Matching Items (9)
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What does it mean to be human or for that matter, posthuman, according to a cyberpunk? This paper navigates the experience of being human in the dystopian and highly technologized future worlds found within the cyberpunk literary tradition of the 1980s and early 1990s. This work explores the implication of

What does it mean to be human or for that matter, posthuman, according to a cyberpunk? This paper navigates the experience of being human in the dystopian and highly technologized future worlds found within the cyberpunk literary tradition of the 1980s and early 1990s. This work explores the implication of what it means to be posthuman in these worlds, which are comprised of virtual realities and disembodied identities. This project first addresses posthumanism as a critical theory and its destabilization of the traditional concept of humanism with particular attention to the relationship between the human being and technology. After building a theoretical framework of posthumanism based on works by Martin Heidegger, Jacques Derrida, and Bernard Stiegler, this paper then offers a survey of the cyberpunk tradition and the key themes developed and examined within the genre. The project then investigates two seminal works of the cyberpunk movement, William Gibson's 1984 novel, Neuromancer, and Neal Stephenson's 1992 work, Snow Crash, in order to trace a becoming posthuman as it is found within cyberpunk. As this paper further explains, the process of uncovering the posthuman within these texts produces a sense of loss and also nostalgia for a previous experience of being human which was already posthuman. The cyberpunk tradition and these novels in particular, reveal that there has always already been a degree of indeterminacy surrounding the question of what it means to be human. Through destabilizing traditionally held conceptions of humanism, cyberpunk and posthumanism offer the potential to rethink ourselves and our comportment towards the world knowing that technology always already informs our experience of being human.
ContributorsCarr, Joshua (Author) / Broglio, Ronald (Thesis advisor) / Lussier, Mark (Committee member) / Finn, Edward (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Human subject research is a sensitive ethical topic in today's society, and with good cause. The history of human subject research is full of tragedy and wrongdoing, which is what has led to the firm restrictions we presently have. At the same time, we also acknowledge the value behind human

Human subject research is a sensitive ethical topic in today's society, and with good cause. The history of human subject research is full of tragedy and wrongdoing, which is what has led to the firm restrictions we presently have. At the same time, we also acknowledge the value behind human subject research and the information science can obtain from such endeavors. This project analyzes this conundrum through a narrative describing a group of scientists who choose to ignore some of the laws and regulations concerning human subject research in order to pursue neurological based research for a "greater good." In the novella, the scientists end up harming several people while performing their illegal research, but are able to obtain successful results. However, the group is eventually caught, and end up having to face the consequences of their actions. The situations and interactions the story presents are meant to juxtapose both sides of the human subject research ethical argument in a unique way in order to allow the reader to critically think through the argument themselves and form their own opinions on the matter.
ContributorsPirotte, Benjamin Daniel (Author) / Finn, Edward (Thesis director) / Cook, Paul (Committee member) / McGregor, Joan (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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This thesis aims to explore the limitations for the definition of ‘human’, through analyzing augmented superheroes. A diagnostic tool was developed to measure these superheroes’ humanness through the criteria of the biological, social, and metaphysical definition for human. Augmented superheroes were selected due to the rise of scientific/technological augmentations and

This thesis aims to explore the limitations for the definition of ‘human’, through analyzing augmented superheroes. A diagnostic tool was developed to measure these superheroes’ humanness through the criteria of the biological, social, and metaphysical definition for human. Augmented superheroes were selected due to the rise of scientific/technological augmentations and their effect on our understanding of ‘human’ within the three criteria. A general consensus of traits that made up human within each criteria was determined and used to assess each superhero. The six, permanently augmented, non alien heroes chosen to be analyzed were Ironman, Spiderman, Captain America, Wolverine, the Hulk, and Vision. Through their origin stories, their personal interactions with others, others reactions to them, and how they dealt with situations, the superheroes were judged on if they fit the current definition of human using the diagnostic tool. It was found that the Hulk and Vision failed to pass the definition using the tool while Ironman, Spiderman, Captain America, and Wolverine all met the majority of the requirements and thus passed as human by the current definition.
ContributorsHirschi, Baylee Ann (Author) / Finn, Edward (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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Digital technologies are quickly being combined with and replacing teacher curriculums and student resource tools. This is particularly true with advances in digital textbooks as it provides a medium for opportunity and growth in the nature of the textbook as it pertains to students in the classroom. Although great strides

Digital technologies are quickly being combined with and replacing teacher curriculums and student resource tools. This is particularly true with advances in digital textbooks as it provides a medium for opportunity and growth in the nature of the textbook as it pertains to students in the classroom. Although great strides have been taken in intelligent tutoring systems personalized toward a student's needs there seems to be an overall disconnect between student needs in the classroom in not utilizing or adopting these technologies. In this paper I provide both conflicting and comparable needs of teachers and students surrounding the textbook to reveal the costs and benefits associated with technology adoption. Through 4 teacher interviews and 4 participatory prototyping sessions I found that students and teachers desire the following elements in technology: 1) Collaboration 2) Synchronicity 3) Adaptive 4) Automation. I discuss the implications of implementing such features and how they could be applied in integrated Q&A system to encourage collaborative learning.
ContributorsRodriguez, James Paul (Author) / Walker, Erin (Thesis director) / Finn, Edward (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor)
Created2014-05
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The common human experiences depicted in classical paintings from art history are becoming less relatable due to the increasing influence and presence of technology in our day to day lives. This project contains two parts. The first part is a remixing of 3 classical works of art so that they

The common human experiences depicted in classical paintings from art history are becoming less relatable due to the increasing influence and presence of technology in our day to day lives. This project contains two parts. The first part is a remixing of 3 classical works of art so that they include the presence of technology and communicate the possible evolution of human experiences as technology will be incorporated into them. The three remixed paintings are as follows: Eduoard Manet's Olympia, which showcases the human experience of relationships and gender dynamics; Edgar Degas' Dancers, which showcases the human experience of creation and learning; and Raphael's Madonna del Granduca, which showcases the human experiences of child-rearing, maternity, and childhood. The second part of the project utilizes the ekphrastic process, ekphrasis being the process of using the written word to give voice and explanation to a piece of visual art. In this part of the project, three short science-fiction stories were written, one in response to each of the classical paintings and its respective remix. The stories focus on themes of how technology will integrate itself into the common human experiences of parenting, entertainment, and intimate relationships, and the problems and solutions that may arise as a result. The stories are intended to be read alongside the paintings, however they can also be read separately without the context of the paintings from which they were drawn. Likewise, the paintings can be viewed separately from the short stories. The work is complimentary and builds on itself.
ContributorsFrancois, Nathan Peter (Author) / Finn, Edward (Thesis director) / Meissinger, Ellen (Committee member) / School of Art (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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We propose the Bio-HCI framework, that focuses on three major components: biological materials, intermediate platforms, and interaction with the user. In this context, "biological materials" is meant to broadly cover biological matter (DNA, RNA, enzyme), biological information (gene, epigenetic), biological process (mutation, reproduction, self assembling), and biological form. These biological

We propose the Bio-HCI framework, that focuses on three major components: biological materials, intermediate platforms, and interaction with the user. In this context, "biological materials" is meant to broadly cover biological matter (DNA, RNA, enzyme), biological information (gene, epigenetic), biological process (mutation, reproduction, self assembling), and biological form. These biological materials serve as the design elements for designers to use in the same way as digital materials. Intermediate Platform focuses on methods of connecting biological materials to a user, or a digital platform that connect to users. In most current use-cases, biological materials need an intermediate platform to transfer the information to the user and transfer the user's response back to biological materials. Examples include a DNA sequencer, microscope, or petri dish. User interaction emphasizes the interactivity between a user and the biological machine (biological materials + intermediate platform). The interaction ranges from a basic human-computer interaction such as using a biological machine as a file storage to a unique interaction such as having a biological machine that evolves to solve user's task. To examine this framework further, we present four experiments which focus on the different aspect of the Bio-HCI framework.
ContributorsPataranutaporn, Pat (Author) / Finn, Edward (Thesis director) / Kusumi, Kenro (Committee member) / Ingalls, Todd (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
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Description

There is much at stake with the smart city. This urban governance movement is

predicated on infusing information-and-communication technology into nearly all aspects of the built environment, while at the same time transforming how cities are planned and managed. The smart city movement is global in scale with initiatives being rolled

There is much at stake with the smart city. This urban governance movement is

predicated on infusing information-and-communication technology into nearly all aspects of the built environment, while at the same time transforming how cities are planned and managed. The smart city movement is global in scale with initiatives being rolled out all over the planet, driven by proponents with deep pockets of wealth and influence, and a lucrative opportunity with market projections in the billions or trillions of dollars (over the next five to ten years). However, the smart city label can be nebulous and amorphous, seemingly subsuming unrelated technologies, practices, and policies as necessary. Yet, even with this ambiguity, or perhaps because of it, the smart city vision is still able to colonize urban landscapes and capture the political imaginations of decision makers. In order to know just what the smart city entails I work to bring analytic clarity to the actions, visions, and values of this movement.

In short, the arc of this project moves from diving into the "smart city" discourses; to picking apart the ideologies at its heart; to engaging with the dual logics—control and accumulation—that drive the smart city; and finally to imagining what an alternative techno- politics might look like and how we might achieve it. My goal is that by analyzing the techno- politics of the smart city we will be better equipped to understand these urban transformations— what logics drive them, what they herald, and what our role should be in how they develop.

ContributorsSadowski, Jathan (Author) / Guston, David H. (Thesis advisor) / Finn, Edward (Committee member) / Miller, Thaddeus R. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description

Artificial Intelligence is quickly growing to be an influential part of our daily lives. Due to this, we believe it is important to analyze how cultural perceptions can influence how we interact and develop technology<br/>We decided to focus on India due to its large economic stature, cultural influence, and influence

Artificial Intelligence is quickly growing to be an influential part of our daily lives. Due to this, we believe it is important to analyze how cultural perceptions can influence how we interact and develop technology<br/>We decided to focus on India due to its large economic stature, cultural influence, and influence on the technology industry.

ContributorsBabbepalli Venkata, Sai Sandilya (Co-author) / Raka, Khyati (Co-author) / Banerjee, Ayan (Thesis director) / Finn, Edward (Thesis director) / Fortunato, Joseph (Committee member) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description

Artificial Intelligence is quickly growing to be an influential part of our daily lives. Due to this, we believe it is important to analyze how cultural perceptions can influence how we interact and develop technology. We decided to focus on India due to its large economic stature, cultural influence, and

Artificial Intelligence is quickly growing to be an influential part of our daily lives. Due to this, we believe it is important to analyze how cultural perceptions can influence how we interact and develop technology. We decided to focus on India due to its large economic stature, cultural influence, and influence on the technology industry.

ContributorsRaka, Khyati Pravin (Co-author) / Babbepalli Venkata, Sai Sandilya (Co-author) / Finn, Edward (Thesis director) / Banerjee, Ayan (Thesis director) / Fortunato, Joseph (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05