twodonutsmakeinfinity

Kean University 2019, The Network

Reaching Out to One C̶u̶s̶t̶o̶m̶e̶r̶ Respectful User at a Time

twodonutsmakeinfinity on March 4, 2019March 4, 2019

Since we’ve discussed selfies and Instagram last week, I thought it’d be interesting to look at the concept of influencers online for our Field Guide. If you’re unaware of what that is, a simple description would be a social media user who gets paid to promote products on that platform. I’m going to be frank here and say… this is possibly one of the most absurd occupations out there. Think about it— Someone is getting paid to post stuff online. […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

Lost Memories and Found Imagery of Self

twodonutsmakeinfinity on March 3, 2019March 3, 2019

So, the kids are doing something popular in secret from their parents in order to relieve pain, and they can’t seem to be able to stop it. Are we talking about doing drugs? Taken out of context, that’s exactly what it sounds like. I immediately thought of that analogy during our class discussion about secret instagram sites but I did not wish to bring it up because it does sound too concerning (and possibly extreme for some people). Still, when […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

Here Lies: New Z. Paper – Killed by the Intern Ed, 2008

twodonutsmakeinfinity on February 24, 2019February 24, 2019

Something that I always bring up in a conversation about the advancement of technology is the death of newspaper. It’s no secret that the new generation of “kids” prefer to get their news (along with other trending topics) immediately from the internet. The daily newspaper can only offer the news of yesterday, whereas on the internet you can get the news of… 2 minutes ago. Isn’t that wild? Well, I guess nothing technology-wise really surprises anyone, anymore. When was the […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

Missing: Online Etiquette – Have You Seen Me?

twodonutsmakeinfinity on February 23, 2019February 23, 2019

Despite having a short class, we seem to have touched upon a few important points that are worth repeating here. The major part for me was Dr. Zamora’s recount of dealing with anger. It made me truly realize the aspect that bothers the most of us about online world; it’s our own primitive nature reflected on computer screen like a mirror. It is no secret that people, in general, do not enjoy seeing the primitive nature of humanity, yet it […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

The Best Lure When You’re Hunting for Clicks is…

twodonutsmakeinfinity on February 18, 2019February 18, 2019

A bait! (Is this title considered a “clickbait? I wonder…) In my other blog post, I’ve briefly talked about the concept of clickbait. It’s something of a “hot topic” these days. I figured that maybe I could find something useful to share for our Field Guide. Thus, I decided to do a search on google (talk about enthusiasm). The first source I’ve stumbled upon was this intricate and intelligent (sounding?) PDF file: https://vaibhav4595.github.io/files/Multimodal_Clickbait.pdf It was very constructive. It also short-circuited […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

Which One of These People Twisted the “Truth”?

twodonutsmakeinfinity on February 16, 2019February 16, 2019

I’d say… definitely number 6! Man, what a week. That was possibly the best class we’ve had so far; the extensive lecture and the in-depth discussion that followed. Wait… we did not have a class this week. Oh, that’s right. The class was canceled due to extreme weather. I’m 100% certain that I’m the only one who has ever made this “original” joke. That’s the “truth”. It seems like we have actually missed out on an interesting topic, which was […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

Do Algorithms Get Scared?

twodonutsmakeinfinity on February 11, 2019February 11, 2019

The e-lit piece from last semester, called ScareMail Generator, is a prime example of how to cover your tracks on the Internet. Since I did not choose to talk about it back then, I assume it’s fair to do it for this particular post. ScareMail Generator is basically a program that adds “a narrative containing a collection of probable NSA search terms” at the end of an e-mail “in order to disrupt [their] surveillance”. In our last class, we were […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

A Platform that Causes Polarizing Opinions and Exposure to Personal Info Theft -What is Social Media?

twodonutsmakeinfinity on February 11, 2019February 11, 2019

Correct! I can’t possibly be the only one who was disappointed that we did not get to play jeopardy in the class, right? Surely, someone else has to mention that title in their blog as well. Then again, I’m not so sure if I need to play a game that reminds me of not being an intellectual… Anyways… In my last blog post, I’ve briefly talked about the ongoing “living in the darkness” concept and how it was not something […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

People Living in Glass Houses

twodonutsmakeinfinity on February 3, 2019February 3, 2019

This is going to be my first blog for our Networked Narratives class; a somewhat of a follow-up to Electronic Literature from last semester. Being described as an experiential type of class, I was definitely interested in signing up for it. I am still unsure as to what the main focus of the class is going to be about. I do have some guesses about the topics based on the final project indicated on the syllabus but… we shall see. […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

The Building Blocks of Old Days

twodonutsmakeinfinity on November 27, 2018

Uncle Rogers by Judy Malloy is an interesting hypertext piece. It is similar to a couple of other literary works we have examined in the class in terms of its format. The narration is non-linear and the reader is required to put everything together to follow the story. It has that puzzle-solving aspect that gives it a playful tone. Its easy-to-follow style of writing makes this certain aspect much more fun to play with, especially in comparison to those other […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

A Dream Within a Dream

twodonutsmakeinfinity on November 13, 2018

Man, my room looks a lot different than I remember. There seems to be a few nests scattered around my desk and bookshelf. Is that a giant landline phone in the corner? I thought I had a tiny cellphone… Oh, well. Let me call my lawyer real quick. I wonder if the case involving the wild bear going smoothly. What the… the floor is full of sand. Where are my slippers? I’m sure I hid them inside the microwave… which […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

Mirror World

twodonutsmakeinfinity on October 23, 2018

One of my favorite stand-up comedians of all time happens to be Mitch Hedberg. He was known for his surreal and unconventional humor that most people failed to understand. He was considered an oddity by some. For others, like me, he was a genius and ahead of his time. Announcers on stage would often introduce him as the man who sees the world through rose-colored glasses. He used to wear a pair of colorful shades on stage but that was […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

Talkative Keyboard

twodonutsmakeinfinity on October 16, 2018

Visual Novel has been a niche genre of video gaming for a long time. Its popularity has only increased mildly due to a few particular entries in recent years. It’s interesting to go back and discover examples of the genre from much earlier years when the term Visual Novel was not even a thing. I am a big fan myself and having experienced much superior examples made it quite difficult to judge this particular work fairly. Facade is an old […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

A Quiz that Lasts One Lifetime minus 8 Months

twodonutsmakeinfinity on October 9, 2018

This is going to be a last minute review of Brainstrips by Alan Bigelow. The first section is titled ‘Deep Philosophical Questions…’ and it is a comic book with some deep philosophical questions. For example, is color real? I never believed colors were real. They always look fake. I think the rumors about the colors being products created secretly by the government to make us forget black and white is true. I am totally fine inside my box, thank you […]

more...

Kean University 2019, The Network

Pied Piper of Digital World

twodonutsmakeinfinity on October 2, 2018

The Pied Piper of Hamelin was a story I remember reading when I was a kid and feeling uneasy afterwards. It was my first experience with an unexpected ending to a story. Revisiting that particular story was not something I had considered but the idea of exploring it within the merits of electronic literature made me very intrigued. I wondered about the potential innovative or creative possibilities that could be applied to it by an update in a digital medium. […]

more...