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That means, "Hey ScienceBlogs readers, and welcome to the weekly Technology Channel update!" in 1337. I'm Arikia Millikan, and I'll be your host.
This week, we've read some insightful commentary on issues ranging from blogger ethics to the space program. Remember, the bloggers self-submit their posts to the channels they choose. As a result, we experience a variety of posts every week that perhaps can serve as a reminder that the definition of technology is wide-ranging, and not limited to robots and household appliances.
October 22, 2008—That's one thing that came to mind when I read this post by Janet D. Stemwedel from Adventures in Ethics and Science. Her post is about the reasons why it might be a good idea to blog under a pseudonym, naming employer discouragement and wanting to be judged on content not appearances as a few. While this may not seem like a bid deal, blogger anonymity has become a very hot-button issue as the ethics of this relatively new activity—some might even call it a career—begin to solidify from a gaseous "anything goes" state to a more gelatinous form where bloggers are expected to maintain standards of professionalism and be accountable for the information they propagate. Younger generations may see blogging as something as natural as writing with a pen and paper, but it can also be viewed as a form of communication technology that has resulted from the ebb and flow of the needs and pressures of human interactions.
October 21, 2008— Keeping to the theme of blogging as technology, Coturnix from A Blog Around the Clockre-posted an essay he authored in 2004 titled Smoke Signals, Blogs, and the Future of Politics on how blogging might affect the future of politics.
The new bloggers, the Democratic primaries activists, have redefined blogging, as well as redefined the very definitions of the words "blog", "blogger" and "blogging". Blogging does not mean owning an online diary any more. Blogging means meeting the like-minded people online, exchanging information, and co-ordinating political action to be executed in the real world, offline.
I would call this post a ScienceBlogs Classic; it's definitely worth a read.
October 17,2008—We also enjoyed this post from Sandra Porter at Discovering Biology in a Digital World. The post tempted readers with the headline, "Visit the Galápagos for free! (as an avatar)," and explained how anyone will be able to take a virtual tour of the environmental anomaly through the online game Second Life.
Today the Galapagos; tomorrow, my mortal mind can not imagine. That's all for now. Signing out, this has been a weekly Technology Channel update from your ScienceBlogs intern. Happy surfing!
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