Psy 409
Dr. Leon James
9/19/95
Week 4 Report: Using ftp and telnet
How difficult was this week's task (lumping all the subtasks together) ? Circle one.
Very easy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very hard
This week's rating=8
How much negative emotion did it cost you, all in all?
Very little 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very much
This week's rating=6
How valuable for later use is this knowledge or skill going to be for you?
Not useful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very useful
This week's rating=9
How likely is it that you'll be getting good at this week's task?
Not likely 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Quite likely
This week's rating=10
How satisfied are you with the computer and Internet systems?
Not satisfied 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Very satisfied
This week's rating=7
How hard did you try to get through this week's task?
Gave up easily 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Refused to give up
This week's rating=9
This week's task made me feel uncomfortable. After being very positive about the week 3 assignment I definitely experienced a set back this week.
The first part of the assignment went well, and I had no trouble with task 1: "copying a student file of generation 1 into my CSS directory". I opened Netscape and went to Dr. James Homepage. I clicked on the "Cyberspace Communities generation 1" link and reached the student's files. I decided to copy Ryan's file to my CSS account. I opened my CSS account and went into pico to give the file a new name. From there I returned to Netscape and by using the "copy and paste" commands copied the file to my CSS account. To complete task 2 : "uploading the file into my unix account" I logged into my unix account, and then ftped over to my CSS account. To copy the file I entered the command "get" and the file name. The transfer was completed. I checked my directory to make sure that the file had actually been transferred..YES! I felt really confident.
Subtask 3 demanded to take the copied file from my unix account and download it to my diskette. I used WIN ftp. Since this subtask was a conversion of what we do for our weekly reports everything went very smoothly. However, when I tried to view the file from my diskette it was impossible. The text was not formatted correctly. I tried several different programs to view and edit the file. None of them worked. I became very frustrated. To relief myself I quickly send a message to Dr. James, asking for HELP!!!!. The next day I had a message from Kevin Bogan who offered to work with me through the problem. Even now, we were not able to detect the problem. Thus I got stuck and could not edit the file.
This assignment left me very frustrated. Even though I asked for professional help I was unable to find the problem. My negativity created many projections. I felt inadequate, sure I did, and suddenly hated the computer. I thought to myself: "How can they create such a stupid machine that does not communicate with you??". If you run into a problem and you do not have the possibility to ask for professional guidance, and you are NOT A GENIUS, you basically are lost. The HELP option again seemed completely useless. I am sure I am not utilizing it in the correct way, and therefore I do not understand its advantages. However, when my mind is in the angry mode it does not care whether I am doing something wrong or not. All I know at that point is: "I have a problem, and I am not the cause. It's gotta be the machine...".
I understand that I will overcome the stupidity that I display in those moments. Moreover, I definitely acknowledge the growing endurance to overcome problems and frustrations while operating within this cybersystem. Besides having the courage and experimenting on the computer myself, I also had no problem contacting Mr. Bogan. As I worked on the problem with him I did not feel insecure, like in the first week. I actually understood what he was trying to do-I was able to follow his steps. This experience made me feel very good. Actually I am amazed at how fast I am beginning to handle the projects.
In the week 2 report I mentioned the problem of becoming addicted to the cyberworld. I also touched on the issue that people will not be interacting on an interpersonal level if they are sucked into the system. Through this report, though, I have learned that the cyberspace does leave room for interpersonal contacts. Through the little knowledge I have gained about this subject I have found many new ways to relate to new people, or refreshen my conversations with old friends. We are all together exploring this new world, and we appreciate the other's opinions and experiences. Thus I have opened a whole new realm of communication for myself.
The use of the information that I am learning in this class has become very obvious to me. My self-esteem is growing as I feel more up-to-date since I am "modernizing" and upgrading my brain with the latest technologies. I begin to understand the human brain more, too. Although we are dealing with machine, it is the humans that have created it. What a potential! Too often I take my brain or certain abilities, even life itself, for granted. Now, however, I appreciate all the possibilities we are given while in a human body. Also, if humans created the computer they should still be in control of it. I view the computer as a very powerful, unique, and intelligent device. Does this mean that humans are like this - and maybe even more powerful ?!
I am curious to see what my perception offers me in the next months as I am working for this class. I guess simply interacting with a computer can bring to life some pretty amazing realizations...