Chapter 6 Projects

Web Site Makeover
To some extent, good design is a matter of taste. When it comes to Web page design, there are usually many possible solutions that provide a pleasing look and efficient navigational tools. On the other hand, some designs just don't seem to work because they make the text difficult to read or navigate.

For this project, select a Web page that you think could use improvement. You may find the page by browsing on the Web or by looking in magazines for screenshots of Web pages. Use colored pencils or markers to sketch a plan for improving the page. Annotate your sketch by pointing out the features you have changed and why you think your makeover will be more effective than the original Web page. 

Internet Censorship
The Internet and commercial information services provide a growing forum for discussions on a wide range of topics. Recently, some on-line observers have begun to question the advisability of information exchanged over the Internet. Megabytes of Internet storage space are devoted to X-rated images. Several Usenet groups regularly discuss the details of making bombs and hollow point bullets. Other groups discuss methods of torture. In a well-publicized incident, a discussion group participant described in gory detail how he was going to murder a female college student.

Free speech laws protect the rights of Americans to express themselves, but should the Internet, which is supported with public taxes, provide a forum for such information and discussions? Senator James Exon does not think so and sponsored Senate Bill 314: the Communications Decency Act, which was passed into law by the U.S. Senate in 1995. The law made it a federal crime to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass anyone on-line. Further, it became a crime to transmit anything "obscene, lewd, filthy, or indecent." The law was stuck down by the Supreme Court in 1997, but similar laws may be proposed again.

For this project, research the issue of on-line censorship. Write a position paper arguing for or against censorship. Support your position with facts and examples. Be sure to include a bibliography. After you complete your research, your instructor might suggest that you discuss your ideas in a small group session.

Virtual Reality
Writer William Gibson envisioned a time when people would connect their brains directly to a computer to experience a virtual world in cyberspace. Technology and medical science have not found a way to make a direct connection between our brains and a computer, but today virtual reality takes other forms. On the Internet, interactive technologies provide virtual environments for games, meetings, and socializing. On personal computers, the multiplayer game Doom provides hours of virtual reality adventure. Using equipment, such as stereo-optic goggles and sensor gloves, you can see and manipulate objects that do not exist.

Use your library and Internet resources to learn more about virtual reality. You might also try some virtual reality experiences. If you have Internet access, participate in an interactive 3D game. Play a virtual reality computer game such as Doom or Myst. If available, try out virtual reality goggles.

Now suppose that you are asked to produce a three-minute TV news segment on virtual reality. Based on the information you gathered from the library, the Internet, and your personal experiences, write the narrative and describe the images and video clips you would show.