Virtual Space: Computers

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Virtual SpaceComputers the Internet

• John J.D. Dougherty
• CS _at_ Haverford College
• jd_at_cs.haverford.edu
• www.cs.haverford.edu
• Science and a Sense of Place
• Bryn 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
• Dont fence me in. ?
• Its 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 youve 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 whats real?
• Descartes Cogito ergo sum
• J.D.s stubbo toe hurts-so
• How do we know whats 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???