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Virtual Space:Computers & the
InternetJohn “J.D.” Dougherty
CS @ Haverford [email protected]
www.cs.haverford.eduScience and a Sense of PlaceBryn Mawr Summer Institute
July 26, 2006
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Overview• “Getting to Know You”: Introductions,
Ice-Breaker, Goal Setting
• Morning Question: How does the Internet Work to Impact our Perception of Space?
• Afternoon Question: How can a Computer Work to Create Virtual Space?
Conclusions: How can we pose these questions effectively to our students?
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Who Are We?• Demographics:
name, school, grade
• Questions: What do you want to explore?
What do you think of when you consider computing & space?
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What others have said about “space”• “Space: The Final Frontier.” [Gene
Roddenberry]
• “Giving a man space is like giving a dog a computer: the chances are he will not use it wisely.” [Bette-Jane Raphael]
• “Don’t fence me in.” [?]
“It’s a small world after all.” [W. Disney]
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What others have said about “place”• "We anticipate a global world-market
with place for perhaps five computers." [T. Watson, IBM, 1949]
• “Maybe there is no actual place called hell. Maybe hell is just having to listen to our grandparents breathe through their noses when they're eating sandwiches.” [J. Carrey]
“In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards.” [M. Twain]
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What others have said about “the Internet”• “The Internet is the world's largest
library. It's just that all the books are on the floor.” [John Allen Paulos]
• Internet: absolute communication, absolute isolation. [Paul Carvel]
• “The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom.” [Jon Stewart]
Sen Ted Stevens’ observations ...
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What is the Internet?
• low-level infrastructure of the Web
• set of computers hierarchically connected via a set of wires (& now wireless)
• hardware and protocols for decentralized, packet-based interprocess communication
the busiest, most congested system you’ve never seen (but you will ...)
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Internet is like the USmail (sort of ...)
• messages are partitioned into “packets”
• each packets has a destination (and a sender), as well as a sequence number and (often) some error correction feature
• computers connect to dedicated routers that simply pass information around until the message is delivered
Jon Stewart was right!
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An Exercise• I need volunteers:
• browser (2)
• web server (2)
• email server
• email client (2)
routers (the rest)
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Protocols(i.e., “the rules”)
• everyone needs a unique domain name
• all but routers get a set of cards
• email client: compose email message on 5-10 cards
• browser: make request for webpage from webserver
• routers simply “store and forward”
“Class -- engage!”
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Discussion Questions
• How is this distinct from a phone system? How might this be used for phone calls?
• How smart is the Internet?
• Can you think of a way to improve the Internet protocols used? Make it faster? more reliable? other?
• How are images sent? sound? video?
How are cycles avoided?
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Observations• The Internet creates the perception of
“smaller space” by actually reducing the time of transmission as compared to conventional means (letters, yelling)
• Physicists view time as another dimension along with the three for space
• Computer Scientists connect, often “trade”, time for space (data structures, compression techniques)
So do people (TiVo, fast-forward, warehouses, others???)
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Intermission(& Lunch)
• You are invited to discuss your most compelling or unusual usage of the Internet [e.g., OneRedPaperClip]
• To get ready for the afternoon, consider installing Alice from www.alice.org
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Computing and Space
(& Time)• An “unnatural” science [Feynmann]
• Can define space that is realized (engineered) in the real world
• How much space?
• infinite in theory
“virtually infinite” in practice
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Computers &Virtual Space
• How do we know what’s real?
• Descartes “Cogito ergo sum”
• J.D.’s “stubbo toe hurts-so”
• How do we know what’s virtual?
• “Total Recall” (vacation in your mind)
• “American Werewolf in London”
“The Sims” and other simulations
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HCI and Perception• people# depend on vision
for a substantial amount of information to define their world; other senses add to this definition
• animation, movies, graphics all work to generate that information to a degree
computer graphics are not bound by reality, and provide a means to explore these limits -- in virtual worlds
# people without vision issues
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Go ask Alice ...• Alice is an interactive
environment to create virtual worlds and explore virtual space (and experience programming)
• Movies are stories in virtual space
• Interaction is also possible, permitting the user to participate in the virtual space
www.alice.org
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A Quick Demo ...
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Virtual Space Exercise• Create a short spot (think a 30
second commercial -- impact over content)
• choose a setting, a cast of characters (i.e., objects)
• drag-n-drop instructions to animate your characters
• trial and error
events can be used for interaction
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Points for Reflection• simulations are used often in
natural science; should they be used to teach natural science?
• can students/young people become addicted to life in the a virtual space?
• can virtual space be used to explore other issues?
others???