Captains Log #3. Man vs. Machine

Ok, now that we've got that out of the way.Wait..."Ipad"..WTF!
So the passage I picked for this blog was Silvia's from cyber to hybrid,which is quite fitting considering this read speaks about the migration of cyberspace to physical space through the use of mobile technologies as an interface. She points out the explosion of social networking being at the palms of your hands and how it blurs the traditional boarders between physical and digital spaces.

Through out time we as humans have had a fascination with Man vs. Machine and we see this through movies, hyperality (that being, our conceptions of certain things are influenced by what we see and how its portrayed), TV, magazines and so on. Regardless, we take these a priori ideas of a machine and hold it up as some sort of technology or artificial being. The idea that we are pretty close to having robots walking around is not too far fetched. That being said, Silva’s explanation of mobile devices conveys the idea that we accept mobile, “social interface” tools and are perception of virtual space and physical space maybe separate to one another or one mashed up conception. Because we are immersed with so many different interfaces it would make sense that we mash our virtual understandings with our physical capabilities. Obviously we can decipher the difference between an actual physical space and a virtual space but I think Silva is making the point that our experiences in the virtual world are becoming more physically possible to create outside a virtual space.

By physical virtual space, I mean, the way in which we can use virtual tools in day to day life. For example, Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices and falls under the locative or mobile gaming category. This is a perfect example of the mash up virtual interfaces has become. With mobile gaming you’re taking the TV screen out of the video game and instead, transforming the places around you into the game board. Effectively, your phone becomes the controller and your body becomes the character in the game.

What I took away from this article is the fact that we merge virtual and physical space not as a necessity but as technological over load. We are constantly bombarded with new technology, new programs, system updates, which open up our consciousness to new possibilities in the virtual/physical lifestyle we have been accustomed to for a while. The idea of man vs. Machine and robots will become accepted just like a cell phone sooner than you think. With the growth and understanding of the technology we harbor comes the need to grow interconnectivity between our community and others around us.