New communication technology has taken the world by storm from email to instant messaging and telephones to mobile phones. The question is how we perceive all this new technology and how it is represented in today’s society especially through film. Films play a gigantic part in how new communication technology is represented. This can be shown in films such as The Matrix, where computer technology is tested beyond what is possible to even imagine and Alphaville, a film where a man is against a computer.
Matrix was filmed in 1999 and was written directed by Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski.("Matrix," 2008) It is about a man living a double life, one as a computer programmer ‘Thomas Anderson’ and the other as a computer hacker ‘Neo’. Anderson is shown by a man named Morpheus and a women Trinity that the world he is living is make believe and there are many machine- like humans. Therefore their job is to save all the humans from the fake world known as Matrix. The Matrix was set in the genre of science fiction and cyber punk.
Alphaville was made in 1965 and directed by Jean Luc Godard.("Alphaville," 2008) Jean-Luc Godard was considered the most "intellectual" of filmmakers comprising the French New Wave of the late 1950s and early 1960s. (Bonnie Lenore, 2008). Alphaville was set in black and white with English subtitles. The movie was set in the future. Alphaville follows a man named Lemmy Caution who goes to a planet called Alphaville where he deals with a computer Alpha 60 which is used to enforce orders on the residents living in Alphaville. The picture's originality is not to be found in the clichéd opposition between emotion and science.("Alphaville,") Alphaville was set in the genre of French new wave. French new wave was an artistic movement which became popular in the late 1950’s till the mid 1960’s.
Nowadays a computer taking over the world is not as crazy, as the internet and computers do control a lot in everyone’s lives. In comparison to that is what we perceive as impossible now, ideas that appear in The Matrix such as robots and imaginary worlds. But in 1965, computers were considered robots and a fantasy. So can the representations of science fiction and the unknown reality be proven in these movies? It’s asking what we can believe is real. Morpheus quoted in the film Matrix, “If real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.”("Matrix," 2008)
Both films take it beyond those electrical signals, both focusing on the future. With new communication, new special effects have risen, to take viewers even further into the future. With so many special effects do the films lose its story line? While the fight scenes and car chases are highly entertaining, it is the films' awareness of the complex interdependence of the humans and the machines that made the film reflect on the natural world.(Matthew, 2004) In the Matrix bodies fly through the air, there is both a suspension of the camera-eye and a separation of the event's deictic "here and now" so that time is both attenuated and dilated in the same moment.(Tom, 2003) James Morris a senior editor quoted in one of his articles, “Why, are Special Effects such a guilty pleasure? When movies were new, a century ago, the mere motion of people and objects was special effect enough. Now we want whole new worlds to turn and tumble. And they do, ingeniously, interchangeably.”(James, 2005) People are never satisfied, and if people can produce new exciting technology, there is no harm in watching it.
Where do these ideas come from? Kristen Whissel stated, following the release of The Matrix, that “Drawing from cultural sources ranging from comic books and fantasy novels to the visual logics of video games and virtual reality there are a range of digital special effects to create composite films. “(Kristen, 2006) Things that have become more apparent in today’s society such as comic book characters are now appearing in films rather than in comic books. This is affecting the way science fiction and special effects are represented in film in a positive way as it allows the films to be original and creative. Such as in The Matrix in order to create the elaborate visual style of the film, hundreds of illustrations were created. Comic book artists Steve Skroce and Geof Darrow spent three months working closely with Larry and Andy Wachowski, the directors, to map out the film. ("Matrix Trilogy," 2008). This shows as culture changes, the development of film also changes.
Through the films Alphaville and Matrix representations have changed dramatically over thirty four years. This is shown through the settings and characters of each film. In Alphaville there was a budget too small to create a future metropolis, Godard simply filmed the Paris of 1965, "anatomizing” a future already latent in the present"(Mark, 2006) The Matrix was shot in studios; in America and Australia. The special effects made it possible for the futuristic setting and popular landmarks were not filmed, to sustain the setting of a common American city in the city scenes. Both films are similar with one main male character, Lemmy Caution and Neo. While Lemmy Caution is a detective, Neo is a complicated character as he is freed from the Matrix by Morpheus and his crew to be the saviour of mankind.("Matrix 101," 2008)
Overall the representations of Alphaville and The Matrix are very contrasting. This is shown through how people perceive reality, special effects and the cultural developments of 1965 till 2008. Elements such as setting and characters also play a huge role in the differences between the two films. Alphaville and Matrix will always be well known for their new found communication technology in both generations.
Reference List
Alphaville. Retrieved 14 May, 2008, from http://www.csie.ntu.edu.tw/~ntucs82/PEOPLE/b2506017/sf/j.html
Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution. (2008). Retrieved 14 May 2008, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058898/
Bonnie Lenore, K. (2008). "Totally, Tenderly, Tragically": Godard's Contempt and the Composition Qu'il y Aurait (that Might Have Been). Composition Studies, 36(1), 39.
James, M. M. (2005). SPECIAL EFFECTS: An Oral History. The Wilson Quarterly, 29(3), 116.
Kristen, W. (2006). Tales of Upward Mobility: The New Verticality and Digital Special Effects. Film Quarterly, 59(4), 23.
Mark, B. (2006). Alphaville. Extrapolation, 47(2), 332.
Matrix. (2008). Retrieved 14 May 2008, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/
Matrix 101. (2008). Retrieved 28 May, 2008, from http://www.thematrix101.com/matrix/characters.php
Matrix Trilogy. (2008). Retrieved 13 May, 2008, from http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com/
Matthew, L. A. (2004). Danger in Wonderland. Science, 303(5661), 1141.
Tom, Z. (2003). The Matrix Reload. Film Comment, 39(4), 74.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Electronic Civil Liberties / Creative Commons / Free and Open Source Software
In the lecture we discussed
Electronic Civil Liberties
we spoke about some of the cases that the Electronic Frontier Foundation are currently defending. This includes the NSA/AT&T alleged spying case, where the government allegedly wiretapped the internet communications going through San Francisco.
Creative Commons
Adam showed us the creative commons website. Creative commons (some rights reserved) is a mix between copyright (all rights reserved) and non copyright ( no rights reserved)
It lets you take music and video or anything and do what you want with with it whether mixing it up and changing it. The only factor is that you do not use that for any commercial use.
He showed us a lecture on by Lawrence Lessig about the need for the law to change, and the reasons why he started the Creative Commons to access the lecture you can visit http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/187/
the lecture showed funny examples of how creative commons can work.
Free Open Software
Examples
Linux
Firefox
Mozilla Thunderbird - Email
Free software also known as open source software is software that is free for anyone to use.
Important notes
Electronic Civil Liberties
we spoke about some of the cases that the Electronic Frontier Foundation are currently defending. This includes the NSA/AT&T alleged spying case, where the government allegedly wiretapped the internet communications going through San Francisco.
Creative Commons
Adam showed us the creative commons website. Creative commons (some rights reserved) is a mix between copyright (all rights reserved) and non copyright ( no rights reserved)
It lets you take music and video or anything and do what you want with with it whether mixing it up and changing it. The only factor is that you do not use that for any commercial use.
He showed us a lecture on by Lawrence Lessig about the need for the law to change, and the reasons why he started the Creative Commons to access the lecture you can visit http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/187/
the lecture showed funny examples of how creative commons can work.
Free Open Software
Examples
Linux
Firefox
Mozilla Thunderbird - Email
Free software also known as open source software is software that is free for anyone to use.
Important notes
‒
Source Code = Instructions written in Programming Languages that tell a computer to do certain things.
Source Code is “compiled” (translated) into files that can run on specific computers...
These files that run on computers are called Binary Files or Executables (e.g: those files on Windows that end in .exe)
Open Source In an attempt to push “Free Software” into the business world...
... The Name Free Software is replaced with Open Source...
* Emphasis on “Open”, rather than “Free”
Key assumptions:
everyone has a contribution to make
e.g. code changes, beta testing, error reports, feature requests, documentation, community leadership
community involvement more likely if community experimentation is encouraged
i.e. limited success if project direction is determined from above
users will contribute if to do so is easy and beneficial for them and all
i.e. combination of self-interest and altruistic motives
shared ownership of the project is crucial
i.e. contributions less likely if they only benefit a commercial software publisher
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Copyright and Peer-To-Peer Music File Sharing:
The 20th Century, people had their own music that they sang, played and passed from one generation to the next and that the idea of paying for music was perhaps just a passing fad.
The students in the class made the moral distinction between stealing from a tangible product from a shop and downloading music and movies which are (eventually) given away for free on the radio and TV.
Our class discussed whether downloading movies and songs is illegal as we pay for the software and the people supplying the software are really the ones to blame.
We watched Cocaine Jesus, an example of post-copyright film-making: it is so cheap and easy to do that you can give it away free.We also watched the short documentary film: 'Steal This Film 2'. Part Two examines the technological and cultural aspects of the copyright wars, and the implications of the internet for copying. It includes an exploration of Mark Getty's infamous statement that 'intellectual property is the oil of the 21st century'.
important notes from reading The Napster Case and the Argument Against Legislative Reform
[1] An MP3 file is a computer file that stores a song in a compressed format. A 32 Megabyte song on a CD can be compressed to about 3 Megabytes without noticeable reduction in quality. MP3 comes from MPEG audio Layer-3, and MPEG is the acronym for Moving Picture Experts Group, the group who developed the compression technology. <http://www.howstuffworks.com>.
[2] "...the digital environment poses a unique threat to the rights of copyright owners, and as such, necessitates protection against devices that undermine copyright interests. In contrast to the analog experience, digital technology enables pirates to reproduce and distribute perfect copies of works - at virtually no cost at all to the pirate. As technology advances, so must our laws." Report of the US House Comm. on Commerce, H.R. Rep. No. 105-551, pt. 2, at 25 (1998), cited in Markus Fallenb”ck, 'On the Technical Protection of Copyright: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the European Community Copyright Directive and Their Anticircumvention Provisions' (2003)7 International Journal of Communications Law and Policy 1.
The students in the class made the moral distinction between stealing from a tangible product from a shop and downloading music and movies which are (eventually) given away for free on the radio and TV.
Our class discussed whether downloading movies and songs is illegal as we pay for the software and the people supplying the software are really the ones to blame.
We watched Cocaine Jesus, an example of post-copyright film-making: it is so cheap and easy to do that you can give it away free.We also watched the short documentary film: 'Steal This Film 2'. Part Two examines the technological and cultural aspects of the copyright wars, and the implications of the internet for copying. It includes an exploration of Mark Getty's infamous statement that 'intellectual property is the oil of the 21st century'.
important notes from reading The Napster Case and the Argument Against Legislative Reform
[1] An MP3 file is a computer file that stores a song in a compressed format. A 32 Megabyte song on a CD can be compressed to about 3 Megabytes without noticeable reduction in quality. MP3 comes from MPEG audio Layer-3, and MPEG is the acronym for Moving Picture Experts Group, the group who developed the compression technology. <http://www.howstuffworks.com>.
[2] "...the digital environment poses a unique threat to the rights of copyright owners, and as such, necessitates protection against devices that undermine copyright interests. In contrast to the analog experience, digital technology enables pirates to reproduce and distribute perfect copies of works - at virtually no cost at all to the pirate. As technology advances, so must our laws." Report of the US House Comm. on Commerce, H.R. Rep. No. 105-551, pt. 2, at 25 (1998), cited in Markus Fallenb”ck, 'On the Technical Protection of Copyright: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the European Community Copyright Directive and Their Anticircumvention Provisions' (2003)7 International Journal of Communications Law and Policy 1.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The ethics of peer to peer file sharing.
Reading
When Pigs Fly: The Death of Oink, the Birth of Dissent, and a Brief History of Record Industry Suicide. Demonbaby: Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Main Points
1. Stop buying music from major labels. Period.
The only way to force change is to hit the labels where it hurts - their profits.Find out which labels are members/supporters of the RIAA and similar copyright enforcement groups, and don't support them in any way.Make it very clear that you will continue to support the artists directly in other ways, and make it VERY clear that your decision has come about as a direct result of the record company's actions and inactions regarding digital music.
2. Support artists directly.
If a band you like is stuck on a major label, there are tons of ways you can support them without actually buying their CD. Tell everyone you know about them - start a fansite if you're really passionate. Go to their shows when they're in town, and buy t-shirts and other merchandise.
3. Get the message out.
Get this message out to as many people as you can - spread the word on your blog or your MySpace. Teach them how to use torrents and where to get music free.
4. Get political.
The fast-track to ending all this nonsense is changing intellectual property laws. The RIAA lobbies politicians to manipulate copyright laws for their own interests, so voters need to lobby politicians for the peoples' interests. Contact your local representatives and senators. Tell them politely and articulately that you believe copyright laws no longer reflect the interests of the people, and you will not vote for them if they support the interests of the RIAA.
When Pigs Fly: The Death of Oink, the Birth of Dissent, and a Brief History of Record Industry Suicide. Demonbaby: Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Main Points
1. Stop buying music from major labels. Period.
The only way to force change is to hit the labels where it hurts - their profits.Find out which labels are members/supporters of the RIAA and similar copyright enforcement groups, and don't support them in any way.Make it very clear that you will continue to support the artists directly in other ways, and make it VERY clear that your decision has come about as a direct result of the record company's actions and inactions regarding digital music.
2. Support artists directly.
If a band you like is stuck on a major label, there are tons of ways you can support them without actually buying their CD. Tell everyone you know about them - start a fansite if you're really passionate. Go to their shows when they're in town, and buy t-shirts and other merchandise.
3. Get the message out.
Get this message out to as many people as you can - spread the word on your blog or your MySpace. Teach them how to use torrents and where to get music free.
4. Get political.
The fast-track to ending all this nonsense is changing intellectual property laws. The RIAA lobbies politicians to manipulate copyright laws for their own interests, so voters need to lobby politicians for the peoples' interests. Contact your local representatives and senators. Tell them politely and articulately that you believe copyright laws no longer reflect the interests of the people, and you will not vote for them if they support the interests of the RIAA.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Bladerunner
In the lecture we watched Balderunner. Its based on the 1968 novel, 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' by Phillip K Dick.
Common themes in Dick's work include artificial intelligence, cities out of control and post-industrial dystopia dissected with a film noir sensibility.
Other of Dick's novels include Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, and Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.
Movies made from Dick's stories include: Total Recall, Minority Report, Next and Paycheck.
The required reading this week was T.J. LeGrice, An exploration of what it is to be human, 2000.
His description of Blade runner.
human (a) 1/ of or relating to people or humankind
2/ having the nature, qualities or characteristics of people or humankind
3/ of or relating to humankind as distinct from God or gods, animals or machines.
Common themes in Dick's work include artificial intelligence, cities out of control and post-industrial dystopia dissected with a film noir sensibility.
Other of Dick's novels include Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, and Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.
Movies made from Dick's stories include: Total Recall, Minority Report, Next and Paycheck.
The required reading this week was T.J. LeGrice, An exploration of what it is to be human, 2000.
His description of Blade runner.
human (a) 1/ of or relating to people or humankind
2/ having the nature, qualities or characteristics of people or humankind
3/ of or relating to humankind as distinct from God or gods, animals or machines.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a science fiction genre based in the possibilities inherent in computers, genetics, body modifications and corporate developments in the near future.
The term cybernetics comes from the Greek kybernetes which means steersman or pilot and the concept developed during and after WWII to indicate the use of a systematic approach to complex issues such as managing a large number of computers at distributed sites or understanding the operationms of the brain.
Punk was represented in the music of bands such as Sex Pistols, Clash & Black Assassins.
Blade runner is an example of cyberpunk.
1. Technology and Mythology
Cyberpunk sought to demythologise technology but effectively predicied/created the World Wide Web and so was used to remythologise technology.
There are many myths that link with technology such as –
Original play by Aeschylus - Prometheus, Chapter 3 of Genesis, Albert Camus' Myth of Sisyphus, Frankenstein novel by Mary Shelley and Faust which was made into a play and a novel.
2. Utopia and Dystopia
Some of the most powerful myths for and against technology have been intertwined with utopian writing. Utopias (from the Greek, meaning nowhere) are literary works that tell of imaginary places where everything is perfect, usually because people and technology are in harmony. Some famous Utopias are:
- Plato The Republic 4th century BC
- Sir Thomas More Utopia 1516
- Saint-Simon New Christianity 1825
- Samuel Butler Erehwon 1872
- William Morris News from Nowhere 1891
Will everything be controlled by technology if so when somebody / something switches off the lights. When the power goes off you may wake to discover that your technological paradise is really a hell.
3. Cities as Machines
The Shape of the City dictates the kind of lives that most people lead. The City in Bladerunner is avowedly post-modern, built up layer on layer but starting to lose its relevance - people are moving to the Off-World. Sometimes it is crowded; sometimes it is lonely - which is what cities are like: you can be anonymous in the crowd.
Three non-exclusive alternatives:
- the city is a machine for living ... it creates human lifejust as humans create it
- the city is a natural thing, created by natural beings (humans)just as bee-hives and ant nests are created by natural beings
- the city is a living being ... a cyborg which combines humantissue with synthetic infrastructure.
4. Technological change
The First Media Age (centralised dissemination) versus the Second Media Age (decentralised interaction)
Characterised by the use of one source (or relatively few) and many receivers.
The latest development to mimic the equalising structure of the telephone is the Internet. The Internet made it possible for an individual to 'publish' to a huge audience.
As Bill Gates stated - the Internet made it possible for an individual to 'publish' to a huge audience.
5. Modernism and Postmodernism
Shadowing this split between the technologies of dissemination and the technologies of interaction is the shift discussed by a variety of theorists from modernism to postmodernism, from the certainties of the 'grand narratives' of big institutions to the complexities of personal survival for individuals. Ihab Hassan has suggested some of the oppositions inherent in this shift in his book The postmodern turn : essays in postmodern theory and culture.
But just as postmodernism is built upon modernism, the second media age is built on the first and is thus largely dependent on the the world view inherent in existing technologies. It is through the combination of old and new technologies that new industries, uses and expansions have occurred, and continue to emerge. The new media brings with it a need for new understandings - particularly political ones - to protect the public interest. These discussions/strategies will need to include:
- the means to protect rights of access
- equity of access
- the means to strengthen and enhance existing community structures
- development of the democratic process/structure (why?)
- development of a global community
- development of strategies for developing, implementing and enforcing global laws
- intellectual property laws
- freedom of speech
Virtual reality brings with it even more complex questions about the nature of society.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Are games a waste of time?
'Games are popular art, collective social reactions to the main drive or action of any culture. Games, like institutions, are extensions of social man and of the body politic, as technologies are extensions of the animal organism. Both games and technologies are counter-irritants or ways of adjusting to the stress of the specialized actions that occur in any social group. As extensions of the popular response to the workaday stress, games become faithful models of a culture. They incorporate both the actions and the reactions of whole populations in a single dynamic image.'
-Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
Video Games Studies includes the following types of games:
Arcade, Games, Consoles, Computer, Games ,MUDs, MMOGs
Approaching Video Games in an Academic Way:Some Theoretical Considerations
Media Effects and Games;
The Persistence of Effect;
Games and Utopia;
Thinking about video games as a new form of cultural practise... in the same way we now think about old media like newspapers, radio, television, films...
what are some ways to approach thinking about games that might be unique to this genre?
Are there questions that are specific to video games that don't apply to any other form?
Narratology is the study of video games from the perspective of them being stories or literary works. People who follow this sort of approach think that games can be studied like 'texts' in the same way people study other 'texts' (most commonly the book, but the word text can include other cultural products like films, paintings or music). See the work of Janet Murray (her book 'Hamlet on the Holodeck' is a good example)
Ludology, in contrast to narratology, is not concerned with the story elements of games but rather with the Game Play elements. People who have written work that is classified as ludology tend to follow the argument that the story elements in many games are there for decoration only, and is incidental to just playing a game. See the writing of Espen Aarseth (starting with CyberText), Stuart Moulthrop, Jesper Juul and others.
Tutorial Task: Complete the Exercises below, and then write a report in your blog about your experience doing the exercise.
Using Microsoft Word
The exercises were to use easy and advanced methods on Microsoft word we did things such as mail merge, changing to bold and italics and track changes.
I had never heard of track changes before but it seemed pretty easy and lets you know what you are doing. I had done the rest before and had heard of mail merge but never really done it. Everything seemed pretty easy to follow especially with instructions to prompt you on the right hand side. This software will come in handy in the future. Especially for writing letters as with mail merge you can send a letter to many recipients without as much fuss.
Using Microsoft Excel
The exercises were to use easy and advanced methods in Microsoft excel. They were things such as entering information in cells, using different formulas, making charts and using new macro.
I have used excel a bit especially with maths and business. But it was interesting to see new formulas such as the gain and lost and I had never used the macro thing before which was confusing at first but easy to use after that. Excel comes in handy when comparing results and statistics and a easier way to see results through making graphs.
3D worlds and socialising on the internet
Tutorial task:
After you have checked out at least one of the 'sites' listed below, your task is to write a blog post that considers the following:
Presuming that you are a user of MSN, or other IM programs (or have used it before, or at least know about it)... Besides the obvious differences (such as ActiveWorlds is 3D and MSN isn't, etc) what are the qualitative differences between the regular IM program and a 3D environment?
What is different about the kinds of socialising that happens in these spaces? Does the 3D aspect make much difference? The 3d aspect makes it realer but the socialising does not change when its in 3d. You are still just having a conversation as you would in IM. The only real difference is that you can compete with each other through games.
In other words, are there things that are possible in one space that are not possible in the other? Could you think of where this sort of application might lead us?
-Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
Video Games Studies includes the following types of games:
Arcade, Games, Consoles, Computer, Games ,MUDs, MMOGs
Approaching Video Games in an Academic Way:Some Theoretical Considerations
Media Effects and Games;
The Persistence of Effect;
Games and Utopia;
Thinking about video games as a new form of cultural practise... in the same way we now think about old media like newspapers, radio, television, films...
what are some ways to approach thinking about games that might be unique to this genre?
Are there questions that are specific to video games that don't apply to any other form?
Narratology is the study of video games from the perspective of them being stories or literary works. People who follow this sort of approach think that games can be studied like 'texts' in the same way people study other 'texts' (most commonly the book, but the word text can include other cultural products like films, paintings or music). See the work of Janet Murray (her book 'Hamlet on the Holodeck' is a good example)
Ludology, in contrast to narratology, is not concerned with the story elements of games but rather with the Game Play elements. People who have written work that is classified as ludology tend to follow the argument that the story elements in many games are there for decoration only, and is incidental to just playing a game. See the writing of Espen Aarseth (starting with CyberText), Stuart Moulthrop, Jesper Juul and others.
Tutorial Task: Complete the Exercises below, and then write a report in your blog about your experience doing the exercise.
Using Microsoft Word
The exercises were to use easy and advanced methods on Microsoft word we did things such as mail merge, changing to bold and italics and track changes.
I had never heard of track changes before but it seemed pretty easy and lets you know what you are doing. I had done the rest before and had heard of mail merge but never really done it. Everything seemed pretty easy to follow especially with instructions to prompt you on the right hand side. This software will come in handy in the future. Especially for writing letters as with mail merge you can send a letter to many recipients without as much fuss.
Using Microsoft Excel
The exercises were to use easy and advanced methods in Microsoft excel. They were things such as entering information in cells, using different formulas, making charts and using new macro.
I have used excel a bit especially with maths and business. But it was interesting to see new formulas such as the gain and lost and I had never used the macro thing before which was confusing at first but easy to use after that. Excel comes in handy when comparing results and statistics and a easier way to see results through making graphs.
3D worlds and socialising on the internet
Tutorial task:
After you have checked out at least one of the 'sites' listed below, your task is to write a blog post that considers the following:
Presuming that you are a user of MSN, or other IM programs (or have used it before, or at least know about it)... Besides the obvious differences (such as ActiveWorlds is 3D and MSN isn't, etc) what are the qualitative differences between the regular IM program and a 3D environment?
What is different about the kinds of socialising that happens in these spaces? Does the 3D aspect make much difference? The 3d aspect makes it realer but the socialising does not change when its in 3d. You are still just having a conversation as you would in IM. The only real difference is that you can compete with each other through games.
In other words, are there things that are possible in one space that are not possible in the other? Could you think of where this sort of application might lead us?
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
History of the computer and the internet.
In today’s tutorial we are learning how to research for our exams using things such as the databases supplied on learning at Griffith. These databases are very good sources of information as all articles are looked over twice by experts.
In the lecture we covered some of the history of the computer and internet. Babbage, Turing was the first to begin the creation of the computer. He was aiming to make a machine that calculated and printed mathematical tables. He made the structure for the computer and made parts but he did not finish in his life time as there was not enough input with government funding. Other important people to the creation of the computer was :
Ada Byron, she first conceived of a machine which would be able to compose and play music, produce graphics and be of everyday use. She also conceived the first computer program.
Alan Turing- Enigma machine. devised first working computer. Philosophical paper- Computing Machinery and Intelligence.
Computers were first commercially produced by IBM in the 1950s.
Xerox PARC – early 70’s, developed concepts such as the mouse, the graphical user interface (GUI) and pull-down menus that made the personal computers of today possible and approachable by the general user.
1975: first PC (personal computer) was released.
Bill gates started writing a language called BASIC for the Altair, so that it could be used for simple applications like word processing, basic accounting and some games.
Apple- Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started the company.
IBM and Microsoft-
Gary Kildall, the head of Digital Research, Inc, and Bill Gates the owner of Microsoft (the biggest software provider in the valley).
Internet The internet, is a network of networks (what is often called an internetwork).
World Wibe Web WWW - (i) internetworking and (ii) hypertext to make an easy-to-use, but powerful, global system that shares all information accessible as part of a seamless hypertext space. The Web includes all the internet sites that people have made available on servers around the world.
The web is an application of the internet.
· Cyberspace World 1 - the objective material world of natural things and their physical properties
· World 2 - subjective consciousness: intentions, calculations, feelings, thoughts, dreams, memories, etc in individual minds
· World 3 - the public structures produced by living minds interacting with each other and the real world.
Early internet applications.
Email
File Transfer protocol –FTP
Internet Relay Chat IRC
MUD- multi user playing machines.
In the lecture we covered some of the history of the computer and internet. Babbage, Turing was the first to begin the creation of the computer. He was aiming to make a machine that calculated and printed mathematical tables. He made the structure for the computer and made parts but he did not finish in his life time as there was not enough input with government funding. Other important people to the creation of the computer was :
Ada Byron, she first conceived of a machine which would be able to compose and play music, produce graphics and be of everyday use. She also conceived the first computer program.
Alan Turing- Enigma machine. devised first working computer. Philosophical paper- Computing Machinery and Intelligence.
Computers were first commercially produced by IBM in the 1950s.
Xerox PARC – early 70’s, developed concepts such as the mouse, the graphical user interface (GUI) and pull-down menus that made the personal computers of today possible and approachable by the general user.
1975: first PC (personal computer) was released.
Bill gates started writing a language called BASIC for the Altair, so that it could be used for simple applications like word processing, basic accounting and some games.
Apple- Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started the company.
IBM and Microsoft-
Gary Kildall, the head of Digital Research, Inc, and Bill Gates the owner of Microsoft (the biggest software provider in the valley).
Internet The internet, is a network of networks (what is often called an internetwork).
World Wibe Web WWW - (i) internetworking and (ii) hypertext to make an easy-to-use, but powerful, global system that shares all information accessible as part of a seamless hypertext space. The Web includes all the internet sites that people have made available on servers around the world.
The web is an application of the internet.
· Cyberspace World 1 - the objective material world of natural things and their physical properties
· World 2 - subjective consciousness: intentions, calculations, feelings, thoughts, dreams, memories, etc in individual minds
· World 3 - the public structures produced by living minds interacting with each other and the real world.
Early internet applications.
File Transfer protocol –FTP
Internet Relay Chat IRC
MUD- multi user playing machines.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wikipedia
In today’s tutorial we mainly focused on key things we learnt in the lecture. We also discussed what our essays will be focused on. I chose to write about the comparison between the film Alphaville and the film matrix and how they are both represented. Points I can focus on is how communication has changed and the impact it has made on people.
In the lecture we discussed Wikipedia and how reliable it is as a source. We learnt Wikipedia can be useful as big source of information but some pages such as one Steven showed us on Lee Cox can bend the truth, or even be completely false. So do not use it on any university assignments!
Create reality, alter truth - matrix
The Matrix study gave us a peep into the future, to see how far technology is going. It makes me wonder whether technology has already taken over our society and if communication technologies changed the perception of truth and reality.
Important notes
Correspondence Theory: Just the facts - observable, mesurable
Coherence Theory: Does it fit together and make sense?
Performative Theory: I do declare
Social Theory: What can we agree on?
Tutorial Task
How do the ideas from Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" apply to contemporary digital media? Walter Benjamin says that mass production lets everyone view digital media and not just ones selected. Quality is applied to digital media rather than just quantity.
There was a time when "Art" was made by artists who were skilled professionals. Now that anyone with a computer can create things digitally (music, images, videos, etc), what does that mean for "art"? I believe art now is not as significant as it once was. But art is now free to do by anyone as new communication technologies allow people to do so.
Is a photo shopped image "authentic"? No, nothing cropped, changed and airbrushed can be considered real. Do digital "things" have an "aura" (in Benjamin's terms)? I guess so as people do provoke emotions when it comes to music and movies.
In the lecture we discussed Wikipedia and how reliable it is as a source. We learnt Wikipedia can be useful as big source of information but some pages such as one Steven showed us on Lee Cox can bend the truth, or even be completely false. So do not use it on any university assignments!
Create reality, alter truth - matrix
The Matrix study gave us a peep into the future, to see how far technology is going. It makes me wonder whether technology has already taken over our society and if communication technologies changed the perception of truth and reality.
Important notes
Correspondence Theory: Just the facts - observable, mesurable
Coherence Theory: Does it fit together and make sense?
Performative Theory: I do declare
Social Theory: What can we agree on?
Tutorial Task
How do the ideas from Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" apply to contemporary digital media? Walter Benjamin says that mass production lets everyone view digital media and not just ones selected. Quality is applied to digital media rather than just quantity.
There was a time when "Art" was made by artists who were skilled professionals. Now that anyone with a computer can create things digitally (music, images, videos, etc), what does that mean for "art"? I believe art now is not as significant as it once was. But art is now free to do by anyone as new communication technologies allow people to do so.
Is a photo shopped image "authentic"? No, nothing cropped, changed and airbrushed can be considered real. Do digital "things" have an "aura" (in Benjamin's terms)? I guess so as people do provoke emotions when it comes to music and movies.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Old communication technoligies
In today’s tutorial our task was to use different kinds of search engines rather than Google. Personally I prefer Google over the search engines I used for the questions because it seems to have more availability and you can define your search more clearly. Out of the ones I did use I liked Yahoo as I felt I didn’t have to search through pages of searches to find what I needed. The most popular or looked at pages tend to come first in the searches also the sites that match your keywords. These are the questions and answers for the tutorial blogging task this week:
1. Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus? Search engine: AltaVista Answer: Onel de Guzman, 24, a computer school student. Source: http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/06/29/philippines.lovebug.02/index.html
2. Who invented the paper clip? Search Engine: Yahoo Answer: Johan Vaaler, a Norwegian inventor. Source: www.inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpaperclip.htm
3. How did the Ebola virus get its name? Search Engine: AltaVista Answer: It takes its name from the Ebola River in northern Congo (Zaire), where it first emerged in 1976. Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/ebola?cat=health
4. What country had the largest recorded earthquake? Search Engine: All the web Answer: In the eastern Pacific Ocean about 100 miles off the west coast of Chile, South America on May 22, 1960.Source: http://www.extremescience.com/GreatestEarthquake.htm
5. In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte? Search Engine: Yahoo Answer: 1,073,741,824 Kilobytes, Source: www.wizbit.net/cd-dvd_production_faqs_what_is_a_terabyte.htm
7. What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it? Search Engine: All the web Answer: It is one of the largest and most sophisticated cyber fraud networks ever constructed and it has affected close to 10 million computers. Source: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/10/the_storm_worm_maelstrom_or_te.html?nav=rss_blog
8. If you wanted to contact the prime minister of australia directly, what is the most efficient way? Search Engine: Yahoo Answer: Through www.pm.gov.au
9. What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words? Search Engine: Yahoo Answer: It is a computer based term leading on form “Web 1.0” but this time it connects with people rather than just the computer. Source: www.radar.oreilly.com/archives/2005/10/web-20-compact-definition.html
In the lecture we discussed Old communication technologies. We started by looking at the earliest form of communication: rock art. We moved on through old communication technologies looking at the origins of the alphabet, print, telegraphs, telephone, phonograph, radio, cinema and television.
We also discussed theorists and semiotics. Semiotics is hard to get your head around but the simplest way to explain it is the study of signs, but not just everyday signs such as street signs or star signs. It adds meaning to the sign such as it is not only a red flag waving but the warning of danger. We also looked over the years from the 1920s to the 1990s on communication and culture studies.
1. Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus? Search engine: AltaVista Answer: Onel de Guzman, 24, a computer school student. Source: http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/06/29/philippines.lovebug.02/index.html
2. Who invented the paper clip? Search Engine: Yahoo Answer: Johan Vaaler, a Norwegian inventor. Source: www.inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpaperclip.htm
3. How did the Ebola virus get its name? Search Engine: AltaVista Answer: It takes its name from the Ebola River in northern Congo (Zaire), where it first emerged in 1976. Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/ebola?cat=health
4. What country had the largest recorded earthquake? Search Engine: All the web Answer: In the eastern Pacific Ocean about 100 miles off the west coast of Chile, South America on May 22, 1960.Source: http://www.extremescience.com/GreatestEarthquake.htm
5. In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte? Search Engine: Yahoo Answer: 1,073,741,824 Kilobytes, Source: www.wizbit.net/cd-dvd_production_faqs_what_is_a_terabyte.htm
7. What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it? Search Engine: All the web Answer: It is one of the largest and most sophisticated cyber fraud networks ever constructed and it has affected close to 10 million computers. Source: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/10/the_storm_worm_maelstrom_or_te.html?nav=rss_blog
8. If you wanted to contact the prime minister of australia directly, what is the most efficient way? Search Engine: Yahoo Answer: Through www.pm.gov.au
9. What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words? Search Engine: Yahoo Answer: It is a computer based term leading on form “Web 1.0” but this time it connects with people rather than just the computer. Source: www.radar.oreilly.com/archives/2005/10/web-20-compact-definition.html
In the lecture we discussed Old communication technologies. We started by looking at the earliest form of communication: rock art. We moved on through old communication technologies looking at the origins of the alphabet, print, telegraphs, telephone, phonograph, radio, cinema and television.
We also discussed theorists and semiotics. Semiotics is hard to get your head around but the simplest way to explain it is the study of signs, but not just everyday signs such as street signs or star signs. It adds meaning to the sign such as it is not only a red flag waving but the warning of danger. We also looked over the years from the 1920s to the 1990s on communication and culture studies.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Alphaville and NCT
In today’s tutorial we have added some friends to our blogs. So now we can all post comments on each others blogs and see everyone’s different opinions on what we have learnt.
Yesterday in our lecture we watched Alphaville (1965) by Jean Luc Goddard. It was a French new wave film set in black and white with English subtitles. The movie was set in the future.
Gene Volovich from Internet Movie Database website explained the storyline as “Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet. His very American character is at odds with the city's ruler, an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has outlawed love and self-expression.”
In the film there were no special effects just locations of Paris that looked futuristic as they didn’t have the resources available in 1965 as they do now in films. We discussed in class the reaction to Alphaville in 1965 compared to now in 2008. Back then computers didn’t exist and the thought of a computer taking over the world was unthinkable. Our science fiction movies now revolve around the galaxy and space travel such as Star Wars.
Alphaville was set in the genre of French new wave. French new wave was an artistic movement which became popular in the late 1950’s till the mid 1960’s. It allowed directors to film at locations rather than in a studio, have more improvised scripts and natural sets and lighting.
New communication technologies have made a huge impact on everyday life things such as the internet, mobile phones and email. I began to use these I guess at the start of high school as I needed the internet for research and also to talk to my friends over msn and hotmail. Nowadays I still use it for research but I use MySpace instead of msn as you can have a range of different friends even people you have never met in person. Privacy can be an issue sometimes with all these new ways of communicating but there is always ways of setting your personal information to private that only you and your friends can see. But the internet can be pretty dodgy and nothing can ever really offer security.
Yesterday in our lecture we watched Alphaville (1965) by Jean Luc Goddard. It was a French new wave film set in black and white with English subtitles. The movie was set in the future.
Gene Volovich from Internet Movie Database website explained the storyline as “Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet. His very American character is at odds with the city's ruler, an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has outlawed love and self-expression.”
In the film there were no special effects just locations of Paris that looked futuristic as they didn’t have the resources available in 1965 as they do now in films. We discussed in class the reaction to Alphaville in 1965 compared to now in 2008. Back then computers didn’t exist and the thought of a computer taking over the world was unthinkable. Our science fiction movies now revolve around the galaxy and space travel such as Star Wars.
Alphaville was set in the genre of French new wave. French new wave was an artistic movement which became popular in the late 1950’s till the mid 1960’s. It allowed directors to film at locations rather than in a studio, have more improvised scripts and natural sets and lighting.
New communication technologies have made a huge impact on everyday life things such as the internet, mobile phones and email. I began to use these I guess at the start of high school as I needed the internet for research and also to talk to my friends over msn and hotmail. Nowadays I still use it for research but I use MySpace instead of msn as you can have a range of different friends even people you have never met in person. Privacy can be an issue sometimes with all these new ways of communicating but there is always ways of setting your personal information to private that only you and your friends can see. But the internet can be pretty dodgy and nothing can ever really offer security.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Blog One
Hey everyone, today we are setting up our first blog on bloggers.com, this is so we can keep track of work that we have done through the semester in lectures, tutorials and readings.
In yesterdays lecture with Steven Stockwell the main discussion point was ‘Is Email Dead?’ We discussed spam and fishing over email, we looked over statistics of a survey that we completed a week ago and discussed if bloggers are journalists.
When we discussed spam Steven asked how many of us don’t receive spam through email. Only a few raised their hands. Everyone mentioned what kind of spam they receive such as fake bank statements, fake prizes, and many emails that just didn’t make sense.
When the class looked over statistics it was pretty much what kind of results to expect. It was good to see that about 70% of the class liked having so much new technology available and it was interesting to see how many people prefer being online than doing other things such as the beach etc. About 70% said they would rather be online than at church.
Adam showed us a clip where a TV host was talking to a Politian about blogging. They discussed whether bloggers are journalists as bloggers take a lot of information from newspapers and TV and post it on the web.
In the tutorial we summarized what we remember from the lecture and did the first steps of our blogs. I've never used blogs before and never really read any either. It’s interesting to see the difference of blogs from emails and networks such as MySpace and Face book. These blogs will be very helpful when it comes to writing assessments and they are good notes for studying.
The reading by Benjamin Walter was very hard to get grips on. I had to read it a few times to understand it, but what was easier to understand was the documentary we watched in lecture one called “You Only Live Twice.” It was about a virtual world created on the internet named Second Life. The documentary covered a lot of different points and showed the creators and big shots of the virtual world. It was interesting to see that people ran businesses in second life and were doing extremely well as there is money in second life that can be cashed in for real currency. There were also issues of rape and paedophilia, as there was no stopping who the characters could really sleep with.
Overall that is pretty much everything I have seen and learnt over the last two weeks I shall be writing more next week till then have fun :)
In yesterdays lecture with Steven Stockwell the main discussion point was ‘Is Email Dead?’ We discussed spam and fishing over email, we looked over statistics of a survey that we completed a week ago and discussed if bloggers are journalists.
When we discussed spam Steven asked how many of us don’t receive spam through email. Only a few raised their hands. Everyone mentioned what kind of spam they receive such as fake bank statements, fake prizes, and many emails that just didn’t make sense.
When the class looked over statistics it was pretty much what kind of results to expect. It was good to see that about 70% of the class liked having so much new technology available and it was interesting to see how many people prefer being online than doing other things such as the beach etc. About 70% said they would rather be online than at church.
Adam showed us a clip where a TV host was talking to a Politian about blogging. They discussed whether bloggers are journalists as bloggers take a lot of information from newspapers and TV and post it on the web.
In the tutorial we summarized what we remember from the lecture and did the first steps of our blogs. I've never used blogs before and never really read any either. It’s interesting to see the difference of blogs from emails and networks such as MySpace and Face book. These blogs will be very helpful when it comes to writing assessments and they are good notes for studying.
The reading by Benjamin Walter was very hard to get grips on. I had to read it a few times to understand it, but what was easier to understand was the documentary we watched in lecture one called “You Only Live Twice.” It was about a virtual world created on the internet named Second Life. The documentary covered a lot of different points and showed the creators and big shots of the virtual world. It was interesting to see that people ran businesses in second life and were doing extremely well as there is money in second life that can be cashed in for real currency. There were also issues of rape and paedophilia, as there was no stopping who the characters could really sleep with.
Overall that is pretty much everything I have seen and learnt over the last two weeks I shall be writing more next week till then have fun :)
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