“Try It Again.†This infamous (or not) line uttered by one fictitious character named Selden Bishop in Clifford D. Simak’s short story entitled “Immigrantâ€, in which Selden encourages one of his peers to “Try It Again†after she unknowingly uses her mind powers to stop a glass in mid air from shattering onto the floor. What does it mean to be urged/encouraged to try something unknown? Does it shed new light? Does it allow you to see something in a different perspective? Acquire a new skill/knowledge/power within yourself? Follow a path lead by curiosity? Is this what we need in order to make computer/human symbiosis a plausible and actual thing?
Do we need the curiosity to keep on trying to figure out a way where computers and machines can work together to accomplish some greater good, unlock something that will better society? Will we retreat with fright when this idea of human/computer symbiosis begins to fabricate into a reality? To be so on the verge of making the great leap to a certain idea/concept, but then fearing the leap so much that it becomes the last thing we try, being trapped in the comfort zone of fear?
If not encouraged to try something again or take a leap of faith into a new idea or concept will we be unable to reach a grock insight? I am still so afraid that I will not be able to have a moment of grock insight for this class…in the area of my final project. I have a lot of idea but I am unsure of them. I know what I want to do but at the same time I am completely lost.
The intial idea for my project was taken in my interest with J.C.R. Licklider’s concept of human/computer symbiosis.  An idea that involves humans doing humans do best working with computers doing with what computers do best, and in turn accomplishing or unlocking something great. I want to use a computer (service, such as YouTube) and have it do what it does best (which is to host video clips that are available for sharing or viewing) and combine that with something I do best which is take photos of things. Those powers combined I will have….(unknown).
I have a lot of information but am unsure how to organize it into a presentable way and make it work for my presentation. For my project I want to use my newfound knowledge and “expert†understanding of YouTube to host my visual exploration of the concept of metaphor and symbiosis (especially related to humans and computers). I have already taken quite a few photos of things that remind me of this concept but I fear that they may be too abstract and therefore elicit reactions of “WTF Mate?!?â€Â …
Maybe I am just taking pictures of obscure things that catch my attention and that have no relation to my project…Although when I take the photos I am thinking “I can use this for my projct” so maybe subconsciously there is a correlation…I don’t want to have to explain my photos to anyone, I just want people to connect to them in whatever way they can and take away from them whatever they want to…Also I know that I only want to use photos that I have captured with my mobile phone…I am still not sure what it is about the mobile phone camera that fascinates me.
*Some number that is unknown to me send me this text message photo today…What does this mean? Who is this perons? and also, Why?*
