EOTO: Something I learned

     During the first EOTO presentations about communication technology, the information about the first television really stuck with me. 

    For starters, I was intrigued by the inventor, Philo Farnsworth. Through a classmates presentation, I learned the following. He was the first person to create a basic outline of what elements were needed for an electronic television. After finding partners to help move forward with development of the first television system, he successfully launched the first ever electronic television transmission. He filed a patent to make sure he was credited for his work, and gave his first demonstration to the press in 1928, just 6 years after he began basic outlines in 1922. 

    Through my own research, I found out even more information about Philo Farnsworth that really surprised me. When he began the original basic outlines, he was only 13 years old. It is shocking to imagine that a 13-year-old was the first developer of a device that could receive an image transmitted from a remote location. With all the work he did throughout the rest of his life as a TV developer, he died holding over 300 U.S. and foreign patents. TV would not be the same without him today.

    Along with information about the first televisions inventor, the presentation also taught me that we wouldn’t be able to see shots of the moon without the invention of the first television. This is extremely impactful and I wanted to look deeper into this. Although the invention of the TV did not directly lead to shots of the moon, it did give us the first technology that was able to film and share something as major as lunar photos taken by astronauts. Apollo 11, which one article calls, ‘The greatest single broadcast in television history,’  was made up of images taken, film from a television-style camera mounted on the side of the spacecraft, and the voice of Nile Armstrong (the first astronaut to walk on the moon). 94% of all TV-owning Americans were tuned in when the Apollo 11 Mission was broadcasted. 

    Overall, it is clear that Philo Farnsworth and his inventions were revolutionary for technology and television, and we see the impact in many different places. 

The Eight Values of Free Expression

    When learning and divulging into the Eight Values of Free Expression, Promoting Tolerance and Promoting Innovation stood out most to me.

    Promoting tolerance can be referred to as the ‘tolerant society: freedom of speech and extremist speech.’ The theory was developed by Leo Bollinger, a lawyer, and former Columbia University president. Promoting tolerance allows actions to have consequences and remembers that ignorant people can’t be controlled. The theory explores the fact that freedom of speech creates a more tolerant society, and a more tolerant society is a better society. 

    Promoting innovation is referred to as living originalism, which revolves around a community in which free speech is valued and protected. When living in a community like this, you are more likely to be creative, be energized, and make a difference. With a higher number of people in society promoting innovation, silenced communities are more likely to shift and be more successful. 

    Promoting tolerance and promoting innovation are both closely linked to our society today. Social media is a space where I see this the most. Places like Twitter or Facebook are both platforms that allow freedom of speech with very few limitations. When society has a place where they can openly share ideas, share their life (even if lived uniquely), and speak their mind, it gives everyone the chance to become more tolerant. Some of the opinions shared could be controversial, they could be very different from the life you live, but they can also open your mind. Giving society this platform also promotes innovation because it gives a free space to brainstorm, research, and connect with others. 

    Social media is not the only place that I see promoting tolerance and promoting innovating thrive in society. I believe that promoting tolerance and promoting innovation also help build on human connection and relationships. Promoting tolerance gives a space for open conversation and understanding of differences. It encourages you to think beyond who you are and what you think is normal, and allow others to express that about themselves. Promoting innovation is a great place to share knowledge and collaborate on ideas, and this can grow your social and creative skills.

    Promoting tolerance and promoting innovation go hand in hand. Being more innovative and open can grow our skills in tolerance. Being more tolerant allows us to hold each other to a high standard. By doing so, it adds competition to the innovative minds, and competition can only fuel innovation to be better. Promoting tolerance helps you gain the skills to speak/listen/respond in spaces where opinions, thoughts, and values are shared without the fear of discrimination, disagreement, or limitations. Having this space provides a spot for originalism and innovation to shine. Something I feel our society can tend to lack nowadays is a sense of togetherness. I feel society is far too divided, and because of this, I think that the pairing of promoting tolerance and promoting innovation are the two most crucial values in the eight values of free expression.

The Evolution of Instant Messaging

      Instant messaging is a form of text based communication in which two people participate in a single conversation over their computers or mobile devices within an internet-based chat room. Instant messaging has grown into an essential part of communication in our society today. Not only for everyday life, but for specific things like business, school, and work, instant messaging is often utilized as a main way to communicate. The two goals that were in mind during the early stages of developing. These two goals were monitoring presence-based alerts to users in the chatroom and messaging. 

    The first stage of creating instant messaging began in the 1960’s. By the 1980’s, the system had reached a peak and began to spread rapidly as a modern form of communication. Throughout the developmental phases, there were two main platforms launched that were monumental for instant messaging. The first was the Compatible Time-Sharing System, or CTSS, which allowed users to connect up to 30 users to chat in real-time. The second was Internet Relay Chat, or IRC, which brought the first chance to chat with a group. The invention of IM in 1971 within a government computer network During this time, instant messaging also gained the support from the government in 1971 when it became a chat function on a government computer network.

    The first launch of a major online instant messaging platform to be used from your own personal media device was ‘America Online,’ or what you may know as AOL. They were the first platform to allow real time chat on a personal email account that could alert you when the people you were connected with were online. AOL led to the release of many other instant message services, which we now know would grow into arguably the most popular form of communication of their time. This included messaging platforms including Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. These systems gave us Apple iChat and Skype. The evolution continued when iChat became iMessage, and iMessage inspired Instagram’s release of direct message and Facebook's release of Facebook messenger . These all came between the years 2010 and 2011. It is important to note that before Apple, there was BBM, also known as Blackberry. Blackberry gave us the first instant messenger on a mobile phone. This paved the way for things like iChat and iMessage. Some of the most revolutionary steps made to instant messaging in the late 2000’s were the start of ‘read’ and ‘delivered’ notifications. This brought instant messaging to a new level.     

    Overall, the start and the evolution of instant messaging is something that has been crucial in the way our societies communicates and has evolved over time. Instant messaging continues to evolve, with many new factors over the last five years. These include the introduction of new emoticon features, video and voice messaging capabilities, and AI chat services. The future of instant messaging will seemingly continue to grow and be able to do things we probably can’t even imagine right now. 

The History of The Supreme Court

     Prior to watching the Supreme Court Justice videos, I had only basic knowledge of what the Supreme Court does and its history.  One of the first things I picked up on is the format that the Supreme Court follows daily.  It is a public courtroom where national questions are argued and is the most powerful judicial body on earth. I was never aware of how much weight the Supreme Court truly held. I learned that the Supreme Court hears cases in public and then participates in an oral argument with nine of the nation’s highest officials.  

A key takeaway that I found while watching the videos is how difficult it is to be a Supreme Court Justice and how much pressure lies within the position. It was very interesting to get an insight of what it is like to be inside the courtroom and in these positions. One Justice explained that, “Being appointed to the Supreme Court is akin to being struck by lightning.” After voting on cases, a justice on the majority side is assigned to write an opinion outlining legal reasons for the decision. Written opinions can run anywhere from a few pages to 80 pages or more based on whether it is a unanimous decision or a divided court. Along with writing a majority opinion, justices are sometimes inclined to write a separate opinion dissenting from decision or disagreeing with the reasoning. Drafts take up to four weeks to write, are sent to the nine justices, and may be redrafted up to twelve times. Their main purpose is to persuade others, and opinions and decisions must be released for all current cases by the end of term in late June. Opinion writing is the most time consuming part of a justice’s work. It is no doubt that the justices hold one of most important positions in the United States Government System. 

     This video made me realize how vital the Supreme Court is to our nation. The Supreme Court must interpret a 200-year-old constitution, safeguard liberty, preserve union, and uphold rule of law.  Although the court doesn’t decide everything, all crucial issues are addressed sooner rather than later by the Supreme Court. Their power rests on public faith, independence, and partiality. There have only been just over 100 Supreme Court justices in American history, and presidents often try to shape the court with their nominations. Without these justices, I feel as if the nation would be at odds with a lot of public opinion. It appears to be the most ethical and fair way to reach decision on petitions and laws. As the video stated, “If the court ever stopped defending the constitution, or the people ever stopped listening, then one of the treasure that keeps this the freest nation in the world would cease to exist.”

Top 5 News Sources

Twitter:

I most often find myself looking for news on twitter. Twitter is usually a place you find breaking news stories. Lots of reporters have personal accounts on Twitter, and can easily send out a news story headline in just seconds before it even reaches the television or is a written up story. You can easily access Twitter, and it is something i consistently look at throughout the day. You can follow whoever you want, which helps filter you the exact type of news you are looking for, but there is also an explore page. On the explore page there is a top 10 trending section, so you also are able to stay in the know about the latest around the world. It has everything from political news, pop culture news, 

sports news, and anything else you can think of.

CBS News Boston:

I enjoy looking at CBS News Boston on the daily. Massachusetts and New Hampshire are my home states, and the CBS News Boston website keeps me up to date on everything I need to know that is going on at home. It gives the weather, and local stories. It also posts clips from its live news broadcast. My dad watches CBS News Boston every morning and night at home, and I enjoy being able to call him and discuss what is going on back home. 

Snapchat:

Snapchat is a place I find almost all of my pop culture news. They serve mostly as a communication app, but in 2015 they added a discover section to their app. In this section they have mini multimedia stories from places like People Magazine, E! News, ESPN. and more. These often show paparazzi-type stories about celebrities and highlights about athletes. Although this is not important news, it is news that in this day 

and age people are invested in. 

For that reason I find it important.

Apple News:

Apple News is a complimentary news app that comes with all apple devices. I often find myself going there when I am looking for current events. In its top story section, there is all of the top stories from the last week or so. It's not full of as much daily news, but is a good place to find more informational or feature type stories. It also filters a for-you section that will show you stories based on your most common reads that would likely peak your interest.

Tiktok:

My final news source is Tiktok. Although this isn't where I seek to find strong written news stories, it's often a place where I find a lot of personally reported news by user. For example, when Hurricane Ian hit Florida hard in fall of 2022, a lot of people were posting videos from their homes and from the streets reporting some damage and showing how brutal the conditions were. Another example I have seen is someone attending/watching a political debate, a sporting event, etc., and reviewing and summarizing it for their followers and posting that to TikTok. It is an interesting way to gain more information on news, and to also see peoples first -hand experiences.