Study Task 2 - Reading and understanding texts

The Future of Social Robots
Video by Fw:Thinking

• A lot of robotics companies choose to make their robots look less human to avoid the uncanny valley
• They still include some features to make it easier to have a social interaction with the robot
• Things such as facial features to encourage natural interaction
• Human psychology - triggering natural empathy
• Adults more accepting of child-size and child-like robots making mistakes - Honda Asimo
• More forgiving of "naive", "cute" robots

Computers That Think Like Humans

Video by Fw:Thinking

• Computers can do advanced mathematics
• Natural architecture of human brain to recognise things - music, faces, etc
• Computers traditionally only do one thing at a time, while brains can do millions of operations at once
• Brains take up less energy, naturally designed to learn or "reprogram" itself
• Google Brain able to learn what a cat is based off millions of YouTube videos
• Robot that responds to positive reinforcement

I am interested in looking at human interactions with robots, and how the future of robotics can affect various elements of our lives, such as social media and jobs. 

These videos have helped me gain an understanding of robotics as they are today, and how they might progress into the future. It seems that robotics is based heavily around being "humanlike", and with social media this can be seen with users who bridge the gap between technology and humanity, as well as bringing into question whether or not heavily edited images count as real anymore, since they are so distorted from reality. It is also interesting to note how humans react to these robots, and how we are more empathetic to "cute" robots. 

Study Task 1 - Initial Ideas

• What are your interests?

I am interested in cyberculture, feminism in the 21st century (online), and internet subcultures.

• What have you found out?

I have found out that there are many different areas of interest when looking at digital subcultures - different groups and people who use the internet to connect from all walks of life and niche areas of interest.

• How have you collected information?

I've listened to podcasts and read articles on digital culture, as well as looking at videos exploring the niche areas.

• How can you extend your research?

It would help to read more academic books on the subject, which I will find both online and in the university library.

• What planning might you need to do?

I definitely need to think about what areas I am interested in looking at, as it is a really broad subject and by refining my area of interest I will be able to dive deeper, rather than scratching the surface.

LAUAN501: Preparatory Task

1) Grave of the Fireflies (1988) Dir. - Isao Takahata, Japan

Released by Studio Ghibli in 1988 in Japan - follows the story of siblings during the end of WWII.

This was the first film that Isao Takahata directed for Studio Ghibli, and he grew up during the second world war, surviving a US air raid when he was nine.

During the time of it's release, Japan was experiencing an economic boom, with their new technologies resulting in higher standards of living.

Globally, the world nearing the end of the Cold War, and was engaged in the Soviet-Afghan war. 

2) The Cameraman's Revenge (1912) Dir. - Ladislas Starevich, Russia

Created by Ladislas Starevich, this animation used insects animated in a stop-motion style, and is one of Starevich's earliest surviving animated films. 

Starevich was a trained biologist, who initially created animations with his embalmed insects for educational purposes.

At the time, Russia was on the brink of revolution, and war. Tensions were high in the country as Russia was involved in the conflict in the Balkans, which led to the First Balkan War in 1912.

Also during this time, World War I was on the horizon, as tensions grew globally, especially in Europe.

3) Hong Gildong (1967) Dir. - Dong-heon Shin, South Korea

This animation was based on a traditional Korean folk tale of the same name, as well as artist Shin Dong-woo's comic "Hong Gil-dong The Hero."
During this period in Korean history, Korea had been involved in the Vietnam War for two years upon Hong Gildong's release, to support South Vietnam against communist attacks.
At the time, there was also a strong global anti-war movement, particularly in the US, which was protesting against the Vietnam War. This was in part due to the introduction of colour television, which allowed the public to see the full gory detail of the war.

4) The Powerpuff Girls (1998-2005) Dir. - Craig McCracken (1998-2002) & Chris Savino (2002-2005), America

The show was originally conceived by director and animator Craig McCracken during his second year at CalArts, as a cartoon short called "Whoopass Stew!"
During the time the show was airing, America experienced one of the most shocking terrorist attacks in 2001 on the World Trade Centre, which left a strong impact on popular culture and modern society.
The growth of the Internet also began during this time, which connected the world and made way for faster communication, as well as internet culture.

5) The Illusionist (2010) Dir. - Sylvain Chomet, France/UK

Based on an original script by mime, director, and actor Jacques Tati in 1956, and was originally intended to be set in Czechoslovakia. Director Sylvain Chomet moved it, to be set in Scotland.
In both the UK and France during this time, the swine flu pandemic swept across the nations.
Globally, the world was still recovering from the global financial crisis of 2007-2008, while Europe was entering into the European debt crisis, which has been taking place since the end of 2009.