Hey there!
Well, today’s blog is not going to be that long, as our classes were actually cancelled this week. We did have a lecture though so I will discuss that. There is no set tutorial task due to the cancelled classes, so I will just talk about my Perez assignment!
Lecture
David Cronenberg is a Canadian director who has worked mostly outside the Hollywood but found an audience for his films that melded horror and sci-fi with a deep inquiry into the human body's interaction with technology and how that affects our description of reality.
Cronenberg’s career included movies where science experiments go out of control
Some movies include Shivers (1975), Rabid (1977), The Brood (1979), Scanners (1981).
Another movie, eXistenZ (1999) explores the world of games and how obsessive play can warp reality.
Assignment
I have got well underway with my assignment. I have done my essay plan which I have structured into 6 points. My outline is clear I what I am going to write about and has research to back it up. I am looking forward to writing it. Shock!!!!!!!!
Well, that’s it for this week. Told you it was short!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Blog 5
Back again, after another awesome weekend!!
So first we'll examine the lecture. We talked about the history of the computer and the internet. We started with a video about the history of codes. It was fascinating learning about how codes were used when the Nazi were about. We also watched a clip based on what happens when files are on the Internet. I enjoyed this basic video on how things are processed across the internet.
Early Computer Origins
A few people were discusses in yesterday’s lecture which directly influence computer orihins. They are:
Charles Babbage- designed computer to calculate and print mathematical tables
Ada Byron, Lady Lovelace- designed a computer to play music
Alan Turning- wrote a paper on “The computer of Numbers”, also devised the first working computer The Bombe which was used to break German enigma codes
Computers were first commercially produced by IBM in the 1950s
The following are all computer devices which came about over history…..
Xerox- a photocopier produced in the 1970’s
Apple- home brew meetings, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak produced this primitive machine with no keyboard in the
IPM & Mircrosoft- IPM were not sure if they could produce results, as they did not have the software to do this (the hardware was not a problem). Decided to buy software from Bill Gates (Microsoft). Apple started to slide.
Modern Computer Uses
This is what you and I probably are most familiar with, being the new “computer generation” If you’re not then you are way behind my time!!!
The Internet
The internet is a network of networks. It uses servers, mainframes and personal computers that use CMC and are connected by a phone line or broadband. The idea of the Internet came from RAND Corporation in the 1960s.
****The Internet is not the same as the World Wide Web!!!!!
I bet you didn’t know that!!
World Wide Web (www)
The Web is one particular use of the Internet which came about in the 1990s as people began to see the potential of communicating with other people.
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the interconnection of reality and imagination, including hardware, software and logic assembly of silicon and electricity on your desk.
Early Internet Applications
Electronic Mail (Email)
So we all know what email is right? Well basically it is an electronic system which sends documents form one sender to the other. EASY!!
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
This is just a system which allows us to download onto your computer with minimum requirements.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
This is just a chat system which was popular in the 1990’s- it was the first chat system we used in real time which saw people typing to each other!
MUDs, MOOs, MUSHes, etc.
These are just variants on programs which are referred to as MUDS- online battle games, think dragons and medieval times!!!!
Some more recent applications that I am definitely familiar with are Instant Messenger, Peer-to-Peer file sharing, portable audio and voice chat!
So basically in the lecture we learnt a lot of real terms and discussed where all of these technologies fit in.
Today’s tutorial task was based on Wikipedia.
Article One
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London
This article was based on London including its history, the number of airports present in the area, its population and what lifestyle its society lives. It was an accurate article and gave me an insight into London. It covers all basic facts about the area, and does follow the guidelines for a usefull article. It provides colourful pictures and explanations on important places. It is not biased at all as it just gives the facts about London. I would probably include some information for tourists, as I intented to actually read about things to do in London.
Article Two
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britney_Spears
This article was very useful in giving an insight into anyone who does not know who Britney Spears is. It states her Birth and childhood, her albums and release years, her children, marriage and even how her personal life has received so much media attention since her split from her husband. This article is very accurate and does cover all basic facts that you would need to know to understand a part of her life. I believe it does follow Wikipedia guidelines. I though this article would be biased in that Britney has received so much negative press, but it does not once mention that, rather saying she has received a lot of media attention due to her personal life. If I were to make changes I would probably just include more information on her including all her hits.
So that concludes my tutorial task for this week.
I am still in the process of working on Perez Hilton's status. i have decided to alter my topic in saying "Perez Hilton. Blogger or Journalist?"
I have planned to explore his journalistic qualities and how this helps him to write a blog. He still is a blogger however, as he does not have the requirements to be called a journalist. One of my main points will be his experience with interviewing, daily writing and reporting, which are all journlaistic factors.
Hopefully you will see some more progress next week!!!!!
Chat soon Ya'll
xxxxxxxxxx
So first we'll examine the lecture. We talked about the history of the computer and the internet. We started with a video about the history of codes. It was fascinating learning about how codes were used when the Nazi were about. We also watched a clip based on what happens when files are on the Internet. I enjoyed this basic video on how things are processed across the internet.
Early Computer Origins
A few people were discusses in yesterday’s lecture which directly influence computer orihins. They are:
Charles Babbage- designed computer to calculate and print mathematical tables
Ada Byron, Lady Lovelace- designed a computer to play music
Alan Turning- wrote a paper on “The computer of Numbers”, also devised the first working computer The Bombe which was used to break German enigma codes
Computers were first commercially produced by IBM in the 1950s
The following are all computer devices which came about over history…..
Xerox- a photocopier produced in the 1970’s
Apple- home brew meetings, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak produced this primitive machine with no keyboard in the
IPM & Mircrosoft- IPM were not sure if they could produce results, as they did not have the software to do this (the hardware was not a problem). Decided to buy software from Bill Gates (Microsoft). Apple started to slide.
Modern Computer Uses
This is what you and I probably are most familiar with, being the new “computer generation” If you’re not then you are way behind my time!!!
The Internet
The internet is a network of networks. It uses servers, mainframes and personal computers that use CMC and are connected by a phone line or broadband. The idea of the Internet came from RAND Corporation in the 1960s.
****The Internet is not the same as the World Wide Web!!!!!
I bet you didn’t know that!!
World Wide Web (www)
The Web is one particular use of the Internet which came about in the 1990s as people began to see the potential of communicating with other people.
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the interconnection of reality and imagination, including hardware, software and logic assembly of silicon and electricity on your desk.
Early Internet Applications
Electronic Mail (Email)
So we all know what email is right? Well basically it is an electronic system which sends documents form one sender to the other. EASY!!
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
This is just a system which allows us to download onto your computer with minimum requirements.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
This is just a chat system which was popular in the 1990’s- it was the first chat system we used in real time which saw people typing to each other!
MUDs, MOOs, MUSHes, etc.
These are just variants on programs which are referred to as MUDS- online battle games, think dragons and medieval times!!!!
Some more recent applications that I am definitely familiar with are Instant Messenger, Peer-to-Peer file sharing, portable audio and voice chat!
So basically in the lecture we learnt a lot of real terms and discussed where all of these technologies fit in.
Today’s tutorial task was based on Wikipedia.
Article One
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London
This article was based on London including its history, the number of airports present in the area, its population and what lifestyle its society lives. It was an accurate article and gave me an insight into London. It covers all basic facts about the area, and does follow the guidelines for a usefull article. It provides colourful pictures and explanations on important places. It is not biased at all as it just gives the facts about London. I would probably include some information for tourists, as I intented to actually read about things to do in London.
Article Two
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britney_Spears
This article was very useful in giving an insight into anyone who does not know who Britney Spears is. It states her Birth and childhood, her albums and release years, her children, marriage and even how her personal life has received so much media attention since her split from her husband. This article is very accurate and does cover all basic facts that you would need to know to understand a part of her life. I believe it does follow Wikipedia guidelines. I though this article would be biased in that Britney has received so much negative press, but it does not once mention that, rather saying she has received a lot of media attention due to her personal life. If I were to make changes I would probably just include more information on her including all her hits.
So that concludes my tutorial task for this week.
I am still in the process of working on Perez Hilton's status. i have decided to alter my topic in saying "Perez Hilton. Blogger or Journalist?"
I have planned to explore his journalistic qualities and how this helps him to write a blog. He still is a blogger however, as he does not have the requirements to be called a journalist. One of my main points will be his experience with interviewing, daily writing and reporting, which are all journlaistic factors.
Hopefully you will see some more progress next week!!!!!
Chat soon Ya'll
xxxxxxxxxx
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Blog 4
Blog 4
Hey everyone!!!
Today’s lecture was about Wikipedia. So, you thought Wikipedia was a reliable source! Wrong! Wikipedia can be edited by anyone who has access to the internet. It should never be treated as a source for a university assignment. It should only be used as a quick overview if needed.
Lee Cox’s information is an example of just how unreliable Wikipedia really is. Stephen Stockwell edited the information to suit him, and wrote completely untrue claims.
So what exactly is the truth?
Correspondence Theory: Just the facts - observable, measurable
Coherence Theory: Does it fit together and make sense?
Performative Theory: I do declare
Social Theory: What can we agree on?
The Matrix study showed gave us a glimpse into the future, in that machine’s take over controlling society. It asks us whether machines have already taken over society in the present day.
Many people have tried to distinguish the line between virtual world and reality, but often it is becoming so blurred it is impossible to distinguish between the two. The following people have come up with their own terms of explaining the phenomenon.
Guy Debord = 'Society of Spectacle'
Umberto Eco = 'Hyper-reality'
Jean Baudrillard = 'Simulacrum'
William Gibson = 'Cyberspace as Consensual Hallucination'
Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari = 'Becoming Media'
Tutorial Task
How do the ideas from Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" apply to contemporary digital media?
Walter Benjamin explains that Mass production enables all people to view digital movies and not just the elite sort. This type of production is much better suited to today’s society. A quote from the article I like is “Quantity has been transmuted into quality,” basically saying that over time we have supplied much more quality in digitally enhanced films.
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"?
This now means that art can be seen by anyone and created by anyone. Basically everyone’s ideas of what art it can be seen. It can give people the chance who don’t normally publish art to do so.
Is a photoshopped image "authentic"?
Of course a photoshopped image is not authentic. How can something in a magazine which has been airbrushed to the max be called real?
Do digital "things" have an "aura" (in Benjamin's terms)?
Media such as music, images and video are a form of art which is expressed by mass media. The “aura” refers to people’s sense of awe they have to these such productions. These digital medias provoke feelings and opinions, and so are considered to have an aura.
I have also chosen my topic for my essay:
Perez Hilton. Amateur Blogger or experienced Journalist?
I'll chat again next week, when my assignment is further down its track!!!!!!!!!!
Hey everyone!!!
Today’s lecture was about Wikipedia. So, you thought Wikipedia was a reliable source! Wrong! Wikipedia can be edited by anyone who has access to the internet. It should never be treated as a source for a university assignment. It should only be used as a quick overview if needed.
Lee Cox’s information is an example of just how unreliable Wikipedia really is. Stephen Stockwell edited the information to suit him, and wrote completely untrue claims.
So what exactly is the truth?
Correspondence Theory: Just the facts - observable, measurable
Coherence Theory: Does it fit together and make sense?
Performative Theory: I do declare
Social Theory: What can we agree on?
The Matrix study showed gave us a glimpse into the future, in that machine’s take over controlling society. It asks us whether machines have already taken over society in the present day.
Many people have tried to distinguish the line between virtual world and reality, but often it is becoming so blurred it is impossible to distinguish between the two. The following people have come up with their own terms of explaining the phenomenon.
Guy Debord = 'Society of Spectacle'
Umberto Eco = 'Hyper-reality'
Jean Baudrillard = 'Simulacrum'
William Gibson = 'Cyberspace as Consensual Hallucination'
Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari = 'Becoming Media'
Tutorial Task
How do the ideas from Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" apply to contemporary digital media?
Walter Benjamin explains that Mass production enables all people to view digital movies and not just the elite sort. This type of production is much better suited to today’s society. A quote from the article I like is “Quantity has been transmuted into quality,” basically saying that over time we have supplied much more quality in digitally enhanced films.
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"?
This now means that art can be seen by anyone and created by anyone. Basically everyone’s ideas of what art it can be seen. It can give people the chance who don’t normally publish art to do so.
Is a photoshopped image "authentic"?
Of course a photoshopped image is not authentic. How can something in a magazine which has been airbrushed to the max be called real?
Do digital "things" have an "aura" (in Benjamin's terms)?
Media such as music, images and video are a form of art which is expressed by mass media. The “aura” refers to people’s sense of awe they have to these such productions. These digital medias provoke feelings and opinions, and so are considered to have an aura.
I have also chosen my topic for my essay:
Perez Hilton. Amateur Blogger or experienced Journalist?
I'll chat again next week, when my assignment is further down its track!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Blog 3
Hey guys, back again after a well deserved Easter Break!!!!!
Some parts of this lecture were hard to get your head around. It was mainly based on Walter Benjamin, and how old communication technologies influence our modern society. Walter Benjamin endeavoured to explore the issues of mass media and how they have a dramatic impact on humanity.
Some of the old communication technologies mentioned included rock art, scripts, and tribal practices which were followed by print, telegraph, telephone, phonograph, radio, cinema television and video. Some of these ‘old’ technologies are still used today.
The idea of semiotics was then explored. Trying to clarify semiotics as best of possible, it was concluded that it is the study of signs. But not just everyday signs. It can include basic signs such as star signs and street signs, but also reaches out to words, body language and photography. An article on Big Things (such as the big banana which yes I visited over my Easter break) answered more of my lingering questions on what semiotics actually is. It seems semiotics can also act as an identity, as explored in the article by Steve Stockwell and Bethany Carlisle.
In our 4th tute, we talked about old communication technologies and hoe they affect today's society. We basically reviewed the lecture. We also started to think about our essay topics, which got my brain ticking.....
I guess you never know if your answers are 100% accurate when they are on the internet. However, in saying that, information that is on an accredited site such as a registered medical site can be much more accurate than that information supplied on a private blogger. Searh engines put the websites which have the most words relating to your initial search in them. Yes, I am prone to using google to search a lot of things. I think this exercise will open up my eyes to many more good search engines which I could be using.
1. Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus?
Onel de Guzman created the love bug computer virus.
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/06/29/philippines.lovebug.02/index.html
http://www.altavista.com/
2. Who invented the paper clip?
Erlman J. Wright invented the first official paperclip.
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/121017
http://http://www.answerbag.com/
3. How did the Ebola virus get its name?
The Ebola virus gets its name from a small river in northern Zaire near the village where the first isolate of the virus was obtained.
www.stanford.edu/group/virus/1999/yunnie/filovirus
http://www.dogpile.com/
4. What country had the largest recorded earthquake?
The largest recorded earthquake was in Chile.
http://www.earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/kids/facts.php
http://www.yahoo.com.au/
5. In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte?
1 terabyte = 1 073 741 824 kilobytes
http://www.t1shopper.com/tools/calculate/
http://www.ask.com/
6. Who is the creator of email?
Ray Tomlinson created email.
http://www.forbes.com/asap/1998/1005/126.html
http://www.yahoo.com.au/
7. What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it?
The storm worm is a trojan horse that affects computers using Microsoft operating systems. It has affected thousands of computers.
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/answers2/frontend.php/question?qid=20071201163655AA8cWhV
http://www.ask.com/
8. If you wanted to contact the prime minister of australia directly, what is the most efficient way?
People who wish to email the Prime Minister, the Hon. Kevin Rudd, MP will find a contact form on the Prime Minister of Australia website.
http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/contacts.asp
http://www.yahoo.com.au/
9. Which Brisbane-based punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of?
Stephen played keyboard for the Black Assassins.
http://www.griffith.edu.au/school/art/staff/stockwell.htm
http://www.yahoo.com.au/
10. What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words?
Web 2.0 is a very broad word. It can be described as a set of practices that bring together sites that demonstrate these such practices.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
http://www.dogpile.com
Some parts of this lecture were hard to get your head around. It was mainly based on Walter Benjamin, and how old communication technologies influence our modern society. Walter Benjamin endeavoured to explore the issues of mass media and how they have a dramatic impact on humanity.
Some of the old communication technologies mentioned included rock art, scripts, and tribal practices which were followed by print, telegraph, telephone, phonograph, radio, cinema television and video. Some of these ‘old’ technologies are still used today.
The idea of semiotics was then explored. Trying to clarify semiotics as best of possible, it was concluded that it is the study of signs. But not just everyday signs. It can include basic signs such as star signs and street signs, but also reaches out to words, body language and photography. An article on Big Things (such as the big banana which yes I visited over my Easter break) answered more of my lingering questions on what semiotics actually is. It seems semiotics can also act as an identity, as explored in the article by Steve Stockwell and Bethany Carlisle.
In our 4th tute, we talked about old communication technologies and hoe they affect today's society. We basically reviewed the lecture. We also started to think about our essay topics, which got my brain ticking.....
I guess you never know if your answers are 100% accurate when they are on the internet. However, in saying that, information that is on an accredited site such as a registered medical site can be much more accurate than that information supplied on a private blogger. Searh engines put the websites which have the most words relating to your initial search in them. Yes, I am prone to using google to search a lot of things. I think this exercise will open up my eyes to many more good search engines which I could be using.
1. Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus?
Onel de Guzman created the love bug computer virus.
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/TECH/computing/06/29/philippines.lovebug.02/index.html
http://www.altavista.com/
2. Who invented the paper clip?
Erlman J. Wright invented the first official paperclip.
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/121017
http://http://www.answerbag.com/
3. How did the Ebola virus get its name?
The Ebola virus gets its name from a small river in northern Zaire near the village where the first isolate of the virus was obtained.
www.stanford.edu/group/virus/1999/yunnie/filovirus
http://www.dogpile.com/
4. What country had the largest recorded earthquake?
The largest recorded earthquake was in Chile.
http://www.earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/kids/facts.php
http://www.yahoo.com.au/
5. In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte?
1 terabyte = 1 073 741 824 kilobytes
http://www.t1shopper.com/tools/calculate/
http://www.ask.com/
6. Who is the creator of email?
Ray Tomlinson created email.
http://www.forbes.com/asap/1998/1005/126.html
http://www.yahoo.com.au/
7. What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it?
The storm worm is a trojan horse that affects computers using Microsoft operating systems. It has affected thousands of computers.
http://au.answers.yahoo.com/answers2/frontend.php/question?qid=20071201163655AA8cWhV
http://www.ask.com/
8. If you wanted to contact the prime minister of australia directly, what is the most efficient way?
People who wish to email the Prime Minister, the Hon. Kevin Rudd, MP will find a contact form on the Prime Minister of Australia website.
http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/contacts.asp
http://www.yahoo.com.au/
9. Which Brisbane-based punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of?
Stephen played keyboard for the Black Assassins.
http://www.griffith.edu.au/school/art/staff/stockwell.htm
http://www.yahoo.com.au/
10. What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words?
Web 2.0 is a very broad word. It can be described as a set of practices that bring together sites that demonstrate these such practices.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
http://www.dogpile.com
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