Week 5 - Tutorial Task

Post 2 - Scavenger Hunt

Without using Google or Wikipedia, try to answer the following questions and post your answers to your blog.

Provide the URL (with the date you accessed it) of where you found the answer. Describe how you found it.

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

Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, is generally considered to be the oldest university in the world. It was founded roughly the same time as the city of Cairo, in 969 AD. The first lecture was delivered in 975 AD.

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

 (viewed 24th august 2011)

I found this using Bing search which then used yahoo answers.

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

a. Stephen Stockwell's band is called The Black Assassins. He plays the keyboard as well as vocals.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~toxicoh/blackas.htm which lead to http://www.myspace.com/theblackassassins (Viewed 24Th August 2011)

Some of their songs are Death Take Me Now, Drugs and Azaria.

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

a.http://trulypre.posterous.com/worlds-largest-machines-ever-built-1 (Viewed 26Th August 2011.)

I used the ask.com search engine to find this.

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

A. Kenneth Feinswog, is Justin Bieber's Lawyer and the best way to contact him would be by calling him on (310) 277-8211.

http://www.zimbio.com/Justin+Bieber/articles/DXFXHtODSFC/Lawyer+Wants+Lady+Gaga+Justin+Bieber+Cartoon Which lead to

http://www.manta.com/c/mms3lh1/kenneth-a-feinswog-attorney

(Viewed on 25Th August 2011.)

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

a. The cheapest way to travel to Melbourne from the Gold coast is by flying. Train and buses are too long and too expensive and driving is the same with petrol prices today. Flights are around 80 to 90 Dollars one way with Jet star.

http://booknow.jetstar.com/Select.aspx. (Viewed 25th of August 2011.)

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

A. Hatsune Miku is a synthesising application with a female persona. Her company is crypton future media. Her birthday is the 31st of August 2007.

http://www.animevice.com/miku-hatsune/18-20703/

http://www.figure.fm/post/en/15355/Hatsune+Miku+3rd+Birthday+Live+Event.html

(Viewed 25Th august 2011.)

7. Find a live Webcam in Belarus. Find a place to stay in Antarctica.
I used AOL.com to find - http://www.camscape.com/Europe/Belarus/index.html (Viewed 26Th August 2011).

Antarctic Accommodation -  http://www.addictedtotravel.com/accommodation/default.aspx?regionid=12 (Viewed 25Th August 2011).

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

a. Everything I Do I Do It For You by Bryan Adams.
Found using AOL.com
http://australian-charts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=s&year=1991&date=19910825 (Viewed 26Th August 2011).

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

a. Google is using a Volkswagen New Beetle to get the Street view.

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

(Viewed 25th August 2011.)

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

1. ¿Dónde estuvo la primera Universidad establecido y en que año?

2. ¿Qué es llamada la banda de Stephen Stockwell y qué juega él? ¿Puede denominar un par de sus canciones?

3. ¿Qué es el peso de la máquina más grande de mundo? ¿Cuánto costó construir?

4. ¿Quién es el abogado de Justin Bieber, y qué son la mejor manera (más rápido, más seguro) contactar al abogado?

5. ¿Qué es la forma más barata de viaje de la Costa de oro a Melbourne?

6. ¿Quién es Hatsune Miku? ¿A qué compañía pertenece ella? ¿Qué es sus cumpleaños?

7. Encuentre una webcam viva en Bielorrusia. Encuentre que un lugar para permanecer en Antártida.

8. ¿Qué canción fue la cima del taponazo australiano traza esta semana en 1991?

9. ¿Qué tipo de coche es utilizado para hacer 'Vista de Calle de Google'?

10. Traduzca estas preguntas en español y entonces tradúzcalos atrás al inglés.

Week 5 - Response to Content

Using a selection of this week’s readings, write 200 words responding to the questions arising from the lecture. In particular, how does Rubber utilise the elements of screenplay structure in its first act. Bonus points for successfully locating the first plot point.

Films always have a main and common structure; it will always have a beginning, middle and end. There are also three points within a film, which are called plot points and in the lecture this week we look at the most important one: The Plot Point One. This occurs in Act One, which changes the course of the action on screen and moves us as the audience, into Act Two. In this act many events have to occur to set the audience up for the ‘hook’ later on in the film. This was all demonstrated in the film we watched this week, called ‘Rubber’.

Although we only watched the first 25minutes of the film ‘Rubber’ we still gain insight into how the meaning film makers are trying to create within their film, draws out different portrayals depending on each audience member. The film is firstly about a tire with telekinetic abilities to blow things up with its mind. This is a very non traditional film as the main character or protagonist is not human. Once the audience has grasped the idea about the tire as the main character, we then realise that the ‘audience’ is actually within the film. They stand there watching the tires day to day life through binoculars. The creators of this film have used stereotypical audience members in order to represent how each individual’s opinion differs even when watching the exact same thing. In the film audience, we have the stereotypical film nerds, who know or at least think they know everything there is about film; We then have the teenage girls who really are not interested at all; and finally we have the young boy who has been dragged to the cinema by his father and was bored within the first ten minutes.

Although this movie is not traditional it still manages to utilise the Act one structure. As stated in the book ‘Film Art’, ‘We can pick out a set of stylistic elements: The way the camera moves, the patterns of colour in the frame, the use of music, and other devices’ (Bordwell, D, Thompson, K. P. 57). This all assists in creating the plot lines and telling the story to the audience, which is present in the film ‘Rubber’. The audience is given a over view of the setting with the use of establishing shots of the desert, which then shows a man standing alone holding a bunch of binoculars. The audience is left wondering and speculating, just what this man is waiting for. Suddenly a car pulls up and a man hops out of the boot and talks about films and life and how things are the way they are ‘for no reason’. He emphasises that this film that we are watching is based around this concept. We then move into another element of the film introducing us to the audience within the film, and we wonder what they are looking at. Finally the protagonist of the film is introduced and we are shocked to find it is a non-human figure. We follow the tire throughout its day to day events where we learn that it has telekinetic powers.

This is all building up to the final ‘hook’ when the tire blows up the rabbit.

Bibliography:

-- Bordwell, D & Thompson, K 2010, Film Art: An Introduction, McGraw-Will, New York

Week 4 - Tutorial Task

Pick a social networking site that you either regularly visit or know about, i.e. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, Livejournal, Tumblr, Google+, etc., and discuss in 200 words how you understand the Terms of Service that all users must agree to be invited into the site.

* Some things to consider:

+ What are the kinds of content they allow?

+ What can the service do with your content?

+ What guarantees of privacy do they offer?

I chose to research Facebook as it is the main social networking sight I use every day. Facebooks terms and conditions informs us that if you remove the metadata from such things as photos; before they are uploaded then they will not store metadata associated with our photos. Facebook allows most content except nudity photos and other things related. However, they do provide a link to which anyone can report a photo; a comment or a link if they find it offensive; rude; discriminating or bullying. I think this is a very helpful part of Facebook as it assists with keeping the social networking sight a clean place to communicate with friends. I think the big issue is what kind of information Facebook keeps when you are asked to enter it and yes, as they made aware in their privacy policy they do keep general information such as gender, date of birth ECT. Your password however, is not kept on record. Our birthdates is required to prove that we are over 13 however they provide a setting in order for it to be hidden from people who view your profile so each individual is able to determine how much personal information they are willing to share. In order to sign up for Facebook you must agree with certain terms and regulations. some of these include: That you will not send or post unauthorized things such as spam on Facebook; We will not bully or harass other people; that we do not provide false information about ourselves and one final example is that we will not post anyone else identification documents on Facebook. I believe Facebook has taken many precautions and put in a lot of thought into what could possibly go wrong and how they can prevent it.

Week 4 - Response to Content

Did social media cause the British Riots?

This past week has seen violence and destruction throughout England. This all began with the shooting of a young man by police. Social networking came into the equation as it was discovered that people were using social networking sites such as Facebook in order to create groups to organise secret meetings to plan a riot in their own town. As Chris Newbould said in the article, ‘UK riots and After’, “The saddest thing for me is that they used the social networking sites so efficiently to collude to smash up towns and cities. That is obviously wasted talent and skills that could have been put to good use to help them reach their goals in a non-violent way." The riots began due to firstly the shooting of the local man, but continued because of people wanting to get involved. I do not believe social networking caused this event however it defiantly helped fuel the destruction and spread it across the country. The general cause was bored people wanting to get involved in all of the chaos.

UK riots and after 2011, , Dubai.

http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/882937159.

Viewed 17Th August 2011.

Further reading:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/16/facebook-riot-calls-men-jailed

Week 3 - Tutorial Task

Task 1:
• What was Stephen Stockwell's first article in an academic journal? What year? Provide a full citation. What database did you use?
A. Stephen Stockwell’s first article in an academic journal was 'Kuranda Police Shooting' in 1981.
Stockwell, S, 1981, ‘Kuranda Police Shooting’, ‘Legal Service Bulletin’, vol. 6, pp. 48, viewed 17th August 2011. Retrieved from the Hein Online Law Journal Library


• In which comic did Governor Slugwell appear? Which Issues? Give their full citation for the earliest. Where did you find this information? What database did you use? (Check the trial databases)
a. Governor Slugwell appears in the Flaming Carrot comics, in issue’s seven, ten and eleven. It was published in 1985 and 1986 by the Renegade Press. Retrieved on the Underground and Independent comics database


• What is the latest medical thinking on the dangers of mobile phones? Provide a full citation.
a. On the 21st of January today tonight reported that there have been numerous injuries on the streets from people not looking where they are going due to texting while walking. It results in both injuries and deaths. This was retrieved from TV news database.


• In Blade runner, what is Leon's reaction when Holden asks him about his mother? Quote the 1982 draft script and provide a full reference. (Check the trial databases)
a. ‘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.’
Roland,H 1982, ‘Blade Runner (1982): Draft script’


• What does Paul Soukup say Walter Ong saw as the main paradox in 20th century communication? Cite your source.
a. “that a society given so much to the use of diagrams and to the manoeuvring of objects in space . . . should at the same time develop means of communication which specialize not in sight but in sound”
(Soukup, P 2004, ‘Walter J Ong, S.J, A Retrospective’, Volume 23.)


Task 2:
Research and write 250 words about an old internet community / medium that has faded from popularity – like the BBS or Usenet or the original AOL or Compuserve --- please use at least 2 references to show where you found your information, but DO NOT use Wikipedia as a source. Explain what the technology/medium was, what kinds of things people did with it, what was the number of users at its peak, why did it fade away? Did it influence the way we use technology today?

Zirkel says in his article ‘MySpace?’ that 'The MySpace website allows users to create their own profile page, including photographs.' (Zirkel, P. A. (2009)). The owner of the profile can create blogs which can then receive comments from friends who have been added by the profile owner. People were able to upload photos of them or friends and people could comment on them. MySpace faded away as Facebook came about and people transferred to Facebook. MySpace altered itself and added some more features that were similar to Facebook but never got to regain its former glory and popularity. As Ramsay from ‘MySpace. Marketing’ says, ‘in a fast-moving space, it's not enough to lead the way, attract a large audience and then become part of a big media corporation. When rivals sprang up, MySpace simply didn't respond.’(Ramsay, F. (2009. Jul 15). I think it defiantly influenced technology we use today as for me; it was the first website that I started using. When I first began using it, it was amazing and new, until Facebook of course.

Ramsay, F. (2009, Jul 15). MySpace. Marketing, 17-17. Retrieved fromhttp://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/214939128?accountid=14543

Zirkel, P. A. (2009). MySpace? Phi Delta Kappan, 90(5), 388-388-389. Retrieved fromhttp://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/218523099?accountid=14543

Week 3 - Response to Content

Are neural implants the way of the future?

Science is forever evolving and whether we like it or not, innovations such as neural implants will eventually be part of our lives. The thought of being able to move a computer cursor with ones mind is an extraordinary one. It brings to mind the question of what we will become in the future when technology becomes so widespread and extreme. Will we still be human? As Sue Halpern stated in her article 'Mind Control and the Internet', these neural implants promise 'overcoming problems related to both normal memory loss that comes from aging and pathological memory loss associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s.' (Halpern, S. 2011). If this technology is being used to help people regain normality in their lives such as helping the deaf to hear and to give people their memory back as Sue Halpern said, then this is a very positive discovery. However, where do we draw the line? Will this end up becoming used for mind control or other similar circumstances. In a class discussion it was brought up that what if when this evolves into something larger, the government could put microchips into certain points down the street, that when you pass them it changes your mood or opinion on different things. Will we lose our individualism and our right to choose what we do or what our individual opinions are? On the other hand, wouldn't we all like to be able to learn Spanish instantly or learn new skills as simply as inserting a chip into a computer? It really is a personal opinion and too early to tell.

Halpern, S. (2011) "Mind Control and the Internet", New York review of books (Viewed 13Th August 2011)
https://learning.secure.griffith.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_101249_1&frame=top

Week 2 - Tutorial Task

Part 1B:
This is a video on YouTube about Hacktivism. I chose this link as I am learning new things about Hacktivism and it is very interesting considering I knew nothing about it until last week.


PART 1C: Facebook when it first came out was very difficult to get started and to learn how to use. On YouTube there are many video's with step by step instructions to show you how to start up a Facebook account. This is just one example:

Part 2:
The first use of communication technology I can remember was when I was around the age of 12. I created an MSN address so I could talk to my friends at night after school and send and receive emails. This then changed into MySpace a couple of years later which then became the main form of communication between my friends and I. Finally I moved from MySpace to Facebook which is what I still use today as a means of communication. I think I was influenced to use these forms of technology as I got older as everyone was using it so I wanted to be apart of it and use them too. That is how I slowly evolved through each form of technology. I found out about all of these forms of communication technologies through friends. They began using them first and then showed me how to set one up. I am a little worried about my privacy when using these sights. I tend to set everything on private and only allow my friends who I personally accept to view my information and photos. I don't like the fact that as soon as you make any photo your display picture that it is forever on the internet and when you look up your name on Google there are pictures there of you. I don't believe I have anyone on my Facebook who I have not met before. I only accept people I know. I never really liked twitter it doesn't interest me at all and I don't think it ever will.

Week 2 - Response to Content

What are the key turning points in Communication History?
There are many key turning points in communication history. This all begins with the Phoenicians creating the first alphabet in 3500 to 2900 BC. McGaughey's website, 'Some Dates in the History of Cultural Technologies' sates  that once the alphabet had spread to many other countries and groups of people, writing began. Writing began in 1450, with the first newspaper appearing in Europe. In 1714 the first patent for a type writer was given to Henry Mill which then led to Alexander Graham Bell receiving the patents for the electric telephone. In 1927 was another key turning point, with the first television broadcasts in England. Finally, Computers were first sold commercially in 1951.


McGaughey, W. 2011, Some dates in the history of Cultural Technologies, Viewed Th August 2011, <https://learning.secure.griffith.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_101249_1&frame=top>


What form of Communication Technology do you use most often? What is your favourite?
Out of all of the Communication technology in society today I would most defiantly use my phone the most. These days our phones have everything on them from the internet to video and cameras. It is defiantly my favourite.

Week 1 - Tutorial Task

I'm Mikaela a 19 year old first year student at Griffith University.
My major interest is travelling and I am always planning my next trip.

I am doing a Bachelor of communication so I can eventually get into the Advertising industry. At the moment my kill level using technology is average. I can comfortably use the general application and programs including, facebook, Google, Microsoft word, PowerPoint ECT. However my knowledge of blogging and new communication technologies is very limited. The reason for taking this class is because it is a compulsory class for my course; however I think it will be very interesting and will build my technology skills.

Week 1 - Response to Content

What are the main issues in New Communications Technology?

There are many issues surrounding new communication technology, and the main one for most people is privacy. Whether this be privacy for themselves and their information or privacy for their children. Pre - teens, teens and young adults are all using social networking sights such as Facebook and MySpace. This can become very worrying for their parents, as these days everyone is well aware about what people can do on these sights and how people can be manipulated. It is not very often people pose as someone else and pose a risk to young people, however it does happen. Lee Simon in his book 'Social Media Dangers' aims at warning both parents and children of these dangers. He says that it is not very common for children to be asked to meet someone who has contacted them however he says, 'one of every five kids are solicited with a sexual solicitation'.(Simon, 2011, p.8). This shows us it is a real danger and a major issue in our everyday lives.

Simon, L. (2011). Social Media dangers: Get Informed - Protect Your Child. Retrieved from http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=YCQLbVfj3uUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA4&dq=social+media+dangers&ots=-iXMzO2nBT&sig=ClyoVyYHI2oO7h74UxdrSCzkIcM#v=onepage&q&f=false

How do we distinguish between old and new communication technologies?

In the present day old technology is generally classified as analogue where as new technology is classified at digital. The constant development of technology and varying and increasing societal needs will continually force people to innovate and create new and existing technology to meet more needs and also, to create needs we never knew we had.

Under what circumstances will new communication technologies become old communication technologies?

New communication technologies will become old when another piece of technology is introduced that can achieve the same tasks but better, faster or more efficient. People will slowly change over to this new piece of technology and therefore there will be no use for the 'old' technology and no one will be using it. This is when new technology becomes old technology.