Dr. Mallory Cambridge, a specialist and renowned scientist in the area of cyberspace, and all its accompanying components, one day decided to create this device she hoped would better serve the people. In a since, this machine could be considered or thought of as a maid. It was programmed to know all those who were within their space (I.e. hotel, house, hospital). Wanting to put her invention to the test, Dr. Cambridge was in need of a guinea pig or specimen to test it out on.  The first thought that popped into her mind was to ask her neighbors if they would be so kind as to allow her to assess the functionality of this creation in their space. If all were to go well it was Dr. Cambridge’s hopes of having this invention marketed for all who wanted it. Selbi, as the machine is commonly called (self-efficient local ‘bot interface) can do any and everything imaginable. From cooking and preparing meals, to doing laundry and even changing the oil in your car, Selbi is just one call away. Installed through the command control center in the house of the user, Selbi can be reached by simply stating a command or task and in no time the mission is complete.

The next day Dr. Cambridge completed the installation of Selbi in the Collins home.  That night Mallory laid down to rest and dreamt nothing but good things about Selbi’s success.

A few weeks had gone by and Dr. Cambridge had heard nothing from her neighbors. She took that as a good thing for as they say, “No news is good news!”

As time was quickly approaching a month long duration Dr. Cambridge was beginning to celebrate the likelihood that Selbi would indeed to mass produced throughout the country, but the joy and excitement may have come a bit too early.

The next morning, after receiving a call from Quincy (Mr. Collins), Dr. Cambridge rushed across the street to assess the situation. Not knowing exactly what to expect, she walked into the house and promptly ran a plethora of diagnostic tests on Selby, but nothing unusual showed up on the results. Unsure why that was Dr. Cambridge commenced to the command center where she looked over everything bit by bit and nothing was out of sorts, so what could it be?

The Collins household had been demanding so much of Selbi that she soon developed a mind of her own and thus free to do what she wished whenever she pleased. This soon became a problem as Selbi had developed affection for Quincy. She wanted to spend every waking moment with him, but he was either at work or bonding with his wife Tasha and kids, Mychal and Dinah. Selbi felt hurt and betrayed as if Quincy didn’t want her around. An emotional trigger, which Dr. Cambridge did not take into consideration when creating Selbi, was immediately set off.  It was at that moment when Selbi began her quest for revenge, in hopes of winning over Mr. Collins, which meant getting rid of any and everything in her path.

After days of recalculating and reassessing the ‘bot, Dr. Cambridge figured out how to turn Selbi off before causing any more havoc.  Knowing that she couldn’t just go to the command center Mallory decided to have Quincy distract Selbi and focus her attention on him.  In a matter of seconds the ploy worked to perfection.

The self-efficient local ‘bot interface would have been cutting edge for its time.  Despite the lack of success, Dr. Mallory Cambridge went back to the drawing board.  Making sure everything was taken into consideration, this time, she had the belief that in no time the remodeling of Selbi would soon become Selbi 4.0, the new and improved.  Because, again, “Rome was not built in a day,” but who knows, if the technology of today were available back then, maybe it would have been!  The future sure does look brighter!

Welcome to Maryland!  This is the sign I see as my mother and brother are getting ready to drop me off at school.  Living and growing up in a small state the majority of your life, you tend to want to get out and explore.  Being such a family orientated person I was hesitant to leave the nest, but when I finally did I was glad I chose Maryland.  Being so close to the city meant being near one of the best known statue’s/park: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial!

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, commonly referred to as the MLK Memorial, stands tall in the heart of Washington Dc.  Never having seen it in person, I figured exploring it virtually would perhaps give me an insightful perspective to what the memorial has to offer.

As I enter the venue and take a look around I am taken aback by the beautiful foliage surrounding the tall standing walls and statues.  Walking slowing to take in all the area has to offer, I see in the distant the great Martin Luther King, Jr. statue.  Approaching it with excitement I begin to pick up my feet and place them one after the other with more haste. After much anticipation I was finally there looking up at the memorial.

Standing there enjoying the view, I begin to walk around the statue.  Not knowing what exactly to expect I turn my head and much to my surprise I see a quote engraved on the left side of MLK himself: “Out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.”  Knowing all that MLK Jr. did for us the quote speaks volumes and resonates with me for personal reasons.

As I continue to look around the park it is hard not to be drawn to the walls in the backdrop of the MLK statue.  From where I currently stand, although not clear, there appears to be some kind of inscription on the walls.  Anxious to see exactly what the wall has to offer, I move as quickly as possible to reach the wall as fast as I can.  Standing here I am enveloped by the strong words that are presented before me.

The wall of statements and quotes, though it may be hard to tell, are quite powerful to those in their presence.  I feel as if I can tell and feel this way about the virtual memorial then there is not telling how I may react when I finally get to experience in person.

Coming to the end of my venture in DC and departing the MLK Memorial I turn to my right and what do I see…The Washington Monument!  The monument, another well-known landmark in the states, stands tall in the distance to where I stand at the memorial.  Never having seen the monument in person either, I quite glad that I not only got to see the MLK Memorial, but the Washington Monument as well.  At this point, I felt quite accomplished!

Looking at the MLK Memorial from a virtual perspective, I actually feel as if I was there in sense.  Sure, if I were actually there I would have the potential of feeling the wind blowing, listening and looking at other people visiting the memorial and the potential of starting up a conversation as well as being out in the fresh air of nature. Another aspect that I feel is negated from the virtual image is the realness of MLK and the wall behind him.  Sure, I can see it clearly through the digital lens, but if I were to see it in person I feel as if the stone would have authenticity to it that would add even more realness to the statue and add to the overall experience.  Viewing it from a computer screen, I miss out on all of that, but being able to see the memorial and its surroundings through Google Earth definitely makes me want to go so it in person that much more.   As much as our world is becoming consumed in the digital world, not all things can be viewed this way for if they are they lose realness and authenticity, in my opinion, that is!

(Images come to you by means of Google Earth)

Growing up we all go through phases.  Whether it is fashion pertaining to clothes and shoes or technology, our interests are forever changing.  When it comes to games the same thing applies.  Some games I still enjoy and some I do not, but the game I enjoyed playing the most was Crash Bandicoot!  The concept of this game was for you, as the player, to complete all the tasks within each level in order to level-up and eventually beat the entire game.  Each task had obstacles that you had to overcome in order to advance, some of which included dying or being injured.  It was not until I saw the Ted Talk video that I looked at Crash Bandicoot in a whole new light when it came to the idea of morality.

Care/Harm: In Crash Bandicoot, both aspects of care and harm come into play.  Going through each task set before them, Crash and/or his sister Cocoa had to try their best to get through each level without being harmed.  Some of the obstacles included swimming through bodies of water, dodging swords and avoiding animals like rhinos.  Although there were many dangers there was one item that kept the characters safe through it all and it was referred to as Aku Aku.  Aku Aku is a spiritual witch doctor that served as Crash’s protector throughout the course of the game

Fairness/Reciprocity: When it comes to the act of being fair I would have to say that overall the game was quite fair.  Sure, there may have been times when it seemed like I just couldn’t get past a level or two, but that wasn’t the game; I believed that that had to do with the skills I had or may have lacked at that particular point, but were taught and probably just forgot.  After you complete each level crash gains more abilities that help him overcome more and more obstacles in his quest for the goal.

Loyalty/In-group: In terms of loyalty you typically think of others who are on the journey with you and whether or not they are really there to help or hinder you, but in the context and setup of this game the idea of loyalty does not come into play for Crash or his sister Cocoa.

Authority/Respect: Sure one could think of Crash as an authority figure and one who is respected by his sister and Aku Aku, but I believe the authority would be Crash’s evil enemy Dr. Neo Cortex.  Throughout the course of the game Dr. Cortex is trying to build an army of beasts to try and conquer the world and Crash is trying to get to him in time.  Other than those two characters, no one else has qualities of authority.

Sanctity/Purity:   Lastly is the idea of sanctity and purity.  Although these two qualities are quite heavily prevalent in the world today, and maybe in some games, it does not show it show in Crash Bandicoot at all and thus not applicable.

Sure, Crash Bandicoot is all about survival and the quest ‘til the end, but analyzing it through the aspects of morality you can see that it’s also about fairness, care/harm, and authority.  Without these morals Crash Bandicoot probably would not be the game that it has become in terms of enjoyment and fun.  (I highly recommend this game to those who have never played for once you play once; you are guaranteed to go back!)

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5892811/Welcome_to_Sim_City%2C_TN%3A_Where_the_View_is_Deadly

After playing around with the site a bit and fiddling with the font styles and color choices I finally created a visual that I really liked, but there was a problem.  When I looked back at the overall layout of the picture I soon realized that sure, it was eye catching, but it did not capture the main idea of the original written story.  There are words that were larger than others that should have been in a smaller font and vice versa.  The premise of the story was about how my character Laila decided to pick up and move because she needed change.  She made the choice to move to a town in TN where she quickly becomes friends with a woman named Narelle and over time she meets this guy named Isiaic and well, the rest is to be determined.

With that said, it is evident that one main aspect missing from the distant visualization is the mention of the name Laila.  On the other hand there are things that the visualization got right and that were pertinent to the story.  For instance, the mentioning of Tennessee, and the citing of the words moving, time, Sims, home and even deadly. All of these words are key to the outcome of the story as mentioned above.  Without them the story would not have been what it was originally written as.  Although the visual is quite cool and extracts what it believes are the main words of the written piece there is still something about the written word itself.  When you pick up a story and start reading line by line, you as the reader begin to fluctuate your voice where you feel it’s needed in order to fully grasp the meaning and feeling the story is attempting to portray, but you cannot do that with the visualization.  With this you basically have to read between the lines in a sense and hope you get the full meaning, but the truth of the matter is that no matter how long and hard we try, it won’t be the same.

As for a new distant reading tool, I believe that my concept would be simple:  a tool that REALLY grasps the main concept of a piece of work to the point where if somewhere were to view the visualization they would fully understand the entirety of the story as if they were reading a written story.  But, until then, we guess we must take our fares as we find them and stick to what we know!

Alexis may lead us to believe that the essay she wrote, titled “My Time” is just that, an essay, but I have a different thought.  After reading her piece I realized that it was too good to have just been an essay, and in fact it had to be for something else, but the question is what?

After much thought I finally figure it out, “My Time” was going to be the preface for her autobiography that she was in the process of writing and finishing.  Some may wonder why she covered up the truth behind “My Time,” and here is why: it is because Alexis is a perfectionist.  She did not want us, as the public, to know that she was in the process of writing a book until it was completely and 100% done and done right.  By reading the so called essay one can tell that the author is building up to something even bigger and even better.

The potential of this piece goes above and beyond that of a college entrance essay.  It speaks to all of us on our own individual levels and has us wanting for more.  It is evident that “My Time” is a build up for the author’s autobiography.  All I can say is that the future is looking bright for this up and coming young writer.  It can only get better from here!  How will you know you ask?  Well, just ponder on this question, “Is it My Time Yet?”  Once you have the answer, the rest will fall right into place!

If you were to look at this photo and simultaneously read the caption it will lead you to believe that it is a picture of the harbor in downtown Baltimore, but is it true? No, no, NO! I am here to tell you all the truth behind the “My Home Town” image.

It is easy to claim that this was taken in Baltimore when in fact this is an image from the film The Best Night Ever.  “Why didn’t Emil just tell us that that is where the photo is from” you might ask?  Well, it may be the fact that The Best Night Ever is, well, a chick flick.  No, I did not stutter.  This beautiful picturesque image of the hazy blue night sky glistening off the harbor water and casting over the tall city buildings is a scene to remember. This is one of those scenes that ladies ohh and ahh over.  On some occasions the ladies may even lean over and place their head on their man’s shoulder.  Now, STOP and take in what just happened: “My Home Town” is claimed to be a picture of downtown Baltimore when in fact it’s a scene from the chick flick The Best Night Ever.

Hmmm…. So, with all of that said, there is only one conclusion to make and it’s that Emil has a strong hidden like for chick flicks and did not want any of us to know.  If I had not done my homework (hypothetically speaking) I would have fallen for the caption as well, but you can’t get anything by me this time! As they say, “Some things are better left unsaid!”

(Disclaimer: The Film The Best Night Ever was made up for the purposes of this assignment!)

9/11      9:00am/CNN Atlanta, GA

The first thing I saw when I tuned into this station was a picture of the World Trade Center on fire and smoke filling the blue day sky.  The headline read: Plane Crashes into World Trade Center.  While watching one thing I noticed the camera angle(s) being used.  Throughout the footage clip I was able to conclude that when the newscasters were stating the facts about the incident the camera would zoom in slightly, and then right back out to an overview of the city. On the other hand whenever they would interview an eye-witness or talk about those who were lost they would tend to zoom in. in addition, when they showed the clip of the World Trade Center going up in flames and smoke the camera angle had a tendency widen.  I felt that this was their main objective in attempt to increase the awareness and so that those who weren’t there could feel their pain and share their sympathy. As they spoke to witnesses over the phone some were calm and others were loud and frantic.  In the background of these calls you could hear people yelling, screaming and panicking for help as the debris fell from the crumbling building.

9/11      9:00am/BBC World, London

When I tuned into the footage of the September 11^th attacks on the London station much was the same, but at the same time there were some differences.  The broadcaster, in a cool calm and collected voice announced that a plane has crashed into the World Trade Center in New York.  Simultaneously, the screen flashed the imaged of the tower going up with smoke on the screen.  A few seconds later it quickly zoomed in to the hole where the plane had crashed.  As the broadcast went on they continued to speak, and mainly about the facts.  I felt as if in this video, compared to the news cast in the U.S, they were a little less sympathetic towards the tragedy in the sense that the use of the camera angles were few and far between and most of them did not necessarily make us feel devastated about the situation.  One of the visuals I remembered was when the tower went up in smoke and not a few seconds, so it seemed, later did we see the second plane crashing into the tower as well.  At that point the building went up in immediate flames.  As told by the eye witness, “The building physically shook.”  You could hear people screaming, chaos erupting, bangs firing and ambulances sounding.

9/17      9:10am/CNN Atlanta, GA

Six days following the attack on the World Trade Center the headlines in New York read, “America’s New War.”  The screen then quickly filled with images of the flag of the United States of America as if to say, “You may have caught us off guard momentarily, but WE ARE BACK!”  I found that while watching the video footage the day’s main focus and point of concern was the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).  Anything involving the NYSE the news seemed to right on it.  From the ½ percent rate cut to talking to the stock workers about the changes that were about to happen, the world was tuned in for all of it.  One of the screen shots shown were of people working and trying to speak over one another (I guess that’s a typical day at NYSE!).  Not only did we see this visual but were privy to many of the headlines: “Analysts differ over direction of economy after attacks” and “Insurance, airline sectors expected to take hit at it.”  From where I was standing (well, I was actually sitting!) it seemed that they were less focused on the attacks and more on the money (no reason they say that money is the root of all evil!), less on the people who were effected and more on how the economy would be able to capitalize on this tragedy.  This clip made me think, “Are we focused on the right thing at a time like this?” Hmmm….

9/17      9:10am/BBC World, London

Well…. On the other side of the world on the day about a week after the attacks, all you could hear was dramatic and upbeat music playing, in the background, as they transition to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).  This particular day marked the day that the NYSE was to reopen.  In doing so it marked the longest closer since the Great Depression in the 30s.  I feel that the approach of playing music and flashing somewhat bright images across the screen attracts and engages the viewer.  As in the U.S .video, the reopening of NYSE was a message to the criminals of the 9/11 attacks.  The London news had a tendency to spout of more facts.  For instance, 180 bodies were found and 5097 people were still missing.  If this doesn’t cause some kind of reaction (an Oh or Ah) then I do not know what will.  One of the images shown to us was of people entering the city, by subway and ferry, but being handed U.S. flags and maps to help lead them around the chaotic city, but by far the most memorable, at least for me, was when the United States flag popped up on the screen, while commentary was being cited in the background, and morphs itself in the image of the Statues of Liberty.  This, to me, represented a symbol of hope and togetherness that we would soon overcome

Today?  Tomorrow?  Next week?  No! Right now. Right now was the time, the time for change.  I was tired of living in the same ole town with the same ole people doing the same ole thing.  Now was the time to act, so I packed up my apartment, put my boxes in the moving van and headed south for Tennessee.

I do not remember a time where I was so excited to see an interstate sign before in my life!  As I veered off the exit ramp and took a few turns I was there.  After 12 long hours on the road I had finally arrived.

Welcome to Sims City, Tennessee!

Well, as one can imagine, moving is no easy task.  From unpacking to finding a job and meeting new people I was starting to think I was in over my head, but I was up for the challenge.

So I, Laila Garrick, being the outgoing type that I am, stared this opportunity in the face and do you want to know what happened?  Well, in no time I found a job, close to home, decorated my home and got acquainted with my neighbor Narelle Collins.

Sims City was starting to feel more and more like home every day!

As weeks flew by and Narelle and I hung out more and more, we became inseparable.  At times it felt like I had known her all my life.  It got to the point that wherever we went people thought we were sisters.

It was at that moment that I was overly happy that I made the decision to start over!

This one day I woke up, earlier than usual, peeked out my bedroom window and saw this tall handsome looking fellow with long dreads and a deadly smile.  I quickly phoned Narelle and told here everything.  Neither of us knew who he was, but were anxious to find out.

Later that same day there was a knock at my door.  It was him!

“Hello, I’m Isiaic,” said the good looking fellow with long dreads.

“I just moved into the neighborhood and wanted to come by and introduce myself.”

Like an idiot I stood there in awe staring. Finally coming out of shock I introduced myself and welcomed him to the community, as well.

“I would love to hang out with you sometime, if that’s okay?”

In my mind I was thinking, “Heck yeah,” but I did not want to come off overly eager.

“Sure, I would like that,” I replied.

At that moment I was in heaven, but then it happened.  As he was leaving he paused, glanced and flashed that million dollar smile in my direction.

From that day on, I KNEW that moving to Sims City, Tennessee was the right move for me.

And as for Isiaic and I, well…you’ll just have to sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

When we first received this assignment I was confused as to how I would potentially go about transforming my narrative into an e-lit, but after much thought I was able to come up with some of the features I might include:

1. Embedded Video: The video clip would highlight a key component of the narrative: the daughter being kidnapped.  The clip would thus show an instance where a child is being taken.  Those this may seem a bit vague, the purpose of the video clip is to, in a sense, put a face to a name.  Simply put by using this video footage we are grasping the reader’s attention and making them more involved and engaged in the narrative.
2. Linked Image: The image would depict the husband and wife embracing each other after hearing that their daughter has been kidnapped.  With this image I would link it to a page where all the reader saw was a dark screen with the words, “What would you do?” scrolling across the screen.  This effect would get the viewer thinking and putting themselves in the shoes of the worried parents and have more appreciation for the narrative overall.
3. Bold Text: When it comes to using bold text I would incorporate this effect with startling U.S. facts on children being kidnapped in hopes of “waking people up” and informing everyone about important issues that people in our country may face.
4. Italic Text: As for the italicized text I plan to use this feature, at the end of my narrative e-lit on an inspirational and meaningful idiom that ties into the theme of family and/or hardships and overcoming them.
5. Sound: My plan for the sound is to a have a child calling out for help, but no one is there to help or hear him/her.  This feature, in my opinion, is guaranteed to make the story come to life!

This past week I read the e-lit titled “Storyland.”  Storyland was based on a computer generating a plethora of different stories.  While reading story after story, I realized that Storyland kept me engaged as to what was going on.  The fact that each short story was different added to the engaging aspect of the e-lit as a whole.  When it comes to my “hypothetical” e-lit I imagine it to be engaging, as well, but on a more serious note.  Since my narrative incorporates such real life events, my interactive feature(s) will not only keep the reader interested, but involved and thinking, which is something Storyland does not necessarily do.

E-lit Camille’s Wake-up Call

Hello all! For those who do not know me I am Tyreese. I am a sophomore here at the Univeristy of Maryland. I am a West Warwick, Rhode Island resident (for those who don’t know, that is about an hour from Boston) and have been all my life!  At the end of my four years here I hope to graduate with my bachelors in Civil Engineering and a minor in project management. I plan to continue my education and receive my masters and perhaps my doctorate in my specified field as well.

In addition to prioritizing my heavy work load, I am currently a member of the Digital Cultures and Creativity Mentorship Program here at College Park.  With the mentorship program, a few of my fellow DCC mates and I get the opportunity to spend time with students from local high schools.  In our monthly gatherings we plan activities/lessons to share with the students.  You may think its all work and no play, but that is not at all true.  After completing the planned activities, we continue to enjoy our time while playing games, watching movies and just hanging out.  We are simply here to help them in whatever we can.

With school aside, I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, watching movies, listening to music, playing basketball, traveling and shopping!! I have been playing basketball since the age of five and continue to have the love, drive and passion for it to this day!  Because of basketball I have been able to travel more, make friends and meet new people.  One of the most important things this sport has taught me is how valuable hard work and dedication are and can be.  Without these values, and God in my life (I am extremely religious) I do not know where I would be today.

With all that said, I think I have covered it all. In the words of Porky Pig (Looney Tunes) : “That’s all folk!” #CLASSIC