Reading Response 2
Submitted by jtirrell on Thu, 08/23/2007 - 11:47.
After reading Beyond Words excerpt 2, respond in a comment to the following two prompts:
- Is "Journey to the Center of the Mind" more about technology or about human psychology? What information might you cite to explain the article's focus?
- Do you think Dibbell's essay "The Unreal Estate Boom" seeks to inform people about virtual worlds, or is he primarily offering an argument? What aspects of the piece (tone, descriptions, assumptions, evidence, etc.) would you cite to support your stance (draw specifics from the essay).
The article, ”Journey to the Center of the Mind” presents a view of a modern technology that helps people understand how the human mind works. The study discusses the ability to check the human mind relates information. The article discusses the psychological impact of this method, but most of the study discusses how researchers can tell what part of the brain information comes from. The article emphasizes technology more so than psychology. The article opens with an explanation of how the fMRI works and what the process entails. Granted, by studying the human brain, researchers might be able to tell why people think as they do, but they also gather valuable information about how the brain works as opposed to why. The article mentioned the police wanted to use this technology as a newer from of a lie detector because the lying incites different areas of the brain. Also on page 6 of the article, it mentions that this technology could help diagnose children who aren’t healthy from just looking at brain scans. Human psychology does play a part in studying the brain, but the technological aspect of the results greatly outweighs the psychology.
Submitted by mhorstme on Thu, 08/23/2007 - 16:41.Q2: The essay “The Unreal Estate Boom” clearly offers an argument of how the virtual world changes the real one. In the second paragraph, Gibson states how a cyberspace has an impact on the human psyche, economics, and ethics. The second page gives a very descriptive means of how people have integrated the virtual world into their lives by buying and selling virtual goods with real money. Page 10 explains the extent of the economic change brought about by the gaming system. Gibson provides plenty of evidence of how or why people spend their money toward the gaming world. Page twelve describes the hours of work that someone puts into his character and the stress that some of the situations in the game present. The article starts off with a concept that seems almost ridiculous, but begs to stress the seriousness of the situation. Where money can be made, money will be made, despite the format or audience. Page fourteen describes in detail just how a Mr. Kiblinger made a profit on something completely intangible. The article describes how people can successfully make a living on just playing their game. Granted, that living is barely above the poverty level. The article ends with explaining the difference between gaming life and real life.
1 - Through various examples and the way topics are explained, it seems clear that the focus of the article treads more around technology than psychology. However, a lot of both topics are intertwined together and presented as technology that is concerned with psychology. The apparent goal of the article was to show how technology is helping to advance different fields of studies through many given examples. One particular example involved brain imaging that would help psychiatric treatment. Through brain imaging, psychiatrist Ned H. Kalin was able to see how effective antidepressants were on different people. Although the example does talk about antidepressants and their efficiency, it is more focused on the major role that is played by the fMRI scan and how through its powerful imaging capabilities many breakthroughs are being made. The article then talks about the magnitude of the breakthroughs being made. Through these technological advances researchers are now able to answer many questions that have long needed biological evidence. Evidence concerning the nature vs. nurture debate, for instance, is now possible to attain due to all the new fMRI contributions to research. Due to the fMRI’s capabilities, many ethical questions have surfaced. The article touches on some of these issues including concerns such as privacy; whether it is right to have such technology used to research our ‘brainome’. The backbone of all these topics is technology. Much if not all, is concerned with the fMRI and what it has to offer as opposed to what psychology has to offer.
2 - I think that the essay is primarily based on informing people about virtual worlds. Not many people know about life in a virtual world and I believe the purpose of this essay was to inform. There are no assertions being made in order to believe that an argument is being presented. It follows some what of a story-telling mode in which the reader is following an account as it falls into various hands. Each of the three people whom the account travels through serve as a pit stop for the ‘story’ as the author goes into detail about the intentions that each person has towards the account. By using actual quotes from the various owners of this account the author presents the reader with an image towards people living in this virtual world. As John Dugger says, “People have told me I need to get a life”, we can see that the author is portraying gamers as people who are looked down upon. He also manages to squeeze in the fact that these players are divorced, work for low paying jobs, and have crying babies. As the article unfolds itself though, the reader can see that it is not in the intention of the author to give a bad image towards gamers but rather to inform readers how society feels about virtual reality. The essay is meant to give you an idea about the life of a gamer and how it relates to the life of a virtual character. One way the author informs his readers about this virtual life is by comparing a games economy with the economy of a country. The author also talks about the stress that is involved in video games. With these comparisons readers can see that there is more to a virtual world than meets the eye, its almost like real life! The author also talks about how much ‘real’ money is involved in these online lives and how much people are willing to pay in order to get a few online pixels. With all this talk of demand the author is showing readers that a virtual community is a much bigger deal than people would expect.
Submitted by rsaba on Sun, 08/26/2007 - 16:39.Although I think that the article is certainly about both technology and psychology, its my opinion that its more about technology. The focus of the article is on new ways to use MRI results. MRI's have gotten much more powerful and are now starting to be used for things beyond scanning for problems in the body. "The upshot is that this imaging technology has leaped far beyond its roots looking for lumps and shadows." Several new possibilities exist and lots of groups of people are hoping to make use of the new technology. "Pharma companies hope the new "functional" MRI (fMRI) technology will enhance drug development. Law enforcement experts hope it could become a more accurate lie detector." As the technology gets better and can offer more features, ethical questions can come into play. "At the California Institute of Technology, researcher Steven R. Quartz is using fMRI to explore how the brain perceives a cool product vs. an uncool one." In addition to contributing to marketing by trying to analyze what makes a product desirable, other uses include the collection of brain data. This certainly raises questions of privacy. "Our brains are us, marking out the special character of our personal capacities, emotions, and convictions....As to my brainome, I don't want anyone to know it for any purpose whatsoever."
Dibbells's essay no doubt informs readers about virtual worlds, but I think there is more to it than that. He tells the story of how a piece of virtual real estate is sold on eBay, and then explains how the real estate came into existence in the first place, and how it changed hands among a few different people. While the story does inform readers about virtual worlds, he also makes the connection to how these virtual worlds mimic the real world, and even end up contributing to the economy of the real world. Gamers buy and sell assets from the role playing games that are playing online. Page 9 of the article talks about how pieces of Britannia can be bought on eBay, and examples are given such as Sandals for $5, a battle-ax for $150, or a castle for $1200. "A simple, back-of-the-envelope calculation puts the estimated sum of these transactions at $3 million per year." An actual currency exchange exists as well to convert the gold accumulated in the game, to real US dollars. The notion of scarcity is what makes the games more fun to the players, and what makes certain items more valuable, just as it would in the real world. "Scarcity, after all, breeds markets, and markets will seep like gas through any boundary that gives them the slightest opening - never mind a line as porous as the one between real and make-believe." With all this currency trading hands for virtual items, there became an opportunity, and Bob Kiblinger took advantage of it. Bob chose to make a living out of knowing the value of the virtual items that are a part of Ultima. He scans the auctions that are listed "in search of assets undervalued and overlooked." When he finds them he buys them and sells them for a profit. He claims to make more at that then when you worked for Procter & Gamble, so I think its safe to say that the virtual worlds have a pretty big impact on the real world.
Submitted by Bdawg8569 on Mon, 08/27/2007 - 17:18.1. The article can shift both ways, but for the sake of argument, the technology aspect is the article’s main focus. The article begins by giving a brief history of some medical technologies and their impacts on society. It goes onto explain what an fMRI could do for us in the future, such as pre-scan infant brains to predict the chances of dyslexia and other brain functions. As with many new technologies, ethics plays a big role. The article spoke of how brain scans could be used in the field of marketing, which many feel is unethical. This idea gives the ‘big brother’ feeling of being watched.
Submitted by sarlwils86 on Mon, 08/27/2007 - 19:32.2. Dibbell’s message behind his essay is one of informing the public. His method of writing gives the feeling that he is as shocked by this new “reality” as the next person. He uses stories, such as Dugger’s story of purchasing virtual land as a way to draw attention to this crazy phenomenon. Dibbell is trying to help others understand why this “other world” exists. His use of personal stories portrays the human aspect of this. He finds the reasons of control and the power of money, in Kiblinger’s case, are explanations for it’s existence.
1. The article “Journey to the Center of the Mind” focuses most of it’s direct attention on human psychology. Scientists are just using the technology of today to further their exploration of the human mind. “Physicians in the future will be able to predict which patients will be the best candidates for antidepressants simply by looking at brain scans.” This sentence brings to light the focus on the exploration of the human mind to see which patients would be most suited to acquire benefit from the antidepressants. It never goes into how the technology actually works, because that would probably bore most people. However, it enlightens the readers as to how we are becoming more knowledgeable as to how the human brain functions. I also thought that the information about studies regarding placebo effect were ingenious, recognizing just how much of a role the human mind plays in one’s health.
Submitted by polkastripe on Mon, 08/27/2007 - 22:31.2. There is absolutely no evidence of an argument. He is most definitely informing people about how people are very interested in their virtual worlds. His description of the house that Dugger bought was very informative—“Nine rooms, three stories, rooftop patio,…” I almost thought the author was saying that he was out $750 and still had no house, but no, this guy had purposely bought himself a house for game. I am not sure what this question is leading to. I have no idea what there would be to argue in this case. Clearly, the people who play this game are very into what they do, spending “four hours” “clicking—boom, boom, boom” to attempt to get a virtual house. I just think it’s telling the reader, who, like me, might not know that these kinds of shenanigans occur.
While “Journey to the Center of the Mind” explores some of the potential uses of the new technology in gaining further insight into human psychology, the article’s focus is on the technology itself. (An equally important consideration is the article’s audience, which I believe to be non-scientific.)
The article opens with a decidedly non-scientific description of the technology, then introduces us to “Tommy” before continuing on to provide a brief description of how MRI scanners have been used in the past. By placing the contextual information alongside the bright, healthy, foot-tapping little boy, the author seeks to emphasize the new ways in which the technology is currently used –– and just how drastic the differences are.
It does mention many of the conceivable outlets for the new technology, but does not describe them in any great detail –– evidence of its primary focus.
“The Unreal Estate Boom”
Submitted by jajansen on Mon, 08/27/2007 - 23:16.Difficult question…I’m familiar with the idea of the “online community,” but I had no idea that such communities as these existed. Because of my ignorance, I found this article to be exceptionally informative.
That being said however, it’s impossible to deny that the author is making an argument. He illustrates the ever-shrinking line between “real reality” and “virtual reality,” perhaps best exhibited by the story of Dugger, who gave up his job and marriage in order to pursue an alternate life in Britannia. (For those of us so unfamiliar with the world of online gaming, including these stories was a must –– otherwise I sure wouldn’t have believed that such things actually occur.)
In recounting the stories of real people, the author is able to show us that people can –– and do –– make real-life careers within a virtual space.
The greater argument, of course, is that cyberspace has completely changed the way we interact with one another, the way we live our lives. This article illustrates the collision of physical and virtual reality –– who’s to say that virtual reality isn’t really real? What is the determining factor of 'reality'?
(Rather than arguing for this alternate reality however, it seems that the author is doing the opposite: though a few people have succeeded [so far] at making a living off of living in this alternate reality, others have been brought jarringly back to their physical realities. [Take the author's focus on Troy Stolle's crying infant, for example...why else would he mention this?] They’ve been forced to recognize their immediate situations –– no matter how much time they spend in Britannia, no matter how much wealth and how many “rares” they accumulate, the world’s economy is not a game.)
1.)Journey to the Center of the Mind is centered around the new technology of the fMRI machine. It explains the uses and possible future applications of the machine and how it can benefit more than people that are sick. The article discusses how this technology can be used to determine how certain products are percieved by the human mind This information could be used to help companies create new, more appealing products. Another point of this article is how these new MRI machines can help study the effects of certain drugs. This will in turn help determine how effective the drug is and how certain patients will react to the drug. This helps doctors pick more appropriate treatments for their patients.
Submitted by Mrmann on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 00:05.2.)I believe that this piece seeks to inform readers about the existance of virtual worlds and their economies. The article explains the different elements that come together to create a virtual economy. It explains the differences between the people that buy and purchase online commodoties. There are people that play the game and collect/create the items, such as Troy Stolle. Then there are the online dealers, such as Bob Kiblinger. His entire job consists of buying online items and selling them for a high return. The article informs readers about how dedicated some players are to their characters, such as how Stolle spent 4 hours clicking against other players so that he could claim that spot as his own.
1) This article is more about modern technology than anything else. Being able to observe all the different functions of the human brain is not a psychological science. The article speaks of the current technology, and the future of technology, such as the fMRI and the uses of this technology if it were cheaper and more mainstream. The article states various different uses that this modern technology could be applied to, and the field of psychology is only one of them.
2) "The Unreal Estate Boom" is an essay informing people about virtual worlds. Although Dibbell is not informing people about how well rated, or "good", these virtual worlds and games are, he is informing people about how much these virtual worlds affect our modern society, and how "real" these virtual, unreal entities can be in some situations. These fictional objects become real when they have an actual real-life monetary value. As Dibbel states, over 300 million dollars is exchanged from people simply buying these in-game objects every year. This is an extraordinary number. Dibbell's point here is about how much value and importance people impose on these digital pieces, when they are truly nothing in real life. Not a single advancement is made in one's life by obtaining any of these objects, but for many people these objects give happiness or pleasure. Dibbel also states that people go home and play these games for hours every day, even up to 80 hours a week. This is another example showing just how much these games, and computers in general, are taking over many people's lives. It is inevitable though, since these virtual worlds present a world in which there are no consequences.
Submitted by rsethi on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 00:46.1. If you include the ethical ramifications of fMRI (as noted on page 367 through 369) as a subcategory under human psychology, I would say that the article does a pretty good job of going over the technological and human aspects of using such a machine. If I had to choose one or the other, I would say that the article focuses more on the technology behind fMRI. In addition to going over the process of how the MRI machine works, the article goes into great detail about the uses for this machine, namely for medical use and market research. The article tended to talk more about the technology behind MRI (along with other info surrounding the machine) towards the beginning, as opposed to the end of the article which focused more on human psychology.
2. At first I took it as a writer who was telling a story about a person of interest (in this case that would be Stolle), but the tone of the article changes when the focus of the article went from Stolle to the turmoil people are willing to go through to play a game. Although I've never played one myself, it seems as though the author is passing judgment on the players of these virtual worlds. At one point in the article, he points mentions that Stolle ends up doing the same job in with his virtual companion that he does in real life (namely, carpentry). Unless the author has actually played the game, I doubt he would know the actual entertainment value of playing said game. I don't think the author necessarily wanted to convey a message of avoidance for virtual worlds. I'm guessing that he wanted the piece to be more of a tale of caution more than anything else.
Submitted by aaurella on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 04:08.Question 1
The focus of the article, “The Journey to the Center of the Mind,” was definitely more focused on technology rather than on psychology. The article was mainly focusing on the improvements of the MRI machines and how the improved imagery generated from the machines could change how we approach various fields and subject matter. The article says that it will revolutionize the study of the mind, but whether or not it will is yet to be seen. Even if the new technology isn’t revolutionary, the technology will most definitely improve our understanding of the human mind and what influences our decisions in life. Certain areas I would cite would be the paragraph(s) about the anti-depressant drugs and the finding a more accurate method of what medication should be prescribed to the people that are suffering from depression and the study about what part of the brain that kids use to recognize faces. The science behind it all is certainly fascinating, but what’s going to dictate our opinions about it will be how this technology is used? Where do we draw the line between medical research and social reprogramming? In the next few decades we might find out.
Question 2
I think that he is both giving information and presenting an argument. He certainly gives a lot of information about the world of MMORPG’s, but continually hints at the economic, psychological, and social impacts that “virtual worlds” are having on the “real world.”
He first questions the economic aspect of this form of gaming by asking the same questions that are plaguing economists who are investigating the real world. One example from the text is, “How do we assign a value to immaterial goods?” The economical impact that gaming has had on society is enormous. How do you put a price on entertainment? What would people be willing to pay to get their entertainment “fix” for the month? The questions that plague the economy of the fantasy world are much the same as the ones that we puzzle about in everyday life. Is it worth it? Is it even possible to answer such a question? How can we assign a value on entertainment? Everyone experiences it to a different degree. Politicians are wondering “How do we control it?” How long will it last before the bottom falls out of the market and society takes another hit? These questions can go on forever and for all we know may tie into how we perceive reality altogether.
He also takes a brief look at the psychological aspects of this environment. Is it so hard to believe that a person will get so caught up in their fantasy world that they will completely disregard the material world that they exist in? How long until they begin to make choices that benefit their fantasy character but have a detrimental effect on the rest of their lives. Is it rational to spend so much time to attempt to live through the characters that are being created? Not including the sheer amount of time that must be put into repetitive actions that have no real benefit to the player only the imaginary character. Certainly, one could argue that playing the game gives enjoyment, but how long until that enjoyment wanes and addiction takes control? Until the player no longer recognizes the difference between having fun and the compulsion to level up your character to the next level, even if it will take 100+ hours of mindless, repetitive actions? Until they would rather live in the imaginary world where they have a sense of power, control, and influence rather than the rat race of reality? He also ties the social impacts in with the possible psychological effects. How long will it be until the only forms of communication that people have are in the intangible cosmos of cyberspace? Perhaps this is one Darwin’s methods of removing those who would otherwise be unproductive in society by restricting the reproduction of kin who would carry on these traits? And if that’s true perhaps these sorts of communities are not in the best interest of society?
In conclusion, I would say that the article is very informative about a few people’s experiences with the merger between reality and fantasy, but underneath it all there is a web of provoking questions that are most definitely argumentative. Questions that could, though we may not realize it, explain and define the universe and, quite possibly, even the very fabric of reality. Submitted by merlin769 on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 08:58.
1.
“Journey to the Center of the Mind” is clearly about the developing technology related to the study of the human mind. The article focuses on how doctors and scientists utilize technology to learn more information concerning the function and capabilities of the human mind. Although the technology seems to have a slight psychological effect on its subjects, the overall article is only concerned with the technological aspect of the research.
The article begins with the story of Tommy, a child who is undergoing MRI scans and other tests. Doctors are trying to study how Tommy’s brain functions, particularly in this experiment, what part of the brain is utilized when recognizing faces. The article points out through this example, that this type of research is only possible since MRI technology has developed. Better magnets and more controlled and sophisticated software make this research possible.
The article does point out how this type of research will be used to perform groundbreaking psychiatric research as well as psychiatric analysis. This will be helpful in diagnosing people with depression and other psychiatric illnesses. The example given by the article is that in can take weeks for anti-depressants to take effect, and often, in about 30% of the cases, anti-depressants have no effect. This technology can greatly increase the effectiveness of treatments for such illnesses.
Nonetheless, the article still focuses on the technology. Sure it discusses the psychological impacts; however, the main idea is the development of technology in the medical field. The article even concludes with the thoughts that, as a result of this development of technology, ethical concerns over individual privacy are being addressed. The technology which allows doctors to assess the human mind has developed so rapidly in that past few decades, and this is the main idea of the entire article.
2.
Submitted by jdortiz on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 11:15.Dibbell most certainly informs the reader of the entire idea of the virtual world. I had heard of virtual realities that cost actual money, but I never knew about environments like Britannia, and how much it actually costs! Dibbell did a great job of informing me of how that system works! Nonetheless, I read a sort of worried tone in his piece. Perhaps Dibbell is sending a message, more than just informing the general public of the existence of such virtual lands.
The overall tone of the article seemed more like a caution sign, than and information one. It seems as though Dibbell is trying to make evident the fact that people are spending real money on items, even houses, which are NOT real. He acknowledges its impact on economics, pointing out facts such as the $3 million spent per year on the game; however, this is also not his main concern. I feel like Dibbell’s concern is how far this game or simply the virtual world in general is going to go.
Dibbell begins his article with a specific example of a man who spent more than a week’s salary on a house in the virtual world. At the end of his explanation, Dibbell sites that there is one thing wrong with this house. He says, “It was perfect, in short, except for one detail. The house was imaginary.” The word imaginary is typically a word associated with fantasies and children’s nonexistent friends. Dibbell could have used any other word, such as virtual, to describe that the house, was in fact, in the game. However, he chose to exploit the connotation of the world imaginary. Dibbell also points out that this is a feature of the house that keeps it from being perfect. Dibbell is displaying his true thoughts of the virtual world to the reader. He actually finds the virtual world fun and engaging, but dangerous as well. If one person will spend over a week’s worth of salary on something “imaginary” how much will others spend?
“What defines productivity when work becomes games and games become work?” This is a question asked by Dibbell in his piece about the virtual worlds. Clearly, Dibbell is worried about the effects of virtual worlds such as Britannia. What type of effect are they going to have on society? How will they affect the psyche? These are questions which must be asked as participation in virtual worlds increases each year. Why is it that people will spend more money on a virtual house than food? Why will people work harder in virtual reality than they do in reality? These are the types of thoughts running through Dibbell’s head. His article is an attempt to get others to see the dangers of such “imaginary” societies. The fact that this is indeed what Dibbell is trying to convey is evidenced by the closing sentence of the article, “The game was over, and something as real as life was suddenly in play.” Sure the games are “imaginary”, they are not real. Still, the effects of the games on society are real, and we must begin to pay much closer attention to those effects.
1.
From reading the article, it seems as though it concentrates more on the psychological aspects rather than technological aspects. It questions the morality of using fMRI technology in other applications than medicinal. It goes into discussing uses such as lie detectors, neuromarketing, and prying into other people’s privacy. The issue with such technology is that scientists are unsure if all minds are alike. It would take a lot of work to produce an accurate tool for seeing if someone was lying or not. The medicinal uses of such technology are discussed, and are more interesting to me. Doctors can use this type of technology to see if placebos are actually effective. They have discovered that when a placebo is introduced, the pain relieving area of the brain is less active and the self-control area is more active. Yes, the article does discuss the technology quite a bit, but it goes more in depth with the psychology of the human mind.
2.
Submitted by InvisiblebiRON on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 13:05.Dibbell’s essay “The Unreal Estate Boom” seemed to want to do both, it wanted to offer an argument and inform. Initially, he starts out informing the reader on how these virtual worlds work, and how people are interacting with them. It primarily tells the reader how MMORPGs are basically miniature economies and how people make a living off of them. The tone of the piece fluctuates from bright to dark occasionally. Dibbell introduces the story with a man purchasing a home, which seemed great until he reveals that this house was bought off eBay and was part of a virtual world. The reader’s response at this time would potentially be like “Why would anyone do such a thing?” Dibbell anticipated such a reaction and informed the reader that people are making a living off of these games. He concentrates on the topic of practicality in doing a business, and how people get absorbed in to virtual worlds. The piece came off as more informative rather than argumentative, for the fact that he did not provide his opinion or the opinion of those that were not playing the game. It is difficult to initiate an argument without providing a person’s opinion. He ended with the line “The game was over, and something as real as life was suddenly in play”, to emphasize how much people are absorbed into the virtual world of these numerous games.
"Journey to the Center of the Mind" is more about human psychology than technology, as the advancement of MRI technology is viewed in the context of what it means to the study of human brain and thought processes. Psychiatrists are cited as the first example (365) of who will be using this technology to study the brain activities of patients suffering from problems such as depression. This trend continues throughout the article, with the technology viewed against the benefits to humans and the study of psychology. For example, both psychiatric diagnosis and developmental neuroscience have hopes to use the technology to better prescribe medicine and understand the development of children mentally (366).
The article also raises questions of ethical concern regarding the technology, a distinctly human perspective on the matter. The various companies that have interest in the technology as a means to gauge consumer preferences and reactions focus more on the psychology aspect of MRIs in the public sphere than the established use of the technology in the medical community. While some see it as simply another application of the research data available to MRI technology, others worry over the psychological concerns regarding the human mind and privacy. As noted by neurobiologist Donald Kennedy, "Far more than our genomes, our brains are us..." and the technology of MRIs will not be able to simply dispel the human psychological aspects regarding the ethics and privacy concerns of this new field.
Dibbell offers an argument, altogether a bit roundabout, in favor of the economical aspects of virtual worlds. This favor does not apply for the players themselves, however, as Dibbell seems to regard the players paying into this market with a hint of amusement. His tone is fairly incredulous when describing Stolle, who spent four hours of clicking, six months of smithing, and paid considerable time and money into his endeavor to build a completely fictitious house (391-392). But in comparison, he speaks more favorably of Kiblinger, who is making a fortune in this economy, and for the prospects of others who would want “to grab a piece of the action” (389) such as the actual creators of the game world. The fact that people are paying for digital “property” is more surprising to Dibbell than the fact that others are turning a profit from it. At the same time, he cites economist reports on Ultima Online (389) that tracked the GNP of the fictional world as 135 million, or the equivalent of other real-world countries, such as Bulgaria. Dibbell sees the economy of Ultima Online and other digital worlds as quite real, even if the actual commodities of such worlds are not. And the growth of these economies is assured by continued support of players, creators, and others invested in making their fortune online.
Submitted by Adam on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 14:10.1. The article “Journey to the Center of the Mind” is more about the technology of the fMRI then about human psychology. The article is mainly about how the technology of the fMRI is being used to benefit the people. One of the studies that the fMRI machine is being used is to see what part of the brain antidepressants affect and with this information that is better suited for taking the drugs. Other uses are to see whether it is nature or nurture that makes us recognize a person of a different race. The machine can map changes in the brain to tell whether we recognize that the color of a person’s skin is different then our own at a very young age. Another study whether is actually an effect when a person thinks they are getting better that they actually do without any help from medicines. Then other uses is I could be used to see if different products that we like or dislike trigger our brain so advertising companies would know how better to direct their funds. Also law enforcement is looking to see whether it is a better lie detector. I would cite things that have to do with the technology in practical use. Some doctors are using the fMRI to “examine what part of the brain they use to recognize faces and whether this changes over time.” This quotation would be used to help explain the nature versus nurture debate. Another citation I would use is it has “showed that dyslexic children have different brain patterns from kids who read normally. With those citations if helps to explain how the technology is being used to help change the way we think about how to go forward in treating different disorders.
2. Dibbell’s essay about the virtual world looks to inform and also gives a sort of argument. The essay “Living in the Virtual World” informs you about the way the virtual world are set up and how they run. It essay tells you how you create a character and how you buy land in this fantasy land. The essay also explains how these world our there own economy. In these fantasy lands you have to make your own weapons, get land to put a house on, and find a way to make virtual money to pay for all the things that a virtual person needs. Then the article goes into how the economy in these virtual worlds are affecting our real economy. Dibbell talks about how someone goes through with real money and buys different accounts and sells them on places like eBay.
Submitted by julie4646 on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 15:02.The way the article is a sort of an argument is the way Dibbell’s tone is about the whole subject. One of the parts that show his tone is this quotation “Take a moment now to pause, step back and consider just what was going on here: Every day, month after month, a man coming home from a full day of bone-jarringly repetitive work with hammer and nail to put in a full night of finger numbingly repetitive work with ‘hammer’ and ‘anvil’.” That quote alone gives you his opinion about the whole situation. He see the work in virtual world as stupid for the amount of time that is wasted in it. Other statements that give his feeling about it is how one guy after a year of marriage got divorced because of a gaming. Also the way talks about the people spend eighty hours building and how he includes there statement about that they should get a life.
“Journey to the Center of the Mind” is an article primarily about technology, the MRI and fMRI technologies to be exact. Although the article incorporates application to human psychology, and heavily on human psychology at that, it is still a secondary objective to the technology. I think the most definitive citation of this is the entire third paragraph that starts with “There was a time not long ago…” The article goes on discussing how MRI technology has improved within the last nearly 30 years to come to where it is today; how many more and different applications can be used with the technology. It has a wide range from detecting injuries and abnormalities, to mind patterns in children versus adults, to determining whether or not antidepressants would be effective, and even to lie detecting by law enforcement.
“The Unreal Estate Boom” seems to be more informative than argumentative. It seems to describe and relate a virtual economy to our own, and develop links between the two. It may serve as a warning to some, and also as a window for others. It does explain how a lot of time must be invested in the game to reach certain goals, true for almost any game in this genre, but it also shows that some people are rewarded with “real” money in our real world economy for their time and effort in the game. I think the primary evidence of the fact that it is more informative than argumentative isn’t one specific statement in the article, but rather the whole article about how it discusses the virtual economy, and links up the virtual economies to the real world economy, and “calculation puts the estimated sum of these transactions at $3 million per year.” However, it may seem slightly biased and persuasive mentioning someone as an “Ultima widow,” and due the ending of the article, pointing out the fact that real life takes precedence over anything in-game.
Submitted by dpaulat on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 15:33."Journey to the Center of the Mind" focuses on the technology of the fMRI moreso than the psychological aspects. While the article outlines some of the ethical problems of the technology, mainly privacy, it is only a small section at the end as an afterthought. Page 366 and 367 are a good examples of the article's tech preference. Although those pages are exploring the psychiatric benefits of the fMRI, there is still an emphasis on the technology that is opening doors to research in antidepressant prescriptions, how it is replacing the PET scan, racial studies, and marketing.
I think that in "The Unreal Estate Boom," Dibbell is mainly arguing that the rise in virtual economies is going to eventually overtake our tangible economies. Through the lengthy example of Ultima Online users selling items, houses, and accounts on eBay, he attempted to persuade the user that this idea of a virtual world is taking over what we are currently using, and very easily. Dibbell mentions a few times that to build a house, it only takes a double-click from the user; to sell on eBay, it takes mere minutes. He also emphasizes that it’s fast as well as easy, “the minute you hardwire constraints into a virtual world, an economy emerges. One-trillionth of a second later, that economy starts interacting with ours.” This might be a slight exaggeration from his interviewee, but it certainly helps his argument.
Submitted by udothehokeypokey on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 15:44.1) In “Journey to the Center of the Mind” the writer discusses the new and potential uses of technology in psychological research. I don’t think this article can be placed neatly into either being about Psychology or about Technology. The technology was created specifically for a purpose. It is used in many medical diagnoses. Now the technology is being advanced and used for research in the ever-growing field of Cognative Psychology and Neuroscience. This field is particularly exciting due to how recent the technology is. With better technology neuroscientists will be able to find out more about how the brain works.
Submitted by dan_bortnick on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 15:58.If I had to pick one quote to sum up the article, I would cite:
“Psychiatrists are now studying the mental activities of patients suffering from depression and other emotional ills. Basic researchers are rolling thousands of healthy subjects like Tommy into MRI machines in order to explore the very essence of mind, asking them to think, decide, feel, and learn inside the scanners.” This is a good general focus of the article over all.
2) In “The Unreal Estate Boom” I feel that the author is simply attempting to make an argument. I do however also believe that a large segment of the population will not have known about this prior to reading about it and as a result would be extremely surprised. In that way it is most definitely also informative. I find it very interesting to read this article 4 years later. About two years ago I got caught up in the whole World of Warcraft craze. As far as I know this is by far still one of the largest economies. By the time that this game came out though I am fairly sure that most large market sites like ebay had rules against selling things that don’t physically exist in the real world. This did not stop smaller specialty sites from popping up. In-game you were frequently baraged with messages offering exchange rates from IRL(in real life) money to in-game money at the newest website. “Gold miners” would spend a large portion of their days in the most statistically proven wealthy areas of the game in order to get as much gold as they could out of their days. They spent months building their characters for that purpose before they could even begin selling anything. Its all absolutely ridiculous but at the same time it pulls you in. People become obsessed with these games, enough so that they are willing to spend large amounts of hard earned money IRL on special items in the game.
The evidence that he gives regarding the economics of the game are what nails it for me. In a few years of programming these companies have created games that half a million people spend years of their lives on. These games have higher economic output than most countries! That is absolutely mindboggling. Infact I find it quite sad. It shows the wealth of our countries. We have enough money not only to support ourselves and our families but also to throw into this game which has a higher economic output than the smaller countries. Maybe game developers could figure out how to get these people with their large expendable incomes somehow spending that money on curing cancer or something that actually helps humanity.
1. I think that the arcticle, "Journey to the Center of the Mind" is more about technology than human psychology. There are certain things written here that support this. " The technology has been used since the 1980's to detect..." is one of the main sentences that I say support why its geared more towards technology. Altought it does mention about psychology a little bit, it goes on explaining that the technology is improving and can/will be used as lie detectors.
2. I think that Dibbell's essay " The Unreal Estate Boom" is meant to inform people about virtual worlds. I didn't really see any arguments, mostly information. The way it is written is to relay information. He described how much certain things cost such as a pair of sandals, battle-ax, and a fotress cost in the virtual world but with real money. He informs us that the Britannian gold pieces covert to about 40,000 to the dollar. Later on he introduces Troy Stolle, a construction worker, who built a virtual tower in Britannia. He explains that its harder to build one in the virtual world than it is in the real world. Unless this is the argument. I don't really think its that big or important one.
Submitted by ngc6853s on Tue, 08/28/2007 - 16:04.