FYS-Surfin CyberSpace

MULTIMEDIA:

I will be presenting my paper through Skype. I will Skype the entire class from a differnt room and interact with each member of the class.

WWW.SKYPE.COM

Boy Graduates Via Skype

http://usat.gannett.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/gannett-usatoday-206-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=immersiveproduction&maven_referralObject=1146591984

 Home for the holidays? You dont have to be!

http://usat.gannett.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/gannett-usatoday-206-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=immersiveproduction&maven_referralObject=960096029

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 Skype: A new form of communication

As the old adage goes, “Can you hear me now?” But what if it suddenly became, “Can you see me now?” This is what the creators of the popular webcam service Skype hope to hear one day. In a society dominated by technology, new forms of communication are sprouting up everywhere. Standard phone calls are old news and almost ancient. Phone calls with only voice capabilities are slowly being replaced by video and webcam capabilities. A much more rewarding and interactive experience, Skype lets people see with whom they are communicating . People who are separated by long distances can now kiss their partners goodnight. Friends can chat about boys while showing pictures. Grandparents can see how big their grandchildren have grown. Skype connects people together using a free and reliable service base d on free calling.

1.1 History

            Some history about Skype, it that is was created in 2003 by  Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis. More than 140,000 new users register each day. There are over 520 million Skype users on every continent, which is a massive international calling base. (Charney). The technology that Skype uses is,  VoIP, or voice over internet protocol.  This is a protocol that lets one use the internet or a broadband line to double as a phone line. A useful characteristic  of VoIP is that it is not situated in one geographic location such as with standard phone companies. Where there is broadband or Wireless internet, Skype is available. Therefore, Skype is not affected by bad reception or broken connection lines like standard cell phones.

            Originally , Skype could only be used on Microsoft devices, but recently has developed to be used on virtually any computer with an internet connection and webcam. Iphones have also  been designed to use Skype. A simple download of the application, lets anybody use Skype using their Iphone. A unique fact is that there is no cost for  Skype other than creating and running a website. This makes it very cheap for the creators, and thus cheap for the users.

            Skype makes money by connecting to the PSTN network- Public Switch Telephone Network. The PSTN network is a global collection of interconnected telephone adapters. It is used for standard telephone lines; it connects them together. Skype also receives money from sponsors and advertisements, but also by charging fees  for certain features. For instance, you can, “pay-as-you-go” as do regular telephone services.  Since Skype is only free to other Skype users, if you use the option to pay-as- you-go, you can call directly to landlines. They do not have to Skype, which may be convenient for people who wish to connect to people that may not have computers. Users can buy “skype credit”, which almost is a pre-paid way of communicating. Each phone call minute takes away a small amount of credit. With Skype Credit you can directly send text messages and set up a voicemail account. Users may also pay a monthly subscription. For only 2.95 a month, a user can have unlimited talk throughout the US and Canada. This includes landlines and also webcam chats. This is a much lower price than most people are currently playing for their bills. An average telephone bill can range from fifty to one hundred dollars! For only a few dollars more, you can make calls to certain countries. People could be saving hundreds of dollars by using Skype as their landlines!

 1.2 Using Skype

            Skype lets members have conversations more frequently and for a longer time. People are not only hearing the person they are talking to, but can now see them. This is useful because it creates a more intimate experience. When taking to little kids, the conversation can be short because of their attention span. Skype lets them interact with the person on the other end. They can play games, sing songs, play dress up, all by using Skype. Phone calls that once lasted five minutes, can now last for hours.  

              Downloading Skype is a quick and incredibly easy process. By visiting the website, www.skype.com, people can download the wonderful webcam service. There are only a few steps to follow before Skype is downloaded onto a computer. According to Five easy steps to start using skype, First, a new user must go onto www.skype.com, a nd click the download button. Shortly after, you will be prompted to allow Skype to run and install on your computer. After agree to the terms and conditions, Skype is officially downloaded to your computer. After creating a username and password, a user can create a profile-equipped with a picture and personal information. These are the only steps required for Skype to be downloaded on a computer. Once downloaded, a user must create a username and password to log in. They then can add friends by searching for them. Once added, their friends are included on their contact list. When a friend is online, their contact entry is in the color green. To talk to a friend, all you do is click on their name. A dial tone, just like a standard phone is heard until the person answers on the other end. When both parties are connected, a black screen in the middle of the page is replaced by the others face! Your face is shown in the lower left hand corner of the screen, so that you know if you are being shown or not. Talking can last for hours, as long as your computer battery doesn’t die! To end a call, all the user has to do is click the end button. It is a very easy process that can be understood by numerous people.  The clarity of the video depends on the webcam being used. The only disadvantage is that a person has to be close by a computer to hear a call. Unlike a phone, it is not easy to constantly carry a computer  around. In fact, most people use a standard phone to inform their friends to get onto Skype and start chatting.

            About 1/3 of all call minutes carry a video signal ( Skype Journal). This is an important fact that shows exactly how much technology has affected out society. 20 years ago, VoIP technology was not even considered. Around the holidays ab out 1 in every 2 calls uses a video signal (Skype Journal). People are no longer just using telephones. The experience of seeing the person you are talking to has really impacted people and how they use web cam services. Also, the fact that most notebooks come equipped with built-in-video cameras makes Skype even more successful. People do not have to spend the extra money buying a video camera because one is already programmed into their computer. It is very hard to find a computer without a webcam already installed, and I believe this is because of the popularity of the video chat software.

             Unlike other social networks such as Facebook and Myspace, most Skype users have a contact list on average of about ten contacts. Facebook users have on average about a hundred to two hundred contacts. Skype is a more intimate application; you are more likely to talk to the ten friends on Skype then all four hundred contacts on Facebook or Myspace.  People add contacts on the basis that they will talk to them. On social networks where a user has hundreds of friends, they do not talk to every single person on their contact list.

            Skype does not only have video chatting, but many other unique and exciting features. If someone does not have a webcam, they can still talk as if it was a standard telephone. It is free if you call a person who has Skype. Calling directly to a landline is another option, but will cost a small amount of money. Instant Messaging, or IM, is also a feature that Skype utilizes. Almost like texting, it allows two or more people to type messages back and forth to each other. If you go to the website, www. Extra.skype.com, you are able to access even more features such as whiteboard tools, translators, and games. S kype can only move forward and become more advanced in its new and unique features.

            Users of Skype each have different opinions about their experiences with Skype. For instance according to JimmieBoy, “You will not go wrong by installing and using Skype. I call friends in Denmark, United Kingdom, India and central China. Amazingly CLEAR with no lost connections. I also use their “Skype out service” and blown away with it’s clarity. If you could ever imagine calling by way of undersea cable back in the 70’s, now this…what are you waiting for? Get connected. No, I am not a Skype employee…just a very SATISFIED customer.” Most people are extremely happy with the services that Skype provides but some are more critical. According to Sunnymuroan, “I mainly use for cheap PC2Landline calls. Delays are 2-3 seconds on calls due to routing and I can say that the sound is inconsistent. Sometimes I had to call and hung up for 3-4 times before the other party can hear me! Can be improve but if u really needs a clear call, advise u better avoid this.” Standard telephones drop calls, and so does Skype. Everything can not be perfect and satisfy everyone, so it may be fuzzy or hard to hear at times. There  are always going to be problems with chatting over the internet, but many agree that the pros outweigh the cons.

 1.3 Standard Phone companies

            People around the world are upset with the high rising cost of minutes that companies are charging. Many companies have switched to bundle packages- phone, internet, and TV, all for what they claim is one-low price! Although this is to benefit the customer, it actually helps the co mpanies stay in business. If  someone is not using their phone line as much, it does not Affect the company because customers  are still paying for  phone services.  Mobile cell phones are also affecting land-line based companies. A lot of people are strictly using cell phones, even replacing them for their home lines.

            So does Skype create problems for standard phone companies?  According to a recent report by Evalueserve, “ traditional phone companies could lose up to 30 percent of their revenue from people who are replacing their services with Skype software.” (Charney) Since Skype is a service, utilizing free minutes, phone companies are being affected by the lack of business. U.S. telephone companies are spending billions of dollars to expand their companies, but this may become a lost cause. Skype has such a high rate of growth, that it would cost them billions of dollars to come close to matching Skypes rate of growth. It is obvious that standard telephone companies believe that they are being affected by Skype but Skype’s Stern Tamkivi thinks differently. He claims that, “ We are not pulling away from telecoms because most of those minutes probably would have never happened if we had to pay for them at such high rates.”  (Tamkivi) He makes a good point that most Skype users,  use Skype as a way to avoid high cost phone charges. People may call a family member only once a week with their standard phone lines because of the high cost for long distance calls. Whereas a person using Skype may call that same family member every day because he or she is using a free calling service.

 1.4 Skype Today

            Everywhere you look, Skype is being used! On many talk shows, guests are no longer present, but interviewed via Skype. Oprah is one of the most widely known supporter of using Skype on her show. On the show, Who wants to be a Millionaire, one of the lifelines involves using Skype to ask an expert a question. Contestants who need help with a question can Skype, “the expert”, where they receive help with a specific question. (Wolinsky) This new “lifeline” has replaced phone a friend! Here is a prime example where standard phone calls are being replaced by web cam services like Skype! Many movies also incorporate Skype, by having the bad guys communicate via web cams.  In movies like, The Dark Night, and Austin Powers, the “bad guys” demand money by communicating through VoIP services. Skype is not just a communication software for everyday people. It has extended into modern technology, and used in the media often.

            Skype has even reached the job market. Employers are no longer strictly having face-to-face interviews.

Skype creates a faster, cheaper, and more convenient method to screen potential employees. According to the

Times article, How Skype Is Changing the Job Interview, “ a growing number of people looking for work are

meeting their prospective new bosses not at the office but in the comfort of their own home.” (Kiviat). The use of  Skype in the workplace is mostly a money issue. It costs thousands of dollars to fly and interview potential candidates, especially in big firms. When looking to cut costs, this is an area that could easily be answered by using programs like Skype. By seeing the candidate you can see their body gestures and how they carry themselves, something that is not seen using simple telephone calls. Although there are some disadvantages of hiring over webcam, it saves a company thousands of dollars in the long run.  A company can send two or three candidates for a final interview rather than a larger group of potential candidates. They can narrow down the field using Skype, which saves time and money for the final interview process. A negative aspect of interviewing people on Skype is that the experience of actually meeting a person is completely lost. Even a shake of the hand can not occur; a most common ending to an interview.  Also, conference calls between a whole firm, can be via Skype. There is no longer the need  to have a big meeting all together. Skype can connect a big shot from Tokyo to a small business in Ohio within a matter of seconds.

            The owners of Skype were in a lawsuit with the company eBay over violated copyright laws. In 2005, eBay bought Skype for 2.6 billion. The biggest mistake that eBay did was to not buy a major piece of p2p technology that powers Skype, known as Joltid. The founders of Skype   still owned this major piece of technology, so they still had control of their company. They were very upset with the way that eBay was handling the company, so they threatened to file a lawsuit. While the drama between Skype and eBay was ensuing, eBay quickly sold the company to a group of private investors. In a rage, Skype founders sued eBay for $75 million dollars a day, claiming that each new download of Skype would be a copyright infringement, because eBay does own the p2p technology needed to use Skype.  The lawsuit has been pending for about a year, but has just recently been settles out of court. According to Ben Parr, “  Skype will still be sold and spun off as its own company, separate from eBay. Also, eBay will own 30% of the new Skype, down from the original 35% it was originally going to own. The founders of Skype, Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis will combined own 14% of Skype. They will also each receive a seat on the Board of Directors. Finally, Sky pe will now own Joltid, the key P2P technology in dispute and owned by the Skype founders” (Parr). Thankfully this lawsuit is settled, so that Skype users can continue to use the service with no interruptions.   

            So what about the high rising level of pornography? Since Skype is a free internet webcam service, many use the service to not only talk to their lovers, but engage in sexual acts. It actually does brings people together! For people who are separated from their partners because of a business trip, or on a vacation, webcam services makes it possible to be intimate with their partners virtually. It seems like a good idea, because they are paying no money, and can see each other. But according to Skype Terms and Services, “4.4.1 Content or Service, which is adult, sexual or pornographic”, will result in the account being banned. They take a clear stand that they do not want any acts of pornography used via their services. Skype prides itself on being very family friendly, so this issue is one that they take seriously. Although Skype tries everything to stop sexual acts to occur using their webcam service, there are other issues like harassment and spam that many users are faced with every day. Many women will not state their sex in their profile, in hopes they will not be harassed sexually. Some may add friends, that they do not know in hopes to engage in sexual acts, like cyber sex. In Skype Chat, sex ad spam is beginning to pop up everywhere. People will constantly post a link to a naughty site, essentially spamming a users chat box. Although pornography is an important issue, Skype is used for more appropriate things. Most people do not use Skype for pornography, but to utilize free calling to people all across the world.

          Overall, Skype creates a new experience for users everywhere. It creates the opportunity to interact actively and participate with who you are talking.  It may only be a matter of time before standard phones become extinct, and new web cam software technology becomes the only way of communication. A free service, Skype also connects people that a regular telephone never has before. One must experience Skype for themselves, to truly get the full effect of how intriguing it truly is. Technology has advanced so much over the years, but Skype stands above the rest. It has completely changed how people communicate with each other, and even reached the media, and job market. It is not just a fun tool to use with your friends, but a justifiable and useful tool that has helped to define technology in the 21^st century.

Works Citied

Baumgartner, Wayne. “Skype – 5 Easy Steps to Start Using Skype.” Plantronics Headsets   from Headsets Direct. 6 Apr. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2009.           http://www.headsetsdirect.com/headsets/article_skype.html.

 Charney, Ben. “Skype creeps under phone giants’ radar.” CNET News. 31 Jan. 2005. Web.  23 Nov. 2009.    <http://news.cnet.com/Skype-creeps-under-phone-giants-  radar/2100-7352_3-5557950.html>.

 EBay Logo. Digital image. EBay. Web. 22 Nov. 2009.            <http://www.capmac.org/iphonesig/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/ebay.png>.

Kiviat, Barbara. “How Skype Is Changing the Job Interview.” Time. CNN, 20 Oct. 2009.      Web. 22 Nov. 2009.             <http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1930838,00.html>.

 ”Make free calls and set your conversations free with Skype.” Skype – Make free calls     and great value calls on the internet. Web. 22 Nov. 2009.       <http://skype.com/welcomeback/>.

 Parr, Benn. “DONE DEAL: eBay Settles Skype Lawsuit, Founders Return.” Social Media      News and Web Tips – Mashable – The Social Media Guide. 6 Nov. 2009. Web. 23             Nov. 2009. <http://mashable.com/2009/11/06/skype-lawsuit-settled>.

 ”Skype creeps under phone giants’ radar – CNET News.” Technology News – CNET News. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://news.cnet.com/Skype-creeps-under-phone-giants-  radar/2100-7352_3-5557950.html>.

 Skype Extras. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <https://extras.skype.com/>.

 Skype Logo. Digital image. Baltomore Sun. 30 Sept. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2009.             <http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/technology/skype.jpg>.

 ”Skype Privacy Statement.” Skype – Make free calls and great value calls on the internet.            Web. 23 Nov. 2009. <http://www.skype.com/legal/privacy/general/>.

 ”User reviews for Skype at SnapFiles.com – Quality Software Downloads.” SnapFiles –       software reviews, download freeware and free trial programs. Web. 23 Nov.             2009. <http://www.snapfiles.com/opinions/Skype/Skype.html>.

 Welcome to Skype screen. Digital image. News from the Lab. 17 Oct. 2007. Web. 22       Nov. 2009.<http://www.fsecure.com/weblog/archives/SkypeDefenderSignIn.jpg>.

 Wolff, Phill. “Monday, November 9, 2009.” Skype Journal (2003). Skype Journal. 2003.     Web. 22 Nov. 2009. <http://skypejournal.com/2009/11/transcript-skype-sten-t  amkivi-at-ecomm.html>.

 Wolff, Phill. “NSFW: Skype, sex, and the sex industry.” Skype Journal (2009). Skype            Journal. 12 Feb. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2009.    <http://skypejournal.com/2009/02/nsfw-skype-sex-and-sex-industry.html>.

 Wolff, Phill. Skype Journal. 2003. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. http://skypejournal.com/.

 Wolinsky, Howard. “TV “Millionaire” contestants to rely on Skype video calls for “Ask       the expert” lifeline answers.” N. page. Skype. Skype, 19 Aug. 2008. Web. 23 Nov.         2009. <http://share.skype.com/sites/us/2008/08/tv_millionaire_contestants_to.htm

The ESP Game

In the Google video, “Human Computation”, Luis Von Ahn unveils his genius plan to help the accuracy of the internet. Located under the website, http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8246463980976635143# , Von Ahn introduces a game that incorporates entertainment with a defined purpose. If you have ever Google searched an image, you may have been surprised at what appeared. For example, when typing in the image dog, you may get pictures of a man with a big smile. This in no way is connected to a dog, but appears because of the html text attached at the bottom of the photo. Computers are extremely intelligent pieces of technology, but they do have some flaws. They can not label images, or describe images. Currently, there are billions of images on the internet. Von Ahn wanted to change the way that these images were being labeled but in a fun and convenient way. It would be too expensive and take too many hours, to pay people to sit down and label all the images. Thus, the ESP game, (as well as others) was created. A fun, and almost addicting game, it challenges people to label images within in a time limit and to match with a partner. Points are gained for labeling images identical to your partner. Von Ahn creates a way for images on the internet to be labeled, with no money spent. He helps to show that humans can help do things that computers can not, in a rather easy and entertaining way.

Von Ahn has created a couple games to help with the labeling of images. The first, ESP game, lets players compete with each other to gain points. They are given the same picture and must label the image with simple words. When the two players match on the same word, they gain points and the next picture is shown. When two people match on the same word, it helps the accuracy of the word. If many people agree on a certain label for an image, then it can be used in search engines. In order for the label to be accepted many people have to agree, which makes the words valid as well. These are all important aspects of the game, which helps to make it a success. The other game, Verbosity, helps to make the computer more intelligent, by introducing it to common sense facts. For example, at the present time, a computer can not tell you that milk has to go in the refrigerator. In this game, there is a narrator and a guesser. The narrator gives clues to the guesser on a certain word. This again helps to define images and words, because at least two people have to agree on it. Both of these games help to show that humans can infact do work that computers can not, in a very entertaining and easy way.

To help prove Von Ahn’s point that we can easily label all the images on the internet, he looks at the amount of time people spend on the internet playing games. For many people, they spend about 12 hours or more a week playing internet games. With the amount of time that people spend on the internet, it would only take about 5,000 people to label all the images. So far, over 39 million images have been labeled successfully, all with very high quality. He even goes as far as calling his game an algorithm; although it is a game, it has a clear and distinctive purpose. People will start to feel a connection with their partner, if they work well together. He also found that people tend to like working with the opposite sex. The satisfaction of agreeing on a bizarre word, creates a gratification between the two people and an instant bonding may occur.

The blind still use computers but have trouble when it comes to images. They do not search an image, but rather the computer reads the screen in front of them. This game, although not completely useful yet, helps to label images better so that they are more accessible to the blind. They can get a better idea of what they are picturing when the labels are accurate and defined correctly. Websites have recently used captchas, but with little success. There are many websites that hack into these sites and help to steal the passwords for the captchas. At the present time, computers can not read these captchas because the words are distorted. Von Ahn creates a simpler, but more meaningful way to deal with captchas and the labeling of images correctly.

There are some concerns with the game and Von Ahn’s research. There is defiantly a bias with the population of users. Most of the people playing are gamers and play for many hours at a time. There are the ones that are labeling the images for the rest of us. Von Ahn acknowledges that there is a bias, but that so far there has been no evidence that proves that they are labeling the words unfairly or with great amounts of bias. There can be cheating involved if two friends log on at the same time and get paired. While in class, a fellow student and I were paired up and were communicating what to enter. Words that have no relation can be assigned to a picture. Von Ahn uses test images to make sure that people are not cheating. He also recycles the pictures so that they can receive new labels in the database. Another problem with his research is the way that the game is set up. Players are essentially racing against the clock, so they may enter words that are very general and do not descibe the image very well. As I was playing, I seemed to only enter words that were obvious so that I could get points faster. The labels most likely would seem very vague and simple. Although, this does help to label the images, it is not fully describing them. When there is a time limit, players may simply label an image tree, instead of oak, or maple. The popularity may die, as most games on the internet, but there seems to be no concerns yet. People do not seem to be getting bored of the game, because everyday thousands of new users join. Ethical concerns are also a concern for this method of labeling. You are essentially using people for your benefit. Many people instead of going out and working, may be sitting on the computer playing this game. There are some concerns with the game, but the beneifts do seem to outweigh the costs when it come to doing things that computers can not!

Cara Marie

As the door opened, toys could be seen spread on the floor covered in dust and spider webs. The atmosphere was very dark, with only one small light in the corner of the store. Bradley Anderson had not had business for almost six months and he was on the brink of bankruptcy. His toys were old and out of date, and his shop was in need of repairs. The only person that would play with his toys was his daughter Cara. She loved to play with them at night, when it was quiet and she not have to hear her father yell about his problems.

Bradley’s only daughter, was his only friend in town. She knew that her father was odd, but loved him anyway. They lived on top of his business, in a tiny apartment that was as scary as the store underneath. At night, she would hear her father venture down the creaky steps into his office to work on his toys. He would only go down after 1 am, which was very odd to Cara. She would ask questions but he would quickly dismiss her asking her why she needed to know everything.

One night there was a storm outside and Cara could not sleep. She had heard a banging noise coming from beneath her bedroom in her fathers office. Naturally, she was very curious, so she started down the steps. She knew she had to be quiet because her father was still working in his office. When she got to the bottom of the steps she heard her father talking on the phone. She quickly crawled into his office and hid in a cupboard until she heard him get off the phone. When she knew that her father had returned to bed, she began to explore this unknown area. She was not allowed inside her fathers office, so she was astonished by all of the different gadgets and toys. Tubes with bubbles and colorful liquids were scattered throughout his office. Toys were spread out on long brown tables. Confused at all of the foreign objects she decided to call it a night.

As she was about to close the door to her fathers office, she heard laughter coming from a door in the backroom. A bright blue and purple light could be seen from the crack

underneath the door. Curious if her father had created a new toy, she slowly walked over to the door and peaked her head in . She was shocked when she saw a little boy, about 8 years old, kicking a soccer ball around. He was laughing and it looked like he was having a good time. There was something odd about him though. He wasn’t like the other little boys that were in her class or in her town. He had a weird aurora about him, and in fact he had a glow about him. He was neither white or black, but green. He looked kind of grainy, like when she would try and watch TV when the antenna wasn’t working correctly. She could see directly through him, which greatly terrified her. Scared and nervous, she turned around and started to walk away, but heard a faint, “Wait! Don’t leave!”.

Turning around, she saw the boy, now holding the soccer ball ,looking at her with amazement. “I’m Donny, who are you?” Still sacred she introduced herself as Cara and started to move closer to Donny. He was not a human, there was no way. So, what exactly was he? And why was he in her fathers office?

“You must wonder why I am here?” Donny said, “Well, I am from the 6^th dimension living on the plant EdwardCullen, we don’t have any toys because our ruler has banned them. I come every night at 1:24 A.M., so that I can play with your fathers toys, but I must return by 2 am or I will be turned into dust.” All of this information was very surprising to Cara. She was talking to someone from another dimension! Curious about Donny and his mysterious life, she snuck down to her fathers office every night at 1 am and waited for Donny.

They talked every night and played with her fathers odd and rusty toys. Donny did not talk much about the sixth dimension, only saying that at night it was dark. Cara was so interested with this sixth dimension that she asked Donny is she could come visit him. He quickly told her that she should never enter into the vortex. Cara never did understand why he was being so mean to her, all she wanted to do was see her new friends dimension!

One night, her urges got the best of her and she ventured down into her fathers office, like any other night. She talked and played games with Donny until it was time for him to leave. As he was walking back into the light, she threw an old toy of her fathers in the door, so that it would stop from closing. She looked around, waited a couple mintues, and then jumped into the bright light. She thought she was going to explore the land that Donny was from. Little did she know exactly the condition of Donny’s home.

When she got there she was shocked. Not only could she not find Donny, it was a dark and desolate place. Different creatures were roaming around the ground, each more scary than the next. A spider with pig ears and a hairy back hissed at her as she walked around. Things with sixteen legs and unicorns were wildly jumping around in the fields. Cara was scared and wanted to leave but she could not find the portal that she entered. She could not communicate with any of the creatures because they spoke a weird language she had never heard before. She broke down crying and fell asleep in a field, hoping that when she woke up it would all be a dream.

But when she woke up, it was still a dark and dreary place. About a mile ahead of her she could see a small crease of light. This was the only light she had seen in hours, so she ran as fast as she could to reach the light. Once there, she recognized the door to be her fathers office, and quickly entered the door. When she was on the other side, it was full of light and her familiar surroundings. She saw her father in the corner and was relieved. Cara knew that she would get in trouble for sneaking into her fathers office, but was just glad that she was out of the dark world , only known as the sixth dimension. She yelled to her father, but was met with a loud wailing of a cry.

“My Cara, my darling Cara. What has happened to you?” Oh god, please no!”

Confused at what was happening, Cara started to run to her father but noticed that she could not move more then five feet.

“Daddy, what’s happening to me?” Cara began to cry, but noticed that her tears did not stay on her cheeks, but fell right onto the floor. Looking down at herself, she was shocked. She was not wearing the clothes that she had on earlier, in fact she was not wearing any clothes at all. She was simply a green, grainy, glob of a human. She had been transformed into something non-human. She looked just like Donny.

Her father ran over to her and tried to give her a hug, but fell right through her onto the floor behind her. She could hear her father cussing and crying very loudly. Confused, she asked her father to help her, but he just shook his head.

“ You were not supposed to go in there. It was an experiment, I was testing other dimensions. I created Donny to see how he would function in both dimensions. I did not think that you would ever find him. I never imagined that you would go and turn… green.. My baby, what is going to happen now?”

As Cara began to cry even louder she heard Donny. He was motioning at her to come with him and to hurry. She did not want to return to the darkness, she wanted to stay with her father.

“ Cara, its almost 2. If we don’t hurry, we will be banished from here and turned into dust You will never be able to see your father again if you don’t come back! Please hurry.”

Cara followed Donny into the darkness and stood in line as the ruler of the land, took a role call. When they were done, Donny took Cara by the hand and explained to her what had happened. She would never return to human form, in fact she would always be a grainy green image in the sixth dimension . This was her new home and she could only see her father at 1:24 am. Her life was here now, and there was no returning. She learned that her father had tried to alter different dimensions without realizing the consequences. Now, his perfect daughter, with curly blonde hair would only be a figure of his imagination.

Cara was still the only child to play with her fathers toys in all the town . At 1:24 am a grainy green little girl could be heard laughing with her friend, until 2 o clock came around and she returned to the sixth dimension!

It’s the year 2024 and the world around you is unknown and unfamiliar. A world of confusion and chaos is all that appears because seconds earlier, it was the year 2009. Or perhaps, you wake up and its 1994; a time when you were simply a child, being cradled in your mothers arms. Confusion once again occurs because just seconds earlier, you were a normal teenager enjoying college life. Time travel is a major theme in many science fiction films and books to this day. When something in the past has already happened, the idea that you can go back and change the outcome is fascinating. But can you really go back into time and change what’s already happening in the present? The wondrous possibilities of escaping to a period of time that you are not living in, brings excitement and joy to people around the world. Time is believed to be a set measurement that can not be manipulated. This manipulation is what many find fascinating and unique. Time travel is something that everyone wishes they could partake in for one reason or the other, but know that its almost impossible or unrealistic. Therefore, seeing movies incorporating time travel lets the reader or viewer live out their fantasies through other peoples experiences.
In the movies La Jetee by Chris Marker and  12 Monkeys by Terry Gilliam, time travel  is a major theme by which the main character must live his life. The world is barely survived by a nuclear holocaust and one man must travel back in time and gain information about the devastating occurrences that happened in the past. He falls in love with a woman from the past, and wants to stay with her in the past. This can not be though, because it would create a puzzlement of the future. Seeing a man die in front of his eyes, he does not know that years later, he will be the man that has this fatal end. Even though he went back in time, he could not change the outcome of the future.
According to a film reviewer on the IMDb message boards, “someone from the future cannot stay in the past. His knowledge of future events may push him to try to change the oncoming war, and that in turn, may mean that the scientists who sent him back may never exist. In order to keep the time-loop going, they have to kill him, so that he won’t tell anyone about the upcoming war. It just so happens being killed is the same reason he remembers that day as a little boy,”(IMDB message board). This parallel of visiting the past, but not being able to change it, entertains people. As the famous quote goes, “ You can not have your cake and eat it too,” relates directly to the theme of time travel.  We as human strive to reach the impossibilities of life, so movies like La Jette and 12 Monkeys, really reach the core of what we strive for: The impossible.
With the high rise of technology, many people believe that time travel may soon become a possibility. As Clifford Pickover so greatly quotes, “Today, we know that time travel need not be confined to myths, science fiction, Hollywood movies, or even speculation by theoretical physicists. Time travel is possible.” What many people do not know is that Einstein had a vision of time travel many years ago. Developed with his theory of relativity, he noticed that the speed of light is a major factor of time. For example, if someone is in a rocket ship in space, they would believe that the time on the earth below them was moving at a different pace then they were experiencing. This is just the start of what could be the advancement of time travel. According to the website, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nov a/time/think/html, “Time is not a permanent measurement, but much more depends on the speed of objects around it,”(PBS). More movies and books are being written about time travel as technology increases. The level of appeal rises when the chance of something actually happening increases.
For many people, there is nothing more exciting than the notion that they can experience time travel. They enjoy the thrills of experiencing something that many people can not even fathom to be possible, even if it is through fictional characters in a movie or book. The imagination run wilds with possibilities of experiencing the world twenty years from now, when you have not fully experienced the one they are living in now. The world is also full of  great advances in technology, so the possibility is becoming an even greater one. Michio Kaku believes that, “Once confined to fantasy and science fiction, time travel is now simply an engineering problem,” (Notable quotes).