Privacy & Surveillance

Years ago we didn’t rely on technology to do anything for us, not only has that happened but technology is now a part of us. Day to day things entail of using a part of our identity to pay or use as proof. This isnt just a card with a name and number on it, but a card with an RFID.

‘‘Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology with components that are not a replacement for the barcoding, but a complement for distant reading of codes. The technology is used for automatically identifying a package or an item. To do this, it relies on RFID tags. These are small transponders(combined radio receiver and transmitter) that will transmit identity information over a short distance, when they are asked to. The other piece to make use of RFID tags is an RFID tag reader.’

This seems scary as this little chip is put in things phones, theyre almost like trackers with ALL our personal information that only the government has access to.

Even if it doesn’t have an RFID general I.D’s carry information an example is a provisional license, This shows where you were born, where you live, all your names, date of birth etc.

With identity cards like this, it must be easy to fall into the hands of anyone else, this causes fraud and theft.

There was once upon a time where people used to use money to pay for things, strictly cash in hand. Then came the invention ‘Chip and Pin’. Where you simply use your card with whatever retail shop you’re in and pay as the money gets transacted out of your account. Not only is that possible but we can now use these same debit or credit cards to buy things, online, over the phone and face to face. Although this invention is handy, this also causes of a lot of fraud.




Are the other technologies out there which are still yet to be developed to decrease identity theft? Or will something new come along instead of cards which can easily fall out of our back pocket?

Open Source

The operating system in Brazil will soon change to linux due to the fact Microsoft is too expensive. Linux is another application but similar and does everything Microsoft can do.This is also due to the fact that the country itself is not rich. So has to make do with anything similar.

Open source software are programmes which are nearly the same as the original but cost less.
Anroid is seen as an open source because it is similar to the iPhone but doesn’t come with the applications.

Why are they cheaper if they do the same thing? How is it funded?

Other open sources include Open Office which is shares the exact same uses Microsoft word does. Once again its free, so some students use this because they can’t afford to buy the original copy.

Different open source programmes are being created but have to be done carefully so nothing is breached, unlike what happened two months ago for Ubertwitter. Ubertwitter were an OS for Twitter on smartphones but were banned after they broke the companys rules, there service was put on hold for over 48 hours and no one was able to tweet from their phones unless they downloaded the original Twitter app. ‘Twitter for Blackberry’. Eventually Ubertwitter were warned for their extension of characters and their over the limit of tweeting 140 charactars per tweet and had to Change their name as a brand to Ubersocial.

Game Studies & Game players

The Game theory and the magic circle.

The game theory are rules of how a game is played and how you switch into a zone of how you feel best to play or concentrate. This could be shutting out any other piece of technology out of the way. E.g. Phone, TV.

When people games an immediate magic circle is created this could either be with them self and the game. (Depending if its multiplayer or not). When playing games such as Mario Karts you have an opponent so you try to concentrate on how you’re going to race ahead so you can win the game.

‘A play community generally tends to become permanent even after the game is over. . the feelings of being “apart together” is an exceptional situation, of sharing something important, of mutually withdrawing, from the rest of the world and rejecting the usual norms, retain its magic beyond. the individual game’

How you gain your concentration to get the magic circle varies, this can be anything from locking yourself away. To playing music really loud, anything which you believe can’t distract you.
When whatever is being played or been given an interest to is done, you’re un-attached again, whilst the circle has lost its orbit.

Other games such football have a magic circle only they interact with other people on their team and they’re able to communicate with each other.

The main focus on this rule is that anything you feel can distract you from concentration of what is being played is removed from sight.

If you do fall into the magic cirlce and forget about things, why DO they need to be removed from where you are? Surely your parents screaming for your attention when in your own world can be seen as a distraction, but even then is that blocked out?

Game studies

Importance when playing games vary, not all games require the same attention or focus. I don’t play computer games what so ever but just the games that come on my Blackberry. Brick break breaker, it doesn’t require much skill that’s why it could be seen as a tactical immersion.

Either way there is still some sort of magic circle. But why? Why would a game which doesn’t require much attention still have a magic circle? People still find themselves shutting out the world when playing such basic games.

Nintendo DS games such as Cars are not as basic, but need more attention as more focus is needed. it includes a POV driver and slight concentration, as you drive past other cars avoiding getting into an accident with cars coming from the opposite direction. As you reach the next level the speed which you cant control becomes faster, more cars are appearing from other directions. Slowly but progressively this creates the magic circle as you get more into the game.