Week5: Respond to content

FILM… and its power.

Jeremy (2007) poses the question, is film “…magic, simple entertainment or clever propaganda?”. He then continues with, “In my humble opinion, it is all three” (Jeremy 2007, p.g 1). I would have to agree with this statement. Film has the ability to educate, entertain, and persuade simultaneously, but does so through the disguise of telling a story. Magic or a smart use of screenplay conventions? Perhaps both….

“Rubber” is a fascinating movie. The concept of a killing tyre is truly original. The introduction scene and where the viewer first meets the star of the film – Tyre – is a long shot, over the desert. This allows for the audience to determine where and who. The next scene, focusing on the ‘who’, is of a close shot of the tyre, resembling its birth into the world. The close shot of the tyre enables the viewer to understand the tyre’s emotion, and to reinforce its ‘coming’ into the world, through shaking itself loose from the ground. The introduction to “Rubber” perfectly sets up the film, by defining where the film is based (through the use of a long camera shot), and who the film is based upon (through the use of a close camera shot).

"Rubber", is the perfect example of a movie utilising the conventions of a typical film, to depict a not-so-typical story; both magic and a smart use of film techniques.

REFERENCE LIST:

Jeremy 2007, The Power of Film, viewed 26 August 2011, http://www.filmindustry.com/2007/07/the-power-of-film/

Week5: Tutorial task

1.   Where was the first University established and in which year?

Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, is said to be the oldest university in the world. It was founded around the same time as the city of Cairo, in 969 AD.  

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060729054252AAiUY0V

To find this answer, I used the search engine – “Yahoo”.

2.   What is Stephen Stockwell's band called and what does he play?  Can you name a couple of their songs?

Stephen Stockwell’s band was called “The Black Assassins”. Stephen Stockwell played the keyboard and vocals. “Death Take Me Now”, “Drugs”, “Azaria”, is some of their songs.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~toxicoh/blackas.htm

To find this answer, I used the search engine – “Yahoo”.

3.   What is the weight of the world’s biggest machine? How much did it cost to build?

The biggest machine in the world is a large earth hauling dump truck, titled, “Liebherr T 282B”. It weighs

203 tonnes, and cost 3.5million dollars (US) to build.

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/40463_worlds-largest-machines-ever-built

To find this answer, I used the search engine – “Ask.com”

4.   Who is Justin Bieber's lawyer, and what is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact the lawyer?

Kenneth Feinswog is the name of Justin Beiber’s Lawyer.

http://www.singersroom.com/news/6264/Lawyer-Wants-Lady-Gaga-and-Justin-Bieber-Cartoon-Strip-Pulled

To find this answer, I used the search engine – “Ask.com”

5.   What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?

By aeroplane.

http://au.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090608074131AAyAcWV

To find this answer, I used the search engine – “duckduckgo.com”, in which navigated me to Yahoo answers to best answer my question.

6.   Who is Hatsune Miku? What company does she belong to? What is her birthday?

Hatsune Miku is a Vocaloid Character in a Vocal Series. Her birthday is 31^st of August 2007

http://www.mikufan.com/about-2/

To find this answer, I used the search engine – “dogpile.com”.

7.   Find a live webcam in Belarus. Find a place to stay in Antarctica.

http://www.camscape.com/Europe/Belarus/index.html

This live webcam is found through the search engine - “AOL.com”

http://www.geckogo.com/Guide/Antarctica/Explore/Lodging/

This is a site exploring various places to stay in Antarctica, found through the search engine – “geckogo.com”

8.   What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1991?

Bryan Adams – everything I do, I do for you

http://www.listzblog.com/best_selling_music_singles_history_list.html

To find this answer, I used the search engine – “duckduckgo.com”.

9.   What type of car is used to make ‘Google Street View’?

Volkswagen New Beetle

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/01/take-a-look-at-the-vehicle-thats-taking-a-look-at-you/

To find this answer, I used the search engine – “ninemsn.com”.

10.   Translate these questions into Spanish and then translate them back into English.

Dónde la primera universidad fue establecida y en qué año? Cuál es Stephen Stockwell' ¿la venda de s llamada y qué hace él juega? ¿Puede usted nombrar unas par de sus canciones? ¿Cuál es el peso de la máquina más grande del mundo? ¿Cuánto costó para construir? Quién es Justin Bieber' ¿abogado de s, y cuál es el mejor contacto de la manera (lo más aprisa posible, el más confiable) el abogado? ¿Cuál es la forma más barata de recorrido del Gold Coast a Melbourne? ¿Quién es Hatsune Miku? ¿Qué compañía ella pertenece? ¿Cuál es su cumpleaños? Encuentre un webcam vivo en Belarus. Encuentre un lugar para permanecer en Ant3artida. ¿Qué canción era la tapa de las cartas australianas del estallido esta semana en 1991? Qué tipo de coche se utiliza para hacer el View'? de la calle de Google del ` Traduzca estas preguntas a español y después tradúzcalo nuevamente dentro de inglés.

Where was the first University established and in which year? What is Stephen Stockwell's band called and what does he play?  Can you name a couple of their songs?What is the weight of the world’s biggest machine? How much did it cost to build? Who is Justin Bieber's lawyer, and what is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact the lawyer? What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne? Who is Hatsune Miku? What company does she belong to? What is her birthday? Find a live webcam in Belarus. Find a place to stay in Antarctica. What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1991? What type of car is used to make ‘Google Street View’?

    

To find this  answer I used the search engine – “Yahoo.com”

Week4: Respond to content

Defining Cyberspace: Does it really exist?

When typing 'cyberspace' into Google images, pictures of electronic beams, the human brain and high tech computers in green and black are shown as results. Also evident when typing in 'air'. Pictures of the sky, aeroplanes and the newest ‘Nike air shoe’ are Google’s only result. This is because both terms do not depict something visible; an image. These terms are names we give to something that we cannot particularly see or describe, but we know is existent.

Cyberspace is further described by Bruce Sterling, through the idea of a telephone conversation. Cyberspace is “The place between the phones” (Sterling 1994, p.g 1). Sterling (1994) goes on to explain Cyberspace as an “indefinite” space or world, where people can communicate.

Cyberspace can be defined in two terms. The word “Cyber” is derived from the Greek verb “Kubernao” which means “to steer”, while “space” means something perhaps a little more in depth. This term can be split into three aspects according to F. Heylighen (2000). Space is a “virtually infinite extension” which in briefer terms suggests that it’s so big; we cannot grasp it all at once. Space “connotes the idea of free movement”, which allows its users to “visit” different countries and states. Space, lastly, has a strong connection to geometry which allows for the idea of “distance, direction and dimension” (Heylighen, 2000).

So, in answer to the question; is Cyberspace real? We can only assume that yes, it is. Although we cannot see it, or feel it, the concept is plausible. It is a virtual world that is forever growing and adapting. It is a virtual world that we are a part of.

REFERENCE LIST:

Sterling B, 1994, The Hacker Crackdown, viewed 24 August 2011, http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/sterling/bruce/hacker/introduction.html

Heylighen F, 2000, Principia Cybernetica Web: Cyberspace, viewed 21 August 2011, http://pcp.lanl.gov/CYBSPACE.html

Week4: Tutorial task

FACEBOOK: The terms of service that users comply to when creating a Facebook profile.

Exploring Facebook’s ‘terms of service’ is certainly alarming.

Privacy – Once posting images and content onto Facebook, the network is ultimately the owner of that information. “…and how we collect and can use your content and information” (Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsibilities 2011, Para. 1). This means that if someone else was to use your information (e.g. Date of birth, name), found through Facebook, it is identity theft and completely illegal. However, if Facebook uses your content, it is no longer identity theft, and is legal. Hildebrand (2009) states that “Cyber criminals who use Facebook to get personal information about their potential victims will face up to ten years in jail”, and further notes that “Under proposed laws targeting the use of social networking sites for identity theft, police for the first time will be able to arrest and charge online fraudsters for improperly accessing or using information”. Difficult to grasp that Facebook does not have to abide by the laws of identity theft, and our information, once posted on Facebook, is theirs.

Safety – This is an aspect not guaranteed by Facebook. “We do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it” (Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsiblities 2011, para. 2). In fact, the ‘terms’ go on to suggest that it is our responsibility (Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsiblities 2011). I Agree with this, it is our responsibility to a certain degree, however if Facebook has ownership over our information, there is only so much we can protect. So, it can be said that we place most of our safety and privacy into the hands of Facebook.

To further note, Facebook states, “If you select a username for your account we reserve the right to remove or reclaim it if we believe appropriate (such as when a trademark owner complains about a username that does not closely relate to a user's actual name)” (Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsiblities 2011, para.4). This simply reinforces the power Facebook has over it users. Having the ability to ‘remove or reclaim’ a username implies the lack of ownership we have over our Facebook content.

As a user of Facebook, it’s shocking to learn of these ‘terms and conditions’, but it is perhaps more shameful that I have complied with these ‘terms’ without even reading them when first signing up. I have somewhat given away my rights to privacy and my information without even an acknowledgment.

REFERENCE LIST:

Facebook: Statement of Rights and Responsibilities 2011, viewed 21 August 2011, http://www.facebook.com/terms.php

Hildebrand, J 2009, Facebook Identity Theft enough for Jail, web blog, viewed 21 August 2011, http://www.news.com.au/facebook-identity-theft-enough-for-jail/story-0-1225748436706

Week3: Respond to content

Did Facebook kill MySpace?

Having spent time researching why MySpace slowly decreased in popularity, I couldn’t help but notice that although there is no exact diagnosis, this decrease had a lot to do with the birth of Facebook. The second reason suggesting the downfall of MySpace is its devotion to “teenage living” (Kirkpatrick 2009). This social network appealed largely to a teenage audience. And Like most teens, they grow out of it. I believe a combination of the two played major roles in the demise of MySpace.

When comparing Facebook to MySpace, one can see just how easily beaten MySpace is. In fact, I attempted to sign up to MySpace as research, and found that the ‘sign up’ page actually has a direct link to Facebook. But why has Facebook overruled MySpace?

Research shows that Facebook members prefer to use this site to maintain and initiate relationships they have offline (Dwyer, Hiltz & Passerini 2007, p.g 8). In 2008, over 54% of MySpace users reported meeting someone face to face, compared to only 27% of Facebook users (Dwyer, Hiltz and Passerini 2007). This suggests that Facebook appears to be fulfilling a purpose that users of social networks desire; whether it is upholding or commencing, people want relationships that are not based on face to face interaction. Coherent with this research are the figures that 100% of Facebook members include their real name within their profile, while only 66.7% of MySpace users do (Dwyer, Hiltz & Passerini 2007, p.g 7). Further demonstrating that Facebook users feel that this particular social network is more personal, thus reinforcing the idea that Facebook is the more preferred site when interacting with others.

Facebook certainly has greater power over MySpace, today. With Facebook having 750 million active users, it’s hard to compete (Facebook: statistics 2011). However, we cannot forget that MySpace was once the ‘it’ social network. With Facebook killing MySpace, perhaps something will one day kill Facebook.

REFERENCE LIST:

Kirkpatrick, M 2009, MySpace is dead: The internet is growing up, weblog 24 April, viewed 25 August 2011, http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/myspace_is_dead_-_the_internet_is_growing_up.php

Facebook: statistics, 2011, viewed 25 August 2011, http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics

Dwyer, Hiltz & Passerini 2007, Trust and Privacy Concern within Social Networking Sites: A comparison of Facebook and MySpace, viewed 25 August 2011, http://csis.pace.edu/~dwyer/research/DwyerAMCIS2007.pdf


Death of MySpace, n.d, image, viewed 25 August 2011, http://www.forget-about.it/myspace/death-of-myspace/

Week3: Tutorial task

Question one: Stockwell, S 1981, Kuranda Police Shooting, vol. 6, viewed 10 August 2011, via Hein Online database.

Question two: Burden, B 1985, Flaming Carrot comics: When the Shoes Aren’t Worth the Shine, vol. 7, viewed 10 August 2011, via Underground and Independent Comics database.


Question three: In 2008, an experiment was performed in order to “evaluate the intensity of oxidative stress in the brain of animals chronically exposed to mobile phones” (Sokolovic 2008, p.g 579). The results depicted that, “mobile phones caused oxidative damage biochemically”,  and further demonstrated – “treatment with the melatonin significantly prevented oxidative damage in the brain” (Sokolovic 2008).


Sokolovic 2008, Melatonin Reduces Oxidative Stress Induced by Chronic Exposure of Microwave Radiation from Mobile Phones in Rat Brain, vol. 49, no. 6, viewed 10 August 2011, via Journal of Radiation research.



Question four: "Leon looks shocked, surprised. But the needles in the computer barely move. Holden goes for the inside of his coat. But big Leon is faster. His laser burns a hole the size of a nickel through Holden's stomach. Unlike a bullet, a laser causes no impact. It goes through Holden's shoulder and comes out of his back, clean as a whistle. Like a rag doll he falls back into the seat. Big slow Leon is already walking away, but he stops, turns, and with a little smile of satisfaction fires through the back of the seat."

Fancher, H, & Kibbee, R 2007, Blade runner 1982 draft script, Alexander Street Press, Alexandria, VA.

Question five: “that society given so much to the use of diagrams and to the manuevuring of objects in space...should at the same time develop means of communication which specialise not in sight but in sound”

Soukup, P 2004, Communication Research Trends: Centre for the study of Communication and Culture, vol. 23, no. 2, p. 23, retrieved11 August 2011, via Proquest database

Week2: Respond to content

I am a Facebook user... I’m not proud of it. But I am.

I have never been a user of MySpace, Twitter, Flickr and the various other social networks that seem to be taking over the internet. However, Facebook is my exception. My Facebook profile is the medium in which allows me to contact friends and family, and friends and family to contact me, particularly since moving from Western Australia. Phone calls and text messages no longer makes the cut. Having created a Facebook profile in 2009 was a direct result of feeling I needed it, to avoid exclusion. If I didn’t give in to adopting Facebook I truly felt I would have no idea of what was happening within our large group of friends.

Today, I use this convenient online network as a way of interacting with friends and family, when it suits me. I only have about 250 ‘friends’ on Facebook, but I know all of them. My lack of status updates, and new photos, makes me a definite, unexciting Facebook friend, but that is precisely what I do not use this site for.

Privacy is an apparent issue for me when using this network. However, it isn’t the fact that my information of where I live, and where I study is on my profile - I cannot protest against that as I authorise this information. It is the idea of photo tagging. I do not like being in other people’s photos, nor strangers being able to identify my name through my picture. I have received on many occasions, ‘friend requests’ that are from strangers who found my name through a friend’s photo.

Until recently, I had little knowledge of the privacy ‘terms’ I complied with 2 years ago when first signing up to Facebook. And it’s certainly made me uneasy. However, to disable this site would be to stop most of my communicating with friends, and perhaps some of my family. It is unfortunate, but I have become so reliant on Facebook, and the way I can communicate through this network, that I find it difficult to imagine my daily schedule without this site. Almost an addiction; I wake up, check Facebook, I’m eating lunch, check Facebook, I just finished work, check Facebook. It’s made the task of calling a friend, or meeting with family, slightly abnormal.  

Week2: Tutorial task

PART 1 b)

"...and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by these seven different technologies. It's exhausting."

The Youtube video above is a snippet from the movie, "He's Just Not That Into You", released in 2009. This video is an ideal dipicition of how new forms of technology - that are said to be assisting us in communicating - are in fact becoming a hassel, and quite often making it harder to interact. I chose this video because it so perfectly describes my feelings of modern day communicating; there are more and more ways to interect, but all lack any sense of sincerity.

PART 1 c)

Nerdwallet is an application in which plots credit unions into Google Maps and organises them for you. This is an application for people who want to take out a loan, or a credit card, and are in search of the closest credit union to their location.

Click here for Nerdwallet

The application is simple and easy to use. By entering in your post code, and answering the question "How is your credit?", the app will pinpoint the closest credit unions through Google Maps.


REFERENCE LIST:

Nerdwallet, n.d, image, viewed 25 August 2011, http://www.mo.com/entrepreneur-interview-with-tim-chen-founder-and-ceo-of-nerdwallet

Week1: Respond to content

Do we really value our privacy online?

Privacy is a common human desire. However, it is becoming too difficult to maintain privacy while using the newest forms of technology. In fact, privacy is a significant issue now facing most users of the internet. Most users of social networks like Facebook are unaware of the privacy laws that we automatically comply with when signing up to such a site. In fact, research shows that Facebook has essentially become a worldwide photo identity database. This allows people to not only be able to identity you in a crowd, but know your personal details (Mui 2011). People may question though, why complain about privacy if Facebook user's update status’s depicting where they are and what they're doing? Although this is correct, it’s becoming too easy for social network sites to expose private details without the user’s consent. For example, in 2008, a Twitter user, Orli Yakeul, with 650 followers, woke one morning to find their private, embarrassing messages exposed in the Twitter stream. It was a problem unable to be solved or explained by Twitter, however was to be blamed upon the confusion of “GroupTweet” (Privacy disaster at twitter: Direct messages exposed, 2011).

Social networks, such as, Facebook, have changed the way users of the internet feel towards exposing personal information, "...the sense of connectedness and intimacy cause users to forget the long term consequences of publishing information on the internet"(Van Eecke & Truyens 2010, p.g 535). These users - specifically teenagers - are too involved in their Facebook world, that the tools offered by social networks to protect user’s information are simply overlooked. With the added condition that most social networks set by default, the user's information to be public, and is rarely changed by the user (Van Eecke & Truyens 2010).

Not enough people are aware of just how easily our personal details can be tracked. But it is hard to debate such an issue, while thousands of users of social network sites are more than happy to state where they live, when they were born, and what they are doing online.

REFERENCE LIST:

Mui, C 2011, Facebook's Privacy Issues Are Even Deeper Than We Thought, Web blog, viewed 24 August 2011, http://www.forbes.com/sites/chunkamui/2011/08/08/facebooks-privacy-issues-are-even-deeper-than-we-knew/

Privacy disaster at twitter: Direct messages exposed: Update GroupTweet is likely culprit, 2011, viewed 22 August 2011, http://techcrunch.com/2008/04/23/privacy-disaster-at-twitter-direct-messages-exposed/

Van Eecke & Truyens, Computer Law and Security Review: Privacy and social Networks, Vol. 26 no. 5, p.g 535, viewed 24 August 2011, via Elsevier database http://www.sciencedirect.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0267364910001093

Online privacy, n.d, image, viewed 22 August 2011, http://sylviamoessinger.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/h807-online-privacy-an-illusion-a10-1/

Week1: Tutorial task

Greetings fellow readers. My name is Matilda Revere and this is my first blog... ever! So, I am taking advantage of this post to introduce myself. I am Australian, nineteen years of age, and am currently studying journalism at Griffith University. Having an interest in online writing, and the desire in understanding new and advanced ways of communicating, has lead me to this course, with the additonal fact that it's compulsary. I have a passion for writing and music. Music feeds my soul. While writing feeds my brain. With both satisfying my inner-self, my outter-self attends to the need of partying, showing up to work, and making it to uni on time, occasionally.

While studying this course, I really hope to gain a fresh perspective of the newest and most update technologies. As I often feel overwhelmed by what little knowledge I have of the internet, and the newest communicating applications, I believe 'New Com Tech' will serve me well. So, with that in mind, lets get blogging.