PRESELECTION RESTART... DOWNLOAD COMPLETED ... INSTALLATION DONE
I am taking blogging up again - why? Only because I have to? No, that is not the only reason. I somehow really missed it. I think Sveta could write a book about it.
Of course the main topic is "Presidential Elections" again, but with a slightly different perspective. It is shifted to a German view and the blog will mainly function as a platform to publish my essay on the FDP. Since I am taking this semester´s seminar for Vertiefung Heterogenität and have to write an essay on a topic somehow related to Diversity, I thought it would be a nice idea to publish passages of the essay bit by bit.
I will keep you guys up-2-date about the most recent developments concerning the essay.
Best!
5/18/2010
7/20/2009
Thanks to Svetlana!
I was shocked when I read your blog entry "Why I Stopped Blogging"! I mean... No! I got the idea of this by you and you somehow showed all of us how we can efficiently deal with new media tools, showed us what other search engines exist apart from Google, what other (to that date unknown) tools there are on the web and so on and so forth!
But it is not time to complain, I am sure you have your reasons, as you mentioned it in your entry.
No, I would like to thank you for the semester with us, that you dealt with us so patiently, even on this early Tuesday morning!
Thanks A Lot!
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumb_149/1179390533k3VOh8.jpg
But it is not time to complain, I am sure you have your reasons, as you mentioned it in your entry.
No, I would like to thank you for the semester with us, that you dealt with us so patiently, even on this early Tuesday morning!
Thanks A Lot!
http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumb_149/1179390533k3VOh8.jpg
7/13/2009
MoZ: Can One Do Justice To Barack Obama In Only One Session?
(www.libraryjournal.com)Finally, we´re getting to talk about US President Barack Obama! He is actually one of the main reasons why I (and many others, I suppose) chose this particular seminar "Presidential Elections".
Save The Best For Last!
The question is: Can one do justice to Barack Obama in only one session?
I mean there is so much to talk about, he has already done so much that is worth discussing and we have got only 90 minutes for this? We are doubtlessly a powerful and efficient class and we will face the challenge! Can we do it? YES WE CAN!
I am really looking forward to tomorrow´s session, it will be fun experiencing "YouTub-ing", present our blogs and share experience with this.
As preparation for class or in retrospect, you might want to watch this:
7/08/2009
MoZ: Yesterday Email, Today Interconnectivity, Tomorrow ???
Since I signed up on Twitter, I discovered that a new level of Web pace and interconnectivity has been reached (although I am a bit late ;) ). Twitter offers a list of "Trending Topics" and Google Chrome OS is ranked in the first place. Google Chrome? Why the hell is Google Chrome, a more or less ordinary browser ranked on top of the list??
But one has to be precise: it is Chrome OS! This is not the browser, it is an operating system, as the abbreviation indicates. Google is building up a rivel to Microsoft´s Windows!
Now I do not want to talk about Google Chrome OS, what it is in detail, who it developed and what it can do or whatever, my focus is on the pace the online world has been taking the last years.
When emailing became popular and accessible for the vast majority, everyone was astonished the world over. Then instant messengers and social online networks appeared - that was the next stage. In a previous blog entry, I reported about Google Wave, a new web interface that allows real time emailing, editing, working, chatting and so on and so forth. This is real interconnectivity. Twitter even took this to the next level: there are so many people involved that any rumour anywhere in the world is transported to an online community that spreads this rumour further. I think it can be called a Ponzi scheme.
The reason why I mention this is that Google Chrome OS, being ranked in the first place, caught my attention on Twitter. I get new information and rumours via other sources, but Twitter can do this a lot faster.
Here is an example how such a rumour can be spread: http://www.massenpublikum.de/blog/?p=1134
It is about Michael Ballack, a German soccer player, who might join the HSV and leave Chelsea London. This man in the link listened to some guys in a train, lawyers and mentors of soccer players, and he directly twittered this rumour! This caused quite a stir as you can imagine. Just a day after that, all the big newspapers reported about this - maybe this is just a newspaper hoax, but this example vividly shows how amazingly fast the Internet has become!
If we call the status today "interconnectivity", what will it be like in 5 or 10 years time?? "Beam Me Up, Scotty?"
(http://cenblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/beam_me_up_scotty.jpg)
But one has to be precise: it is Chrome OS! This is not the browser, it is an operating system, as the abbreviation indicates. Google is building up a rivel to Microsoft´s Windows!
Now I do not want to talk about Google Chrome OS, what it is in detail, who it developed and what it can do or whatever, my focus is on the pace the online world has been taking the last years.
When emailing became popular and accessible for the vast majority, everyone was astonished the world over. Then instant messengers and social online networks appeared - that was the next stage. In a previous blog entry, I reported about Google Wave, a new web interface that allows real time emailing, editing, working, chatting and so on and so forth. This is real interconnectivity. Twitter even took this to the next level: there are so many people involved that any rumour anywhere in the world is transported to an online community that spreads this rumour further. I think it can be called a Ponzi scheme.
The reason why I mention this is that Google Chrome OS, being ranked in the first place, caught my attention on Twitter. I get new information and rumours via other sources, but Twitter can do this a lot faster.
Here is an example how such a rumour can be spread: http://www.massenpublikum.de/blog/?p=1134
It is about Michael Ballack, a German soccer player, who might join the HSV and leave Chelsea London. This man in the link listened to some guys in a train, lawyers and mentors of soccer players, and he directly twittered this rumour! This caused quite a stir as you can imagine. Just a day after that, all the big newspapers reported about this - maybe this is just a newspaper hoax, but this example vividly shows how amazingly fast the Internet has become!
If we call the status today "interconnectivity", what will it be like in 5 or 10 years time?? "Beam Me Up, Scotty?"
(http://cenblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/beam_me_up_scotty.jpg)
7/07/2009
!!Kal Penn for Obama!! - The White House Sitcom
Hey guys,
I´ve known this fact (call it disturbing, astonishing, amazing, boring, surprising or whatever) for several months, but as we were talking about Obama, his personality and charisma in class today I directly thought back to that: Kal Penn is about to work for Barack Obama in the White House - as a "full" member of staff.
For those of you who do not know him: Here is first of all a picture - that is him (taken from http://www.emeriandjonahscloset.com/ejc/aj/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/kal-penn.jpg).
Looks quite serious, doesn´t he?? A young serious man who can take his tasks and fulfill them!
Hehe - yes! But...
But there is also another side of Kal Penn (not that negatively connotated as it may sound now):
He used to work as an actor - okay, nothing special, you may think, but!!
Most of you might know him from the series Dr. House (I love it by the way, alothough I liked the first two seasons best). He played the young Dr. Lawrence Kutner working for Dr. House´s team. After being invited by Obama to work for him, the figure Kutner had to commit suicide as both jobs at the same time were incompatible. This was the more serious part of his work, but now let´s turn to some movies he made that are even less compatible with his future job:
They are still quite unknown here, but one must have seen them. It is firstly Harold & Kumar - Go to White Castle and secondly the sequel to it: Harold & Kumar - Escape from Guantanamo Bay.
In these movies, Kal Penn (which is actually only a stage name; his real one is Kalpen Modi) plays Kumar, a weed smoking, lazy young man who is forced to study medicine by his father. His purpose in life is having fun and smoking as much weed as he can get, together with his friend Harold (a Korean man - also a weedhead, but a little bit more reasonable), alone or with his Jewish friends. This is what it look like then (taken from flixster.com:
Now the question: Can such a man really take such a responsibility and work for the White House? At first glance he can absolutely NOT - I mean he is a weedhead who does not do anything with his life!
But: Barack Obama will not have chosen an unreliable man to work for him who could crash all his previous work. By the way - what is Modi´s job then? He is supposed to be some kind of a mediator between the American government and Asian immigrants and artists. He does not expect to get special treatment, but he would like to be regarded as any other member of staff and he does not want to take advantage of his former career as an actor.
Here is an online source reporting about this, but there are many other comparable ones, just google it, since you know how search engines work :)
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aFXnt_hqV._8&refer=muse
If you are interested in his movies, here is a trailer of the first movie where they try to get some burgers at White Castle ;)
This is an interview with Kalpen Modi; at first summarizing what he has done so far and then he talks about what his tasks are in the White House, and he is not only a "weedhead". Check it out!
6/29/2009
Moment of Zen
This is the latest Moment of Zen:
"The Bradley Effect - Still A Threat Today?"
As you can see, this blog entry deals with the question of wether the Bradley Effect nowadays can still influence the election results in comparison to the number in the polls before or not.
In the run-up of the 2008 elections, many experts and political scientists were wondering if Obama could still fail although he seemed to be uncatchable for John McCain. They drew analogies to the election campaign of Tom Bradley in 1982 who really lost this election although he was superior to his opponent according to the polls before.
I think that this question is legitimate, because also in the 2008 elections a black politician fought against a white one. Obama showed that he did not fail due to the Bradley effect, but that he won almost as predicted. Why has there not been this special effect? Well, I do not know the ´82 elections for the gouvernor in California to that extent as I got it in Obama´s case, but I still think that first of all the politician has to "reach" the population and have fantastic ideas how to improve politics, economy, environment and so on and so forth. Secondly, this man must have a great charisma and authenticity to make the people trust him. I do not know if this was the case more than 25 years ago, but Obama had these character traits and political abilities - that is why he won.
Furthermore, TIMES HAVE CHANGED (but still, Obama calls for a further change ;) ):
I am of the idea that the vast majority of society has become much more liberal and open to new ideas and cultures, so that a black man can become the world´s most powerful man.
Nevertheless, one is absolutely NOT allowed to forget what has happened in history (especially WW2). Here in Germany the right-wing parties gain strength and one really has to fight against this to prevent these parties from winning seats in the German Bundestag.
But let us get back to America now: As I can judge the matter, Tom Bradley lost because many many voters only stated their support for this candidate, so that no one could accuse them of racism and other related things. When casting the ballots they voted according to their real opinion.
As mentioned above, one has to recognize that times have changed and that most of the people really concentrate on the candidate´s progam and his working abilities. It won´t be long till the world has the first female president - society is open for that! Liberality and Open-Mindedness!
In conclusion, to answer the Moment of Zen, one can say that the Bradley Effect is not a threat anymore in the "Western civilized world". But in contrast I think that this could happen in the Middle East (where ballott-rigging is a daily occurence: see blog entries below!) or in Asian countries, if a candidate does not correspond to the "regular" view. Censorship also looms large in this case.
Sincerely, see you in class!
"The Bradley Effect - Still A Threat Today?"
As you can see, this blog entry deals with the question of wether the Bradley Effect nowadays can still influence the election results in comparison to the number in the polls before or not.
In the run-up of the 2008 elections, many experts and political scientists were wondering if Obama could still fail although he seemed to be uncatchable for John McCain. They drew analogies to the election campaign of Tom Bradley in 1982 who really lost this election although he was superior to his opponent according to the polls before.
I think that this question is legitimate, because also in the 2008 elections a black politician fought against a white one. Obama showed that he did not fail due to the Bradley effect, but that he won almost as predicted. Why has there not been this special effect? Well, I do not know the ´82 elections for the gouvernor in California to that extent as I got it in Obama´s case, but I still think that first of all the politician has to "reach" the population and have fantastic ideas how to improve politics, economy, environment and so on and so forth. Secondly, this man must have a great charisma and authenticity to make the people trust him. I do not know if this was the case more than 25 years ago, but Obama had these character traits and political abilities - that is why he won.
Furthermore, TIMES HAVE CHANGED (but still, Obama calls for a further change ;) ):
I am of the idea that the vast majority of society has become much more liberal and open to new ideas and cultures, so that a black man can become the world´s most powerful man.
Nevertheless, one is absolutely NOT allowed to forget what has happened in history (especially WW2). Here in Germany the right-wing parties gain strength and one really has to fight against this to prevent these parties from winning seats in the German Bundestag.
But let us get back to America now: As I can judge the matter, Tom Bradley lost because many many voters only stated their support for this candidate, so that no one could accuse them of racism and other related things. When casting the ballots they voted according to their real opinion.
As mentioned above, one has to recognize that times have changed and that most of the people really concentrate on the candidate´s progam and his working abilities. It won´t be long till the world has the first female president - society is open for that! Liberality and Open-Mindedness!
In conclusion, to answer the Moment of Zen, one can say that the Bradley Effect is not a threat anymore in the "Western civilized world". But in contrast I think that this could happen in the Middle East (where ballott-rigging is a daily occurence: see blog entries below!) or in Asian countries, if a candidate does not correspond to the "regular" view. Censorship also looms large in this case.
Sincerely, see you in class!
6/28/2009
What Kind of Tech User Am I??
Well, I did the test mentioned in the title and the result was that I am an Ambivalent Networker:
If you are an Ambivalent Networker, you have folded mobile devices into how you run your social life, whether through texting or online social networking tools. You also rely on ICTs for entertainment. At the same time – perhaps because of the volume of digital pings from others – you may sometimes find all your connectivity to be intrusive. You are confident in your ability to troubleshoot your various information devices and services.
Well, I think that this matches pretty well, because I think that I would be able to "survive" without my cellphone, TV, Radio, etc. Concerning the Web, it would be somhow difficult as it takes such a big part in life: it nearly replaces all the old media devices, you can watch TV online, or via a DVB-T stick, you can listen to the radio online, read newspapers, even local ones!
But, as I have already mentioned in a blog entry before, what do we actually do online? If we do not have to do any reference work for university, everyone of us has got his 4 or 5 webpages (email, YouTube, studiVZ, maybe amazon and ebay) and that is it! And how often do we sit in front of the monitor and think "Maaan... it is so boring, why does not anything happen??" - but then, there might be an event of a world-wide interest, such as Michael Jackson´s death (Rest in Peace, Jacko). Then we have got something else to do, because we try to find out the circumstances (in this case) and all that is connected to this event.
I was impressed by the extent the media reported on MJ´s death: Each and every headline looked the same: "Michael Jackson is dead!" There were even special programs on CNN and BBC so that the regular shows were not broadcast to report about Jackson...
But let´s get back to the test: I am pretty happy with the result, because I am sure that I can manage my life without all this technical stuff... at least temporarily ;)
My online behavior has not changed by taking this class very much, but I have to say that now I am much more active concerning blogs, blogposts, comments and stuff like that! Thanks Svetlana! :) I have always been somehow interested in blogging, but I have never taken the step. Now I see that it is pretty easy, does not take much time, and sharing thoughts with others and getting opinions of other people can actually widen your (mental) horizon and be much fun!
So guys, don´t be afraid of new things, especially technical devices! And tell your parents and grand-parents who might be frightened of them!
If you are an Ambivalent Networker, you have folded mobile devices into how you run your social life, whether through texting or online social networking tools. You also rely on ICTs for entertainment. At the same time – perhaps because of the volume of digital pings from others – you may sometimes find all your connectivity to be intrusive. You are confident in your ability to troubleshoot your various information devices and services.
Well, I think that this matches pretty well, because I think that I would be able to "survive" without my cellphone, TV, Radio, etc. Concerning the Web, it would be somhow difficult as it takes such a big part in life: it nearly replaces all the old media devices, you can watch TV online, or via a DVB-T stick, you can listen to the radio online, read newspapers, even local ones!
But, as I have already mentioned in a blog entry before, what do we actually do online? If we do not have to do any reference work for university, everyone of us has got his 4 or 5 webpages (email, YouTube, studiVZ, maybe amazon and ebay) and that is it! And how often do we sit in front of the monitor and think "Maaan... it is so boring, why does not anything happen??" - but then, there might be an event of a world-wide interest, such as Michael Jackson´s death (Rest in Peace, Jacko). Then we have got something else to do, because we try to find out the circumstances (in this case) and all that is connected to this event.
I was impressed by the extent the media reported on MJ´s death: Each and every headline looked the same: "Michael Jackson is dead!" There were even special programs on CNN and BBC so that the regular shows were not broadcast to report about Jackson...
But let´s get back to the test: I am pretty happy with the result, because I am sure that I can manage my life without all this technical stuff... at least temporarily ;)
My online behavior has not changed by taking this class very much, but I have to say that now I am much more active concerning blogs, blogposts, comments and stuff like that! Thanks Svetlana! :) I have always been somehow interested in blogging, but I have never taken the step. Now I see that it is pretty easy, does not take much time, and sharing thoughts with others and getting opinions of other people can actually widen your (mental) horizon and be much fun!
So guys, don´t be afraid of new things, especially technical devices! And tell your parents and grand-parents who might be frightened of them!
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