The Dismal City

A dismal feeling is set in this dark city when the audience stares. A mood of a painting can say a lot for the picture that can give across a message to the viewer. The painting is told of how dark and dangerous this city can be. It drives a striking image to have the audience to rethink of why this city would be this way. It helps to start a story in a viewers mind that can't be told if the mood was different. The mood of painting is like an environment that the audience gets comfortable with when analyzing the picture. It is something that can not be replaced, but sets the stage for the painting.

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Immediacy vs. Hypermediacy

People have a certain way on explaining how they look at art, and there can be media that influences how one experience this. Butler and Grusin talk about two categories on where these experiences can be categorized. The first of the two is Immediacy where it is the more realistic and one angled perception is taken. It is a very straightforward take of the image for example, photographs that are just taken in the moment. Now the other main category is Hypermediacy is where the media highlights realism for more intense experience. An example of this would be a person playing a video game that is set in World War Two where they know its not real, but provides on knowing many different angles of what happened in reality.

When Butler and Grusin use virtual reality references to help drive the Immediacy and Hypermediacy the terms they use can get misguided. The way they are describing how we view this perception on viewing art comes along with new terms to name it as. In their explanation there are some new terms they put that I feel I can not grasp the whole meaning they are putting out. Because I will cross it with an already present meaning that I know so the point they make is lost to me. Besides this point Butler and Grusin really brought out their point on how we perceive art in either Immediacy and Hypermediacy.

An article from Mediated Memories uses these two categories when comparing the physical and virtual space of a museum. A twist that is taken is how they use the same virtual image, but displayed in a window or full screen to show different degrees of immersion. The point the author is making is the object itself making the point of either being Immediacy or Hypermediacy. However, the author makes the clear point that these two categories reinforce each other when displaying this museum since Immediacy and Hypermediacy can as well go hand in hand. A point to make across of these two branches is how twisting perception can be separated points or entwined together.

Gap Between Free and $.01

Chris Anderson in his work Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business talks about businesses getting burned by the free method. Now Gillette razors example is used to show how much profit is sent out by giving freebies to people yet barely getting revenue back. Over time Gillette build its reputation and now a disposable razor became a craze that had the business booming. The key point Anderson was putting is that businesses are having to reinvent themselves on selling their products. Because the Internet has the public in strong favor of receiving free stuff, and not going for even low priced material.

Now here comes in Malcolm Gladwell with his entry of Priced To Sell where he as well mentions this free method. Gladwell explains that companies try a nice maneuver of selling next to nothing of products to consumers to gain a better profit. Now the other take on this free method is to not even put a price on the product, and let it be cost free. Gladwell takes towards selling next to nothing rather to Anderson's completely free. Gladwell wants more of a main product will be the cost while the extra expansions are free. For example, the Iphone is the payment where the "free apps" is cost free.

Gladwell and Anderson are arguing against each other yet there is a nice balance they have created. The creation is the platform for businesses using both these methods and meeting different successful ends. The Internet and the increasing of information is so fast that its hard for companies to create strategies to keep up with it. These writers are explaining how fluctuating the market concerning the Internet is because consumers are having more say now. Which has companies testing out methods never done before. It really comes down to having the flexibility to switch between free or "free".

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Author: The Ideal of One

Michel Foucault, wrote "What is an Author" which carries the point of "author function" where we put authors persona on a pedestal. It is hard to grasp this point from Foucalt's work since his writing can be on a deep level that has you to read it over more than once. My understanding with "author function" is how society can put such an impression concerning the name of a literary work that we forget that the connection is the tone with the text. Compared to the authors name and the tone being written in the literary work. Foucalt showed the point that we classify great works with the name of the work to the point the stories are categorized with the authors name rather than title of the literary work.

Now another point of Foucalt's that I couldn't quite grasp is how if society would get rid of this hold on an authors name then it would make us all free. That we as a public would start to shed seeing the author as an ideal figure head as some sort of freedom that would later domino to other areas we do this in. Where we hold the power of a name with so much value that if it started in literary area that it can follow say in entertainment business. I don't see how that connection can be made, and what freedom that can give society. I do grasp though on how we recognize the power behind a name.

I mean Jane Austen of Pride and Prejudice is world renowned that to just think the title of the book people know who she is. The novel of hers would not be the same if the name would be someone else because they would think of the famous romance author Jane Austen. The treatment given to her name is due to her works, but there is so much weight brought out to her name. There is recognition that people would instantly think of her name after her novels were to be named. I even get male friends if I were to mention that novel to say "Isn't that from the chick flick author Jane Austen" to know immediately that she wrote this book. Everyone takes in the side of Jane Austen that wrote this novel of famous cliche romance compared to the 3D personality version of her in real life. Foucalt is right to say that we take in the side that is shown to us in authors through their novels, and make stars of them for it. We put such power to the name we forget that they can be just as human as us. How would society be if that were to change?

Copyright Law: Uncalled for Infrigement

Copyright law is such a battle now with the Internet that it has businesses running around trying to come up with policies to secure their heavy profits. Technology grows at such a fast pace that its creating a wider chance for people to make the majority of content against having businesses. Now the problem lies in the content that is being made because businesses are making an argument that its taking their intellectual property illegally. Now the problem that is with the whole issue of copyright I find is how to price an idea. Its as if there are money amounts tied to thoughts coming from our brains. I mean how can one put an exact price on that?

Well business are now cracking down on their content to the point they try cut through the public to the individual using the business work. All the individuals that are making their own content is given thanks to advancing cameras. I mean there are these great flip cameras one can take on the go to then USB plug in to a computer, and bam you have the video loaded up on youtube. Now the content that can be seen in these videos can have material that certain businesses would call "infringement" since it contained a possible McDonalds logo or Nike name. I mean we have all seen the blurred out logo, but can still recognize through the blur. Well of May 2009 there were companies suing the individuals because they would visual show the company's logo or something to that similar degree. Now I find that just taking it too far.

The real issue I see that is going on is the company is not getting any profit from a person who did a shoot that contained a few seconds of their work, but wasn't even focusing on company work. Its like showing a youtube video showing myself walking down a street, and having a Nike poster on the wall in the background. According to this situation I would be accused of "infringement" because I didn't get the OK from Nike. This whole cry of stealing intellectual property real seems to be about companies greed on losing profit. I mean that is all one sees is the companies constant building of policy walls. Where is the actually creators opinion on this issue?

Copyright battle really needs work on who calls the shots on who can make the lawsuit. Because I'm always seeing the companies making a fuss about it rather than the creators of the work. I mean now a days with the fast growth happening of people making their content it is getting harder to police them all. The real battle though is where to draw the line on what should be vaulted ideas or how much is shared. Lets hope a reasonable idea can be made that is a fair enough deal.

Facebook: What is the point?

Not being able to get on Facebook for a whole week. Now that is a mission nowadays with everyone constantly checking up on some social network. Facebook is a majority used website for the purpose to help flourish ones own social network. So I took this assignment to not look at all or even over a friends shoulder. There were a couple of moments where I was compromised that I had to turn my back because a friend of mine was using my labtop then goes"I'm done", and I don't turn around since I knew they kept it up to trick me. Surprisingly I ended up "cheating" because people just kept telling me what they did online before I could stop them, but that was during the weekend now its nothing. It was like I physically became my newsfeed on Facebook where everyone updated to me in person. I started to think what is the purpose of Facebook? Is it more of wanting the ability to pause our connections with people until we have time for them?

Lets focus on the Facebook chat where you see whoever is online you can chat with. Which can be at any random time of the day or year. Like getting a random "hey whats up?" message from some guy you haven't seen in over a year, and never even really knew him in person. Yet you respond back then get into menial talk of each others life which lasts five minutes. So how is this branching out ones social network? I mean that is the point of Facebook where they create this chat system so you be instantly talking with them, but does anyone really ever chat more outside of their circle of friends? What is the point of adding people when you know that you won't really talk to them again so they become like friendly strangers to you. Its better than adding random people through friends request who most likely stay as a random number in ones friends list.

This creates a circle system where you add the person, either do instant "how you doing?", then it dies off , and random pop ups of checking up on each other through the year. This system doesn't really help people because no one really bothers to get closer than guarded walls, or network for events unless your closer with the person in real life rather than Internet talk. Facebook chat just reinforces how one doesn't bother to further the network by doing random "hi hows it going" check up on a person rather than "Would you be interested in this event?". This just builds a virtual world where people can feel they are socializing, and not having to do much work for it. So the point of just Facebook is doing a lazy social networking so that we give certain time to it, but focus most of our time on things that we find more important. Creating the system of holds on people that we can stay connected with them, but at the same time play on with other things in life.

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Rated G

Australian House and Senate has decide to put rated restrictions on the Internet material. A minor can not view any rated R material, and all citizens can not view rated X material. For example anything that depicts porn, extreme violence, and anything that really "offend against the standards of morality, decency, and propriety generally accepted by reasonable adults". The government seems to be pushing for a Jane Austen movie content on the Internet where everything is all manners, and no serious adult situation material can be found.

Now this would be easy if the government was dealing with a small scale group to just review their work on, but this is challenging millions of people. The amount of man power to keep up with this would be great because there will be people finding loopholes to get around this. This can be compared to one country famous for its restrictions is China and how they ban certain martial on the Internet. Now Australians will have to face what Chinese citizens go through when trying to ban certain material to the public when the public itself sees the Internet as an object they pay for so its up to them what they can or can't do.

Not only that, but there are bound to be fines made if an individual was to participate against this law. Now I don't imagine it can be as harsh as execution when Chinese staff to foreign journalists are trailed for "giving country secrets away", but there would be consequence put. The ban towards minors can be seen as a good thing though there are tools of parent control that can be used. This seems that the government is trying to be the parent where citizens should not have need for. The attention on this should be going towards something more productive as getting rid of illegal business done on the Internet. Another last point I would like to make is that this law is completely useless because even if Australian government bans it the crowd will find a store connection to get this. It is like a young child plays adult video games because the older sibling has it so they have access to it. Australian citizens will find loopholes like this to get the material they want. So this law will indeed be just bloated text.

The Individual Is Better Than The Whole

Garret Hardin wrote Tragedy of the Commons to make the point that the more people act in their own selfish interest, the quicker it depletes a community's free sources. The point that it is made starts at a gradual pace taken where it begins with everyone getting excited on so much free stuff to obtain. Then there is only monitoring done on the majority of the group where the problem lies in the individual overtaking more than they should. Which over time has the source that was once abundance and free to quickly become a dry well. Hardin stresses there should be more conscious awareness in usage on free sources so that this problem can diminish. This dents on the ability for the community to collect and flourish from using these free sources so that there is a better solution made for the society's well being. A modern example of this can be seen in music piracy.

The Internet has brought many tasks easy and available especially downloading music. Now a days one can just get their music for free without thinking repercussions of it. Because they see it as an endless free source to get unlimited music. Though it is hitting hard on the music labels and the people who make this possible. RIAA reports itself helping to bring this music piracy down due serious income costs.

Example amounts lost provided by RIAA:

• $12.5 billion of economic losses every year
• 71,060 U.S. jobs lost,
• $2.7 billion in workers' earnings,
• $422 million in tax revenues
• $291 million in personal income tax
• $131 million in lost corporate income and production taxes.

When an individual downloads music they aren't thinking how it effects the artist, or if the provider they got it for free is getting paid for this. This sole act done for one person can slowly add up with others who did the very same so they could get that song to listen to. This damages wealth for the community. Because then anyone can misuse the music product to sell for ones own use, and the artist of the song will never know about it. Music piracy helps to shed light on what Hardin was expressing in his work of Tragedy of the Commons how damaging individual overuse can be.

3 Clicks and Back fom Around the World

Duncan Watts expresses in his Six Degrees novel about the network theory, basically having smaller networks connect to make a large network by connection of one person. Now the key part of that explanation I just gave is the connection made doesn't depend on the one person who interacts with networks, but the moment it was made. Because once that connection is made those networks will stay connected because there will be a constant feed set back and forth.

Now lets make this definition more personal like World of Warcraft(WoW). Especially the ability to chat online with individuals all over the world. Now there is a common event on online server games like WoW where a person joins a guild. It is basically a team that players support each other in the game or aid in quests etc. Well this guild can set as our small network.

If a player from this guild decides to branch off to do a quest with another group than another small network is connected. Now we have two different groups connected with one another. Due to that player than other players become interested in the guild players individually. Which has people connecting with another that aren't even in the same state or country. Exactly how Watts explains in network theory, but without all the mathematical formulas.

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GENZOMAN

Can be found on deviantart.com

Whos Behind the Mask?

My Point: Internet Anonymity

There is an extraordinary amount of sources one can find on the internet that questions the validity to trust this information. Majority of anonymous people are the ones to post this data so can it always be valid? This point is one made in Andrew Keen's work in The Cult of the Amateur by that when using the Internet there is a blind trust put in that people do not really question if what they are reading is accurate.

There are so many changes and updates made on the Internet by any person who so chooses to make it that way where it becomes normal not to question it. There is a set routine made that conditions people to not stop themselves to just question or do deeper research on it. The article below provides a solid example of the con of this blind trust.

"I was 'Trusting Lois." is the one bold statement of Lois Mesler who's family was taken advantage of a man using the name Jason Hartlen putting his condo on rent through the internet. The Mesler family wanted to see Steve Mesler participate in the Winter Olympics, but that had changed with this scam. Everything had seemed to be a valid deal through the website and the offer, but it was not.

Lois Mesler was stolen $7,332 U.S. dollars like other families by the man making this offer by having the individual put a down payment under the alias account along with another last payment which the man would take. While the family would never hear from the conman again. The Mesler family had put a police report, but the reality news given was that they had a slim chance recovering thier money. Lois Mesler along with her family had witnessed what can happen putting inante trust in Internet services without taking precautions.

The Mesler family just adds to many people who fall for the words given by a source one never sees a face too. Yet there is this taken trust put through this that is never questioned. Keen's point emphasize this and that some of these people who put information out there aren't ones qualified with accurate information. We can't always put trust in a website that looks professional will always offer a valid deal as "Jason Hartlen" had done with the Mesler family.

However, it is hard to know what is true and not true on the Internet. After what had been done to the Mesler family they had been taught through this crime on what to really look for. When news broke out with what had been done to them there were people on Facebook offering them a place to stay which in the end they recieved a place to stay at. The upside to the Internet is that of the real world where it is always a risky chance to put trust in someone espeicaly when it is your money.

Forty Minutes of Silence

I started well on absorbing the content by Andrew Keen by just sitting against my wall on my bed. I should have known that the bed would be my failing error. Soon after the third page did I start to drift off and zone out. Then I would be thinking in my head of future plans or things that I had to do. Next thing I know, I'm laying down on my bed trying to get back in the paragraph I reread a couple times over. My body starts moving from leg swinging to rolling my neck around. Further along in the chapter do I zone out so much that the next thing I know I'm waking up from my alarm set to end this experiment. The thing about reading print offs is that I zone out to easily, and it makes it harder to finish. It's even harder when there is no noise to give me an alert sense because then I just end up making the noise in my head to occupy myself. If not then my brain takes an unexpected vacation leave.

Pay Attention

I started with listening with Attention: The *Real* Aphrodisiac since I always prefer to listen to assignments than read them. I noticed with this partial attention that has been growing with this fix of wanting to multitask with technology. Like during listening to Linda Stone's speech did I check my e-mail and write back to my family, but realize that I would stop to take in her words than continue with my e-mail. It was like my thought process was a car in traffic just going and stopping in order for me to get my work done. Then I had just had to log out of MSN because the orange blinking that "I've received a message" just took to much of my attention.

Even with listening to Bad At Multitasking? Blame Your Brain I would decide to start blogging on what I'm doing. It's just this sense that I have to do at least two things at once, but its more like I described it before as a traffic zone going on. I've noticed one thing when I started the second speech is that I would pause it because I would just get tired of sitting there. Then come back in order to finish it a few minutes later. Even when I'm reading Attention literacy I would stop reading it after awhile then check what I'm writing to make sure that I caught what I've just read. Though reading it on screen does help me more than having to read it on hard copy because I zone out a lot easier when reading a print out. That is one habit from public school that I never got out of. One thing I realized out of all this is that when one is self motivated to focus on something it goes along more, but keeping to that is hard when I keep thinking that I have distractions that must be attended to as in favorite TV show Big Bang Theory is playing so I must watch that instead. That is why I have to love the exit button because then I focus on that one tab alone without the gazillion of other tabs distracting me.

Reformat of the Brain

Is Google Making Us Stupid? by Nicholas Carr

This article focuses that a new way of thinking is being made in our brains due to the more concise format on the Internet articles found now. Since the main focus now is to catch a readers attention many have adapted their broadcast information to surface content. Since the Internet can provide different interruptions when one reads there was no choice, but to follow in this adaptation. The author points out through scientific research that the brain has been taught to rewire itself to think for this writing style. So the gradual change of mentality came because it is fairly easy for the brain to adapt to this which it has done in the past when the printing press came out. That is why with the branching of this new concise efficiency to keep wanting to bring better service of information is changing the long in depth articles of literature from what it use to be. Google is a main contributor to this because of it being the most favorable search engine and high investor in this journey to bettering the process of information. Google's constant way of wanting to constantly making something better puts the worry of going to far on depending on machines to think for the human brain. This ends on the note that one must not lose the quality that makes a human intelligence to be replaced with artificial content.

Nick Carr and Scott Karp: Is The Web Making Us Stupid?

This article is in agreement with Carr on pointing out the new methods on reading the Internet in a more concise manner by "small chunks", but not in that it makes the individual mentality lacking. This goes on to how reading is a tool that is learned and something to be utilized in spreading ones idea in "big chunks" from one reader to another. Now the Web has come to alter this to a new pace when reading. Which results to people adapting to these new methods.

Summary on Ch. 2 New Media as Cultural Technologies

The take of culture and technology can be shown as "broad and interconnected" which can be utilized to become a double edge sword. One illustrated example of this would be the relationship between media and modernity, and quoting examples from McLuhan on the content message of media to cultures to show more aspects of this cultural technology relationship. Branching with showing the perspectives of communication, media, and cultural studies to show the different theories mentions along with assumptions that come with it.

The author makes a point on the arguments focused more on aphorism and analogy rather than empirical analysis. Also there is constant showing that due to this being a theory it is hard to connect new media in being the cause of cultural technology due to many depending variables. Because of constant change of new media and take that society and its culture will take to it there can't really be a clean cut one hundred supported fact that new media is the cause. Terry Flew ends this that it will continually be tested with new means because its a continuous cycle.

A Summary for Flew Ch. 1

The main point to emphasize is that technology is so rapid in production that it will eventually become "dated". Terry Flew uses the quote of Sonia Livingstone "what's new for society about the new media?" that sets his description on what new media is categorized into three main groups communications network, computing/information technology, and content on how it is delivered to society. The definition that the author goes for is that new media is combination of traditional media being adapted to the developing and new means of digital media. Using the Internet as a prime example of such by describing the brief history of how it came about, and then changed to be more serviceable for society. The key usage on how useful it was to society was the usage of hypertext for it allowed more connection for the user which made information easier access. This started a chain event of websites more interconnected using this hypertext method, and install the usage of Hypertext Transfer Protocol along with Hypertext Markup Language. Causing the audience for the Internet to continually increase due to this easily available linkup.

Making the point on digitisation that the coding in itself for information was becoming shorter and shorter for more available information which led to more job openings. Because there was a bigger interest on maintaining this information so convergence played a main role in all this media so steadly increased on the goal of easier access. The three levels for convergence to start this begins with functional which is independent form of information as in TV and radio. The second level is industry which is "merger of computing, IT, telecommunication businesses, and media sector". The last is convergent products and services which can be exampled as credit/debit transcations. Now two major features that connect with digitisation and convergence that is in major usage is interactivity and networks. The World Wide Web is display of this by choice of how to use this information access, and the outcome of this knowledge. Next step to the progress of this take with new media would be how people connect through internet by globalization and virtuality. Virtuality gives the sense of creating an alternate persona of an individual and chance of virtual community. Globlaiztion combines through closing the distance of passing information on a shorter width rather than before of waiting longer periods. Which helps new media to thrive by easier service for soceity and passing of knowledge. As quick as technology is to advance the only "new" part of the media would be the updated service task provided for society and the reaction taken with it.