it to. And instead of wallowing in his misery, Ishmael makes a drastic change to his life that he feels change things for the better. I find it interesting that Ishmael feels like the life of theory and rhetoric as a Teacher is not enough- that knowledge isn't enough. Instead, he views a life of physical action as the only one that will abate his depression. This reminds me of a discussion about Digital culture and how to make blogging or any other kind of digital media important. To talk about the things that we read about and find interesting isn't enough, we have to make our connections mean something not only to ourselves, but to a wider audience. In order to not have stale conversations that we could have in class, the conversation needs to move forward. I am looking forward to having a participatory reading of Moby Dick, by being influenced by the media I read about Moby Dick and to have my thoughts broadened as I understand how the universal themes of this story can relate to my life today!

Call me Ishmael.

       Just Kidding, call me Makenna! I am starting this blog as part of a class based on the idea of Digital Culture. We are using Moby Dick as our main source of literature within this class. To introduce myself, I am an English major going into the wonderful world of Library Science. This class is especially useful to me, because Libraries and how they work are rapidly changing to incorporate all of the technology that seems to change on a daily basis. Whether or not we get into the debate about which is better- physical books or kindles, how we experience literature is definitely changing rapidly. And all of this is why this class is so interesting to me!
I am from California, I am a senior, graduating in another semester or so, and I look forward and dread the day when I no longer have classes and school to go to!
I love being an English major, but sometimes it is difficult for me to express my thoughts on paper. I have never loved to write as much as I love to read, but I think that the words from my favorite books often inspire me to keep trying.
Some of my hobbies include cooking, hiking, playing in the rain, and occasionally trying to systematically read every book in the library. I look forward to getting all of my classmates and anyone else that happens to stumble across this blog!