When we think of things that send us messages or have meaning to us, the list is endless. When we get up in the morning the first things we might receive messages from would be the alarm clock, our bodies and perhaps the cat telling you that it’s breakfast time. When we leave the house the car will tell you how it’s feeling in regards to fuel and coolant levels and we read traffic and street signs because they are there to help make our lives easier. People send messages to each other if not in direct speaking then via our phones, computers or the old school way with a note. All of these things can send messages to us but only a few can be considered as media (Unless you believe we live in the Matrix). The most common forms of media that I use would be mobile, computer, ipod and gaming consoles. My mother often says to me that I would die without these things in my life but in truth I could; I just wouldn’t want to because these little devices make life easier and more entertaining.
31 January 2011
Jason's Works
After having a look through some of Jason’s work on secrettechnology.com, I found myself completely confused and intrigued. I was confused because I didn’t really see the big interest in his work and intrigued because it’s interesting to think about how he would have done that or come up with some of the ideas. Jason was right when he said that his work was weird and hard to understand because I didn’t make sense of the three works I watched.
These were:
This is/isn’t a pandemic flu
Evil hypnotizing mascots
And Alarmingly these are not lovesick zombies
All of these works had interaction, changing audio and disturbing images. The first one, This is/isn’t a pandemic flu was about how people are so uptight in regards to pandemics and epidemics. So in this one, Jason gives the flu to the viewer and in a series of disturbing images, phrases and audio freak them out.
Evil hypnotizing mascots consisted of distorted images and audio to give them impression that you were being hypnotized. It came up with random phrases that were confusing and creepy.
Alarmingly these are not lovesick zombies was a game where you had to shoot the zombies and try to advance onto other levels. I didn’t get past level one but to my discomfort, there were after death levels… Creepy.
27 January 2011
Free Speech and Censorship
How can we have free speech if we have censorship? If we are able to talk or write about everything of our choosing then why aren’t we able to look at anything we like? Sure there are concerned parents out there who have voted for an internet filter, but why can’t they just buy it? Why is everyone affected? It’s understandable that certain restrictions are put on internet services in educational areas like schools and universities (even though I believe we’re old enough to make those decisions for ourselves), but in our own homes? It’s like the government is trying to conform us into perfect citizens and speaking of which, we should have the right to look at something naughty or messed up instead of internet services being set to clean by default.
Dear government: I’m sure you’ve looked at plenty of adult content on the internet in your time, so why make us victims of defaulted censorship?
Approaching video games in different ways
Since the beginning of gaming people have been studying them critically with various different approaches. Some of these include: the humanities, industry and engineering, Narratology and Ludology approaches. Thinking about video games in different ways can create many questions like could gaming be viewed as a new form of cultural practice like television and newspapers? With virtual reality becoming more popular, this statement could be very close to the truth. We are becoming more and more addicted to a perfect world that only seems to exist in cyberspace. Games are created as firstly, entertainment but can become an escape from reality for many players that question themselves about what is real and what is virtual. This can be tied in with creating individual identities for themselves, closing the distance between the virtual world and the real world. It’s frightening that not only games but social networks, which are said to be even more addictive than some games, can suck people in like this. The video we viewed in the lecture helped explain exactly why social networks like facebook and twitter are so addictive: because it is about us. Games can only be so close to our real lives but social networks are about us and only us. Because we are the common thread of social networks, we are subconsciously asked to make ourselves better, more interesting to other people and in turn we create individual identities. So perhaps social networks aren’t the greatest for us.
25 January 2011
The Freedom to Speak
Living in a representative democracy, we as citizens are able to participate in and discuss freely current events. We are able to respond to our local, state and federal representatives through the internet and tell them what we think about them and their latest speeches. Keeping this in mind, it’s interesting to think of the internet as a type of public sphere where it can be considered as a place people can speak openly. We don’t seem to worry too much about their reactions because we’re hiding behind a screen and can create individual identities. As said in the lecture, everything you do on the internet can be traced back to you one way or another but because people either don’t know this or believe it, they feel free to speak freely. Direct messaging to people that would otherwise be impossible to contact is getting bigger with social networks like twitter and facebook. Even when the Queensland floods started happening, channel nine urged people to post their stories on their facebook page. The media is starting to understand the importance of the internet as a news source to gather information that may or may not be accurate but tend to still use it anyway. The internet has advanced to the point were you can be part of an important discussion or event without having to be anyone in particular. It allows normal people to make an impact on current events and let their voices be heard.
24 January 2011
Questions from Tute
Question 1: What is the weight of the world's biggest machine? How much did it cost to build?
Answer: Krupp Digging Machine, 45,500 tons, 100mil
Answer: Krupp Digging Machine, 45,500 tons, 100mil
Found this picture whilst searching for world's heaviest machine. Not relevant but awesome!
Question 2: Find a live webcam in Antarctica. Can you find a place to stay in Antarctica?
Answer: Mawson station webcam, There are no hotels or accommodation in Antarctica but you can sleep on the boat if you take a cruise.
http://www.antarctica.gov.au/webcams/mawson
Question 3: When and where was the first example of global digital communication?
Answer: The telegraph, 1860's-70's
Question 4: What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?
Answer: If you wanted to leave right now, $79 via Tiger Airways. Unless you could teleport.. then it would be free and probably more fun.
Question 5: Who is Doug Engelbart? What is he known for?
Answer: One of the first pioneers of the internet. His most famous invention was the mouse in the 1960's, it was then claimed by Microsoft who tried to sue Apple because they tried to claim it as well.. even though it belonged to Engelbart..
Question 6: What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Stephen Conroy? (who is this guy?)
Answer: The Minister of Broadband Ministerial office Level 4, 4 Treasury Place Melbourne Vic 3002
Tel: 03 9650 1188
Fax: 03 9663 7245
Fax: 03 9663 7245
Question 7: What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1990?
Answer: B-52 - Love Shack
http://today.ninemsn.com.au/travelandlifestyle/1014383/hits-from-1990
Question 8: What type of camera is used to make ‘Google Street View’?
Answer:
Question 9: Name three computer operating systems (not for phones) that are NOT Apple OS or MS-Windows operating systems?
a) who created it and when? b) how can you get a copy of the operating system to use on your computer?
a) who created it and when? b) how can you get a copy of the operating system to use on your computer?
Answer: a) Minix, Sun Solaris and Unix Irix,Andrew Tanenbaum, 1984, Vaughan Pratt, original release 1992,1960s and 1970s employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy
b) All available to download, standard installation and download requirements are involved.
23 January 2011
Trusting Open Source
Microsoft was one of the first softwares available to buy but why don’t people seem to flock to free software like they do to Microsoft? Why do people think that if it’s cheap then there must be something wrong with the product? Microsoft is basically a default program for a lot of computer users but realistically it restricts users because it has a closed source code making it illegal to change anything within the program. Free or open source software allows users to view the source code and change it to their liking. As we learnt in session 1, software was originally meant to be free to all because it benefited computers and people. When Microsoft decided to put prices on their software, people bought it up straight away. Why is it that people seem to trust Microsoft, a multi-million dollar company over programs that are made by people who believe in making software for the people? Wouldn’t it be more likely that a company would trick you than teams of volunteers in the community? Perhaps it’s because Microsoft have better advertising techniques or maybe people are just completely unaware that there are people out there creating software for the benefit of the community.
So, spread the word! Stop conforming and supporting a business that don’t care about you and start using open source software.
Internet Privacy
When it comes to internet privacy, people aren’t as aware as they should be. They think that they’re safe to disclose any information about themselves because it’s just them and a screen. What they don’t see are the people on the other side of the screen waiting for them to give them information they can use. If someone came to your door and offered you something and in return asked for private information, chances are you wouldn’t give it to them. So why are people so relaxed to give this information freely online? Privacyrevolution.org can’t understand this either and they have taken it upon themselves to make people aware of traceable search engine records that could potentially make people venerable to questioning or investigations from government agencies. This organisation has created Privacy Week which runs annually May 2nd-8th and their vision is to inspire people to recommit to their privacy. Privacy is something that we take for granted and should be extremely careful about. There are people in the world as said in the lecture, that would love information about you and use it against you for their personal gain. So be careful and if in doubt, don’t click.
Individual Identity
Being able to create a persona on the internet gives people the freedom to be who they choose without being judged for it. Individual identity gives every day people the chance to be something more if they wish. There are even sites that assist us in changing ourselves online such as IMVU and Zwinky. It is said that these games can get quite addictive and why wouldn’t they? These sites are social networks as well as allow you to create an entire person within the game.
Unfortunately people start living through their username and fictional character the more they play. They feel free to be who they really are and embrace that people accept them. The internet no longer cares for people with common interests; instead it has a keen eye on networks where you are the common thread. This is a big responsibility, to be viewed not as what you stand for, or your likes, but who you are. Most of us would lead seemingly boring lives but if you were to tweak yourself virtually … now that would make you more interesting. Here lies the dilemma: Be yourself on the internet and don’t stand out or create a different character of yourself and be loved by users everywhere?
Microsoft's Vision of the Future (Parody)
I don't have any other reason for putting this on my blog other than it's very smart has something to do with Microsoft :)
Why Windows Sucks
This video I found just after the Microsoft vs. Apple lecture. Not really surprisingly I found heaps of videos about Microsoft and Apple sucking. There's not a lot of educational information in this video but I think it's funny and relative to the class.
Social Media Revolution 2010
I found this video both educational and entertaining. In the first few sessions I was having trouble understanding exactly what social media meant and this video helped me understand it and gave me factual numbers and percentages. This video is so closely related to New Comm Tech that it even has a quote that Adam used in the first session: Consumers are no longer passive: they are active producers.
21 January 2011
Facebook: What are you really agreeing to?
When signing up to Facebook, all members must agree to the Terms of Service before their accounts can be created. Some of these terms include things like giving Facebook the right to use and IP content that you might post on the site, various ‘you will nots’ in the safety and protecting other people’s rights section and agreeing to your information and content to be transferred to and processed in the US. Facebook describes the term ‘content’ as anything you post on the site that would not be included in the definition of information. Using content in these terms means that Facebook allows members to post videos, photos, links, comments and write messages to one another however by changing your personal privacy settings to “everyone” makes it public information. Public information can be accessed by anyone, even search engines like Google however Facebook claims that it will help ‘real-world’ friends find you. By signing up to Facebook and not changing these settings right away gives them access to all of your information and any IP content you post is instantly theirs. If for example Facebook used something you had posted on their site and not changed your settings to private, they could use it to their benefit and you would have absolutely no legal backing because once you’ve signed up, they own everything.
So, be careful what you post and remember that what ever you say online can come back and bite you in the ass!
20 January 2011
Napster Report
Napster is a social networking site that was founded by Shawn Fanning and flourished during February 2001 with over 25 million global users. It is a site that specialises in interactive music downloads and sharing. Napster offered such features as music on demand, ad free radio and artist auto-mix, listen offline, billboard charts and playlists. The site is a host to blogs that are about famous and up –coming artists, giving the impression being a direct news service and allowing members to feel a certain closeness to them. Napster uses media devices like the iphone, ipod, blackberry, home theatre and audio systems to boost their advertising. The site has no direct link with these products however the music downloaded off Napster can easily be transferred to them giving the impression that the two companies are linked. Napster is still an active social network even after its initial shut down in July 2001, and like said in the lecture, is a host to many members that share a common interest: music. Unlike Myspace and Facebook (and perhaps a reason for the falling number of members), Napster requires that members make a payment plan for their accounts that ranges from $5 per month to almost $100 for an annual membership (incl. mobile access). According to Jupiter Media Metrix who deal with the analysis and measurement the internet and new technology, about the time that Napster usage plunged for no apparent reason, several new file-sharing sites emerged and Napster unfortunately never regained the same numbers they had before.
http://www.techdigest.tv/2009/01/noise_gate_naps.html
18 January 2011
Tron: The Ultimate Cyberspace
When I hear the term Cyberspace my mind goes to a fantastic place full of magic and wonder were all things are made possible. The most basic definition of cyberspace I could find was this: the global domain of electromagnetics as accessed and exploited through electronic technology and the modulation of electromagnetic energy to achieve a wide range of communication and control… Whaa? It seems that cyberspace can be interpreted differently for everyone. For Steve Lisberger cyberspace was an exciting space that was a host to programs like Tron and Users like Kevin Flynn. I personally found the 1982 version of Tron’s representation easier to understand than the previous definition. People can try to explain cyberspace over and over again but it’s like trying to describe a place that you have never been and find hard to imagine. The only way to truly understand the wonder of this fantastical land is to experience it yourself. I’m sure many people are unaware that they visit cyberspace more often than they would think because if you look hard enough you’ll see that it is all around us.
Until next time,
Follow the white rabbit
Microsoft vs. Apple
Prior to the lecture, I was unaware that software near the time of its invention was initially free to all. The creators wanted people to be able to access and use software so they didn’t put a price on their work until Bill Gates came on the scene. What he saw with software was consumer-product; supply and demand to which he came to the conclusion that if there was going to be money in software, why not have it all go to him. I think that although this very selfish of him because the ground work had already been set for him, one cannot deny that he is a hell of a businessman. Sure he had some great ideas within software but he used other people’s work and solely benefitted from it. When it came to ‘borrowing’ the idea of the mouse, mouse pointer, icons and windows, Doug Engelbart didn’t ask for any type of payment from either Apple or Microsoft. Instead Microsoft sued Apple because apparently it was their idea. How this lawsuit was able to stand in court baffles me. Why didn’t Engelbart stand up and tell both companies to get stuffed? Because he created these tools for computers to help build them into interactive machines, not for money or fame. Apple did the research and thought of interesting ideas that consumers would find helpful and fun whereas Microsoft stuck with word processing and basic accounting programs. In conclusion Microsoft sucks, Apple tries to take an interest in what its audience want, but still sucks so where are we left?
Until next time,
Live long and Prosper my friends
17 January 2011
Tute - 1
Greetings Programs,
My name is Heidi and I'm a 3rd year Film student at Griffith University Southport. I work at Civic Video and I'm taking 1501HUM New Communication Technologies to boost my credit points so that I may graduate in June 2011. I plan on undertaking a course in Automotive Engineering in 2012 so that I have a profession to fall back on if film doesn't immediately lift off.
That is all.
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