Jeremy Sutton

Wiki Article #1 - Micropolis

[1]

Simulating Detroit. A City With Cars and Crime but No Races

Main Argument

Author of the article "Simulating Detroit. A City With Cars and Crime but No Races," Mark Sample, discusses the characteristics of Detroit in 1967, the year of the 12th Street race riot, but also discusses Detrtoit just years

later in 1972. Sample mentions the game "Micropolis", or what was once SimCity, in the article and how the game that was released in 1989 gives the user the control of attempting to fix Detroit and bring it out of economic

termoil just five years after the 1969 race riot. Mark Sample discusses how Detroit is very well known as, and mostly known for, the Motor City. It comes with no surprise that the game urges the player to build up the

economy of Detroit using the automobile industry, which is in current crisis. However, Mark Sample expresses his feeling that the game is perhaps missing a key factor. While crime is mentioned in the game, and if the player

in control fails to fix the automobile industry, then crime will rampant and you fail, however, race is never mentioned and isn't detailed in the game. Mark Sample believes that race was a big part of Detroit in 1972 and the reason for the economic turmoil is because the race riots in 1967, he believes the game failed to show and characterize an important part of Detroit.

In the conclusion of Sample's article he says "..just because the game appears to be colorblind doesn't mean we have to be" and I feel as though this strongly explains his point and the way he feels about how the game was

created. Also Sample explains how he, on some level, believes the creator of the game, Will Wright, intentionally left race out of the game as he inconspicuously explained in Wright's interview with a journalist. It is important, Sample believes, to establish the real issue at hand and while the Micropolis game was not intentionally created to be a political statement, it still seems to be missing a key factor to how Detroit became

unstable as it did. It is an unfortunate fact, but it is a fact and of historical significance. While, as a player, you can not see the individual characters and, therefore, you can't see the race of the characters, there is absolutely no

mention to race and therefore Sample believes the game is "colorblind".

Political Importance

The main concern of Mark Sample's article, does carry a very heavily political statement. While, for the most part of good people, individuals try and not assimilate other people to groups, even though it might happen

subconsciously anyway, but when talking about it, some people may not feel very comfortable describing a person by their race. Especially in a game, where who knows who the users will be. But Mark Sample believes it's

important for this game as the reason behind Detroits downfall, started with the race riots in 1969. Race and ethnicity issues are always a in political debates and a hot topic with reporters against political officials, or officials

of any kind. While Will Wright, the creator of the game, may have wanted to remain unbiased towards the issue, but he also may be being biased, but at the same time it is important towards Detroit's culture and the issue

that was at hand during the time.

Cultural Importance

It's obvious what the cultural importance is of this argument. Race has always been an extremely touchy subject and the cause of many disasters throughout history and infamous actions, such as slavery. During the time of the

race riots and even five years later, when the game takes place (1972), race was the main subject talked about, besides the Vietnam war of course. As a cultural importance, race should be added and it shouldn't be simply

forgotten in the algorythms of the game.

Personal Opinion

I have never played Micropolis or SimCity for that matter, so I really don't know much, but I do know a similar Sims game, that had similar graphics, but was not based anywhere. It was simply a Sims game where we

created our own society from scratch, in my middle school computer class. I do remember that race wasn't an important issue in the game and I don't even remember if there was a variety of races or not, but the characters

were visible, somewhat. Sort of like looking at ants. However, in Detroit in the late 60's and early 70's, and beyond, race was a touchy subject and strong issue, but it doesn't play a single hand in the game in Micropolis.

While I agree with Sample that games should not be colorblind, but since the graphics of Micropolis were so poor and text based when it came to people, I think Will Wright and Micropolis would have caught major

political heat for describing a black mob coming and burning down part of the city. The game was more about the game itself and saving the city, not about the races.

Works Cited

Sample, Mark. "Simulating Detroit, A City with Cars and Crime but No Races." Play The Past RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2013.

Wiki Article #2 Final Exam

Anonymous, SOPA and Protect IP

What is Anonymous?

Anonymous is exactly what it reads as. There is not specific individual that can claim the title of Anonymous. Anonymous was created orginally not to play large roles in revolutions across the Middle East and throughout the

United States with occupying cities. That certainly wasn't in the initial plan, however that is the benefit of remaining anonymous. Anonymous, using the "Guy Hawkes" mask in their videos and demonstrations, is made up of

what could be anywhere from less than a dozen people to three dozen to even more. The number is not certain, however the distance Anonymous is willing to go to prove a point has been shown. In the article "2011: The

Year Anonymous Took On Cops, Dictators and Existential Dread," by Quinn Norton [2], it is obvoius that Anonymous carries great skill

and power over the internet. However, Anonymous isn't interested in going after the "small guy" or the normal citizen, but the corporations or business men that seem to have a chip on their shoulder and seem to want to rule

over the 99 percent. Anonymous is any number of citizens that choose to remain anonymous but aid in anything from dicator takeovers to occupying Wall Street to stand for the stepped on little guy and Anonymous has

shown, since the Arab Spring in 2011, that they have a number of skill "hackers" and even while use minimal skills in some case, can still remain anonymous and free from police prosecution.

What is SOPA and Protect IP?

SOPA, Stop Online Piracy Act, and Protect IP are both the creations of legislation by congress that attempted to control internet on the basis off completely ousting of the possibility of illegally downloading data such as

music and movies. Therefore the copyright infrigment issues would be solved in one large swoop. It would do this by completely blocking any sites related to this kind of activity from search engines such as google.

However, people like Jason Harvey [3], in his blog post "A technical look at SOPA and Protect IP," doesn't believe that SOPA and Protect IP would

actually do, successfully, what it's meant to do. Harvey believes the creators of the legislation are in fact unskilled in their knowledge of the internet and by blocking the websites from the search engines will only keep the site

down for maybe only a day, if that. Also the legislators decided what is "foreign" and "domestic" in terms of URL's. If the website doesn't match a United States URL then it would be seperated and labled as foreign even if

its creator actually resides in the United States. Do to strong dissent, however, the SOPA and PIPA legislation did not pass. This was a definite "win" to many people who disliked the idea of controlling the web and creating

a web that wasn't free, however, new problems are raised as CISPA or the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act has come to light.

Anonymous and Their Link to Protecting Online Privacy:

Groups of hackers such as Anonymouse really do show a huge link to online privacy throughout the entire web. The whole point of Anonymous is to remain that, simply anonmyous. Anonymous is able to do that because

the internet is full of great opportunities. This is exactly why so many people wish to protect online privact. Not exactly because they want Anonymous to succeed and remain anonymous, but so that the internet can become

a form of creation and allow people to truly be the individuals they wish to be, but for some reason, may be incapable of doing outside of the web. Anonymous is the standing point for the idea of online privacy. It's extremely

similar to the idea of HIPAA, which so many people enjoy the fruits of, where there is a huge protection of ones privacy when going to the doctor for a number of reasons. This information cannot be leaked and can be a

lawsuit if it is. In fact, it will be a huge lawsuit. Even though Anonymous doesn't state that they are the protector of individuals online and their online privacy, but Anonymous is something for people to stand behind and see

what our privacy protections really are and how far we can go. However, there are acts attempting to take away much of our privacy and freely passing it around which could result in any number of infractions even if they

had nothing to do with the original seizure. Anonymous is what online privacy is about and online privacy is becoming more and more in jeopardy.

Relation to Edward Snowden:

The relation between the readings and Edward Snowden's [4] recent actions are very close knitted, but at the same time, somewhat different contexts. We've read all about the

protection of our privacy online from the hands of the government and their snooping on our private actions on the internet. Sometimes these actions by the government may result in very private information leaking out which

could lead to any number of harms to the individual involved and the government won't be liable for that result. Edward Snowden, former contractor for the CIA and the NSA, became a whistle blower on the tactics the

United States uses to gain information and intelligence on sensitive topics. Snowden has been charged with forms of espionage, however he has remained to stay out of the United States hands. Snowden, however, believed

that people should have a right to know that the government is snooping and that their privacy is being intruded upon. Unfortunately he gave up sensitive information, therefore frustrated the United States government, which

led to a basic man hunt. Edward Snowden performed an act like Anonymous might, but was not afraid to be known for what he did and did not wish to remain anonymous.

Work Cited

• "Edward Snowden." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 June 2013. Web. 24 June 2013.
• Harvey, Jason. "Blog.reddit -- What's New on Reddit: A Technical Examination of SOPA and PROTECT IP." Blog.reddit -- What's New on Reddit: A Technical Examination of SOPA and PROTECT IP. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2013.
• Norton, Quinn. "2011: The Year Anonymous Took On Cops, Dictators and Existential Dread." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 09 Jan. 0012. Web. 24 June 2013.
• "Reddit Cofounder Calls on Google’s Larry Page to Oppose CISPA." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 June 2013.
• Sottek, T.C. "The Verge." The Verge. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2013.