Over the course of the semester we covered a broad range of old and new communication technologies. When choosing this subject as an elective I was not 100% aware of what the subject entailed. However, I think it has been to my benefit that I took this subject as I now understand concepts of new media that i was completely unaware of. I think that it is important that people doing a degree such as journalism understand these topics as the industry itself is changing to work and utilize the technologies available. Obviously when working in a field that is the basis of communication for the general public it is important to have a knowledge and understanding of devices and technologies which can be used.
We began the semester by investigating the difference between old and new communication technologies clearly identifying and gate-keeping what is considered old and new. What devices are still used, what technologies are being developed and what items are from a bygone era.
The second week we discussed the language of the cinema and what devices and terminology is used. Considering that television is the most popular way of communicating with the masses it was interesting to see how the construction of televisions shows is though out.
Third week saw the history of computing and the internet. I would not call myself a computer genius so I found this weeks topic quite informative and beneficial to how I use the internet and how and when certain things were developed.
Week four was a week were we investigated from big screen to small - the revolution of Youtube! I also found this week rather interesting as it is something that people now take-for granted. I think that this week really highlighted the way in which technology has developed and I think that it is important for people (especially gen y) that there never used to be a google and look something up on youtube.
The fifth week investigated consumption and production where in the tutorials we made a culture jam, aiming to leak in to the media in some way. This activity was rather fun and I thought stepped away from the mundane tasks which uni sometimes presents.
Week six focused around media, new media and social media and as a tute task had to investigate social networks such as Facebook and identify who owns the rights to things published through such websites. I found this quite interesting as facebook recently had changed their agreement with subscribers where they owned the rights to everything published through their social networking sight. I think most people in the course related to this as they have succumb to the facebook fiasco.
Week seven investigated creative commons and how it is used in society at large and what this means for the publisher of the content. I was unaware of any such thing and found this topic rather interesting.
The eighth week was centered around virtual philosophy and virtual reality. I found this topic very interesting and it just proves how much technology is advancing.
In this tute we looked at cyperpunk genre and i think that it is a genre that revolutionized cinema, allowing the imagination to run wild.
I think that overall i have learnt a great deal about topics which I normally would have never known about. I am glad that I now have a more complex understanding of communication technologies and how we, as society rely so heavily on them.
All in all I think that this is an essential subject for people who want to pursue a career in anything that involves communicating to people at large.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Week 9. Tute Task/Spark.
ESSAY TOPICS
For the essay I have chosen to do topic six which is
Increasingly mobile devices are an aid to the gathering and reporting of information, both by professional journalists and “citizen journalists”. Outline the advantages and disadvantages of this sort of news gathering. How might it impact on journalistic practices and news values and ethics?
I chose this topic because i feel that i can relate to it the most and i have the most interest in it. I think the way of comparing and analysing the use for such device in the 21st century and what role it provides in the news gathering is important as it could mean what makes and breaks the weekly news. Also as i am studying a Bachelor of Journalism i feel that i have some connection to this topic and how it will in some day affect the way i will do my job.
I plan to discuss in the essay the pros and cons of such devices and what it could mean for the journalism and news gathering industry. Also i think i want to investigate what the impact these devices has on the people using them. I'm thinking at this stage that i may research what some of the old fashioned information gathering devices were and look at the reliability and ethics behind this hand-held device which is so heavily relied upon. I think the main point of my essay will be whether or not the mobile phone has be a benefit to the industry or has just made people lazy.
INITIAL RESEARCH
Week 8. Tute Task and Tutespark.
Week 8 focuses on virtual philosophy and its abundance ability to relate to reality. The lecture was centered around relating topics such as virtual reality, virtual rationality and virtual language. Collectively these three items on the agenda for the lecture are core principals in virtual philosophy.
When confronted by this weeks tute task/spark I was drawn to the idea of Fusion of Man and Machine. I find this topic ever present in todays society and loosely reflects how society uses technologies to enhance human life. This is prominent in especially within the health and medical factors of society where more and more machines are implanted to supplement damaged and unhealthy organs in humans to ultimately extend the life of those in need and better their lives. Examples of this would be artificial heart transplants and pace makers which are machines inserted in to a persons body and effectively programmed to have human functions.
Ultimately i think that this idea of the fusion of man and machine extends from a child's mind with the thought of characters as Astro Boy, Million Dollar man and Bionic Man. The idea of a human exterior and robotic insides is what could be considered in my mind a means of blurring the line between reality and the virtual world.
Examples of this are obviously matrix which was a considerable high note for the genre of cyberpunk however "I Robot" and "Ironman" are more recent movies which use the cyberpunk genre and were widely accepted.
The original article I found relatign to this topic was written by Kevin Wawrick for CNN international. The original article is as follows:
When confronted by this weeks tute task/spark I was drawn to the idea of Fusion of Man and Machine. I find this topic ever present in todays society and loosely reflects how society uses technologies to enhance human life. This is prominent in especially within the health and medical factors of society where more and more machines are implanted to supplement damaged and unhealthy organs in humans to ultimately extend the life of those in need and better their lives. Examples of this would be artificial heart transplants and pace makers which are machines inserted in to a persons body and effectively programmed to have human functions.
Ultimately i think that this idea of the fusion of man and machine extends from a child's mind with the thought of characters as Astro Boy, Million Dollar man and Bionic Man. The idea of a human exterior and robotic insides is what could be considered in my mind a means of blurring the line between reality and the virtual world.
Examples of this are obviously matrix which was a considerable high note for the genre of cyberpunk however "I Robot" and "Ironman" are more recent movies which use the cyberpunk genre and were widely accepted.
The original article I found relatign to this topic was written by Kevin Wawrick for CNN international. The original article is as follows:
The fusion of man and machine
By Kevin Warwick for CNN
Monday, July 4, 2005 Posted: 1732 GMT (0132 HK
(CNN) -- By 2020 exciting advances in bio-interfacing will make it possible for a wider range of diseases to be treated electronically.
Initially Parkinson's disease and epilepsy will be successfully dealt with. But the effects of multiple sclerosis, paralysis and motor neurone disease will also be much reduced as the individual is enabled to control their environment and even drive their car, by their thoughts alone, using implanted technology.
Other problem areas such as senile dementia and schizophrenia could perhaps be tackled in a similar fashion.
The whole area, termed E-Medicine, will spawn a plethora of new companies.
As well as being used for therapy, the use of implant technology for enhancement will also become more acceptable.
Initially there will be a backlash among those who consider the prospect of being able to "upgrade themselves" ethically inappropriate.
But once the technology has been proven and is commercially available at relatively low cost, it is expected that the range of people making use of it will increase dramatically.
Memory enhancement, an increased range of senses, dieting control and thought communication will all be on the market, while technology to allow for multi-dimensional thought will be at the planning stage.
All of these upgrades will be based on a direct link between a human and a machine brain.
In this way the ever increasing power of machine intelligence can be used to provide an improvement in human capabilities, rather than allowing intelligent machines to make important decisions.
Nevertheless the use of networked intelligent computers to control all the financial markets will present a worrying trend -- it will no longer be clear who exactly is making the key decisions; a machine based on human criteria, or a machine based on purely machine criteria been learnt through market experience.
The military sector will witness some of the most dramatic changes. Fighter planes will be completely computer controlled, without any human intervention. Clearly it will be computers that think and learn fastest that will win the day.
The big question, though, is whether there will still be room for human soldiers at the frontline.
By extending their senses through networked implants military personnel could be kept safely out of harm's way while being virtually connected to the battlefront via a brain-network connection.
Finally, it will be interesting to witness the phasing out of the old style printed passport. Once everyone is fitted with a Radio Frequency ID implant containing individual data it will be difficult to imagine how we managed without them.
It's incredible to think it was only as long ago as 1998 that the first human tested out such an implant. Since then progress has indeed been swift.
-- Kevin Warwick is professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading and the author of "I, Cyborg." In 2001 he became the world's first "cyborg" after having a chip implanted in his arm.
My version of the article.
With the rampant growth and development of implant technology, Professor Kevin Warwick believes that it will soon become a cure for illnesses and diseases such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, diseases affecting paralysis and motor neurone disease, senile dementia and schizophrenia. being coined as "E-Medicine" it is hypothesised that it will create a new plethora of companies and practitioners. Warwick accepts that the acceptance of such new technologies which pose ethical inappropriateness will eventually be broadly accepted and become a common way to cure diseases which impact a broad demographic of people.
The initial idea is to create memory enhancement and increase the range of senses such as thought communication.
The basic understanding of this technology is that these upgrades to the human body will allow for a direct link between a human and a machine brain. Inevitably the ever increase in machine intelligence will be used to provide improvement to the human brain capabilities.
Professor Kevin Warwick put himself forward for the research of the fusion of man and machine in 2001, where he inserted such technology into his left arm. Research is still being conducted however the results have provided the physicians with information which will further develop and understand the coexistence of man and machine. Overall this idea of fusing men and machines allows for the human race to utilize and exploit the abundance of technology advancements which occur around the world, using it to improve the quality of lives for people in need.
My version of the article.
With the rampant growth and development of implant technology, Professor Kevin Warwick believes that it will soon become a cure for illnesses and diseases such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, diseases affecting paralysis and motor neurone disease, senile dementia and schizophrenia. being coined as "E-Medicine" it is hypothesised that it will create a new plethora of companies and practitioners. Warwick accepts that the acceptance of such new technologies which pose ethical inappropriateness will eventually be broadly accepted and become a common way to cure diseases which impact a broad demographic of people.
The initial idea is to create memory enhancement and increase the range of senses such as thought communication.
The basic understanding of this technology is that these upgrades to the human body will allow for a direct link between a human and a machine brain. Inevitably the ever increase in machine intelligence will be used to provide improvement to the human brain capabilities.
Professor Kevin Warwick put himself forward for the research of the fusion of man and machine in 2001, where he inserted such technology into his left arm. Research is still being conducted however the results have provided the physicians with information which will further develop and understand the coexistence of man and machine. Overall this idea of fusing men and machines allows for the human race to utilize and exploit the abundance of technology advancements which occur around the world, using it to improve the quality of lives for people in need.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Week 5. Tutorial Task.
Culture Jamming
Jasmine, Madelyn & Taylor.
Ideas for Culture Jam
- Lowering the driving age to 15 instead of 17
- People can get their Learners license at 14 and their Driving permit at 15 years.
- This is being assessed in QLD only by Anna Bligh, with a quote:
- "Keep Australia in tune with America, where this driving rule is already in place." (post photo of young girl with L sticker) maybe take a video of a child opinion of the age change.
- Twitter page with a petition for people to follow (URL of page on Ireport.com)
- using people like anna bligh and parliment officials to agree to pledge.
Twitter Name: Sarah Jones
Username: YouthDrivers Password: blogspot
URL: https://twitter.com/YouthDrivers
The Report for iReport
Queensland Transport and the Queensland Government have come together to announce a possible change to the driving age laws for Queensland youth. The current laws of obtaining a driviers permit licence at 17 years of age and a learners license at the age of 16 years old is being re-examined, with the full support of Anna Bligh, premier of Queensland. it has been stated that the driving age will be lowered to 14 years old for obtaining a learners license and at 15 years old, after one year and the 80 hours of driving experience, will be allowed to obtain a permit license.
The new law is being discusse and has recieved both criticism and positive support from Queenslands youth and parents Anna Bligh is seen to be a huge supporter of this proposition, with several coments being Tweeted on the 'Youth Drivers' support page on Twitter. To show your support for this new possible law or express your opinion about it, follow their page on Twitter: https://twitter.com1/YouthDrivers.
This report was unable to be posted on CNN ireport, due to the blocking of Griffith University's pages.
Week 7 Tutorial Task.
What is creative commons and how could this licensing framework be relevant to your own experience at university?
Creative Commons: (CC) is a non-profit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share.[1] The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons licenses free of charge to the public. These licenses allow creators to communicate which rights they reserve, and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or other creators. An easy to understand one-page explanation of rights, with associated visual symbols, explains the specifics of each Creative Commons license. This simplicity distinguishes Creative Commons from an all rights reserved copyright. Creative Commons was invented to create a more flexible copyright model, replacing "all rights reserved" with “some rights reserved”. Wikipedia is one of the notable web-based projects using one of its licenses.
The organization was founded in 2001, with support of the Center for the Public Domain. The first set of copyright licenses were released in December 2002. In 2008, there were an estimated 130 million works licensed under Creative Commons. Creative Commons has been embraced by many as a way for content creators to take control of how they choose to share their intellectual property.
Creative commons is relevant to university study as it allows for peoples essays and journal articles to be easily accessed and viewed for future assignments.
- Möller Erik, The Case for Free Use: Reasons Not to Use a Creative Commons -NC License, in Open Source Jahrbuch 2006.
- Plotkin, Hal (11 February 2002). "All Hail Creative Commons: Stanford Professor and Author Lawrence Lessig Plans a Legal Insurrection". SFGate.com.
- Schloman, Barbara F. (13 October 2003). "Creative Commons: An Opportunity to Extend the Public Domain". Online Journal of Issues in Nursing.
- Stix, Gary (March 2003). "Some Rights Reserved". Scientific American 288: 46. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0303-46.
- Weitzman, Jonathan B., and Lawrence Lessig. "Open Access and Creative Common Sense." Open Access Now, 10 May 2004
- Creative Commons home page
Find 3 examples of works created by creative commons and embed them in your blog.
Have a look at Portable Apps (a pc based application) – provide a brief description of what it is and how you think this is useful.
A portable app is a computer program that you can carry around with you on a portable device and use on any Windows computer. When your USB flash drive, portable hard drive, iPod or other portable device is plugged in, you have access to your software and personal data just as you would on your own PC. And when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind. http://portableapps.com/about/what_is_a_portable_app
I guess the initial benefit of portable apps is that it is 100% free, it allows people to have access to their computer (in a sense) without having to carry around their PC. It means that you could bring all of your stuff to uni on one USB and work from their. allowing quick easy access anywhere any time.
Week 7 Tutespark.
GOOGLE CHROME
The free software which I chose to download and trial was Google Chrome. It is similar in use to another internet browser,Mozilla Firefox. However, i use google frequently and being able to type what I want to search directly into the space where you put the url address saved some time. I also liked the way you can customize your homepage to have tiles of the most frequently visited websites along with bookmarked websites. also another feature of the software in which i thought saved time was how you are able to bookmark specific sites which then the icon is stored under the url bar, allowing to jump from one website to another without having to change pages.
I also found that some pages were quicker when visited with the google chrome internet browser. However I did notice that some pages would not load until after I refreshed the page.
All in all I liked using this free software and will most likely continue using it.
(http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/landing_chrome.html?hl=en&brand=CHMA&utm_campaign=en_au&utm_source=en_au-ha-apac-aunz-bk&utm_medium=ha)
(http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/landing_chrome.html?hl=en&brand=CHMA&utm_campaign=en_au&utm_source=en_au-ha-apac-aunz-bk&utm_medium=ha)
Week 6 Tutespark.
Online Privacy & Social Networking.
There has been an out roar over the change of Terms of Use for Facebook users.(http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,494804,00.html) The change occured early 2009 where Facebook deemed that they now had the rights to use the content that you post on your profile wether active or not, to be able to make a profit. (http://www.webpronews.com/blogtalk/2009/02/16/facebook-now-owns-all-the-content-you-put-onfacebook)
This change sparked controversy of what content you post online on various social websites is what you actually own.
Considering this, you could then claim that Facebook would have to make all users sign a media release as they claim that they have rights to all content that you post including videos, pictures and text. how would this work for users under the age of 18 who need parental consent for their faces to be in the media?
Opposing this are numerous websites which claim what you post on the internet is your property as long as you have the rights to post such content and have not breeched any copyright laws. (http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071008031623AAXCMXD)
I guess in a sense the whole dilemma is based around the fact that in a way Facebook could take their identity away.
CEO and founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg made a statement regarding the TOS debacle saying "Just trust us."(http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,494804,00.html)
How can we trust anyone when the content that we put on is not ours?
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