Week 9 - Tutorial Task

What opportunities can you find for political participation via the internet? How many of the following can you achieve while sticking to your political beliefs?

* Sign an e-petition.

A. I signed an e – petition for ‘An Australian Republic’.

Via http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/plebicite-for-an-australian-republic/sign.html#se

* What is Barak Obama up to today?

A. Today Friday the 23rd, 2011, Barack Obama is giving his annual back to school speech.

Found on http://ochairball.blogspot.com/

* What are the Australian Government's plans to censor the internet (the so-called "Clean Feed")?

A. The plan is to censor refused classified content, which almost all is legal to view or process.

* When will the NBN get to your place? What are the benefits?

A. We will get NBN in the next 3-5 years and city areas in 5-8 years. The benefits are faster, cheaper and better forms of telecommunications infrastructure.

* Find out who your local, state and federal representatives are.

A. Our local representatives are the Gold Coast CityCountil, Some of our state representatives are Christine Smith, Michael Crandon, Alexander Douglas, Raymond Stevens and Peter Lawlor.

A list can be found via 

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/fs357_government_members.pdf

Our Local Federal Representatives are:

• Mr Bert Van Manen MP - Electoral Division of Forde (QLD)

• Mr Stuart Robert MP - Electoral Division of Fadden (QLD)

• Mrs Karen Andrews MP - Electoral Division of McPherson (QLD)

• Mr Steven Ciobo MP - Electoral Division of Moncrieff (QLD)

• The Hon Justine Elliot MP - Electoral Division of Richmond (NSW)

• Senator the Hon Joe Ludwig - Senator for Queensland

• Mr Scott Buchholz MP - Electoral Division of Wright (QLD)

Found via http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?pid=4351#federal

* Look up the Queensland or Australian Hansard to find the last time your local member spoke in parliament.

A. Mr Langbroek's most recent speech was 8th September 2011 on the topic: Correctional System; Beachmere, Police beat.

Found Via  

http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/Speeches/spk2011/John-Paul%20Langbroek%20spk%20Surfers%20Paradise%202011_09_08_82.pdf#xml=http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/internetsearch/isysquery/2966931c-3f5f-45ab-8159-90627b358862/37/hilite/

Week 9 - Response to Content

You have been thinking about what topic you will choose for your final essay. Have a look at the questions on the announcements page. You should choose only one of the questions to answer. You may think of another topic but you must have it approved by your tutor during the tutorials.

Post your essay plan: What is your topic? What is your position? Analyse the elements of the topic. Sketch your response to each of the elements. What conclusion does that bring you to? Summarise in 200 words. There you have a plan for your essay.

The topic I have chosen for me essay is 'Does the extensive use of computer/video games have an adverse impact on the health of young people. what are the most recent papers? Clarify what both sides of the argument claim and only then offer your reasoned opinion based on facts'. My plan is to firstly gather information from various academic sources and then build my knowledge on the topic. After I have done this I will begin to structure my essay paragraph by paragraph explaining each concern to young individual’s health. I want to discuss how it may cause obesity and the effectiveness of the WIFIT, violence in real life, its outcome on academic outcomes and behaviour. The conclusion I will most likely come to be that yes computer/video games are contributing negatively to young people’s health and that maybe they need to be moderated by their parents and they need guidance about what is right and wrong and what they should be spending their time doing rather than playing such games.

Below are two links to many of the articles I will be using to assist in writing my essay and I plan to find many more.

http://web.ebscohost.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/ehost/resultsadvanced?sid=7f06b311-bb76-41c2-8d18-5f6b8b0f3048%40sessionmgr112&vid=2&hid=126&bquery=(video+games)&bdata=JmRiPWNtZWRtJnR5cGU9MSZzaXRlPWVob3N0LWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d

http://web.ebscohost.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/ehost/viewarticle?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2%2fdV0%2bnjisfk5Ie46bFItauvSa%2bk63nn5Kx95uXxjL6urUuupbBIr6eeT7irt1Kwqp5oy5zyit%2fk8Xnh6ueH7N%2fiVauqr021prJIsaekhN%2fk5VXj5KR84LPhhePa6z7y1%2bVVv8SkeeyzsEmxp69Lsq6kfu3o63nys%2bSN6uLyffbq&hid=126

Week 8 - Tutorial Task

Report on your progress of uploading your own one to two minute audio-visual production using still images, text, audio, or video and embedding it in your blog. Question: do you own this production? Consider whether you have created all the content yourself OR used content that is available to re-use under a creative commons license OR used freely available public domain material. Remember, you may only use creative commons material that allows derivatives to be made. If it specifies that you must share alike - then you must also share your video material under a CC license.

If you want to try using content that is freely available here are two places where you can find some content that you may use without breaching someone else's copyrights: CC Search, and a blog post with a list of free content providers. You may have to try a few of the places linked to from that blog post. Remember to attribute all CC content that is not yours in the credits of your video (or on your blog). Will you release your own work under a CC license, including your blog content?

Our group met on Tuesday the 13th of September in order to show each other our edited interview footage. Before hand I had interviewed two of my roommates asking them the five question we came up with in last week’s tutorial. I made sure I ask them prior to filming, "Are you willing to let us film, record and share your answers for the purpose of a Griffith university study." Once this was done I used my roommates MAC laptop to edit my footage on Final Cut Pro. This needed to be done in order to discover the important answers and to make time putting the whole video together a lot faster and smoother. On Tuesday all of our footage was put onto one memory stick and we went through and grabbed the best and most varied answers from all of our footage. We were unable to use everyone's complete footage as it would go way over the 3 minute limit and also some footage was clearer and louder than others. Jellan then took the footage home, to structure the final film. Jellan used iMovie, on MAC to compile the footage into one film. Putting the footage together was an issue, during putting all of our chosen answers together one of the interviews was freezing 10 seconds in which caused us problems. We then had to convert each piece of footage to mp3 in order to make them useable. This then caused a further problem, as the sound then became out of sync with the visual footage. It took a very long time editing and moving the sound, piece by piece to finally match with the visual footage. As for the introduction to the film we all put some ideas together and came up with, a school boy coming home from school and going straight on facebook, where he had a friend request from Denis Ferguson. This was filmed by Jellan, with his neighbour before Wednesday’s tutorial.

In our tutorial the next day, Wednesday the 14th of September, we used Jacqueline’s Mac, on IMovie to add the introduction to the interviews. We then created and added subject pages showing each question the interviewees were about to answer. We then needed to select music for the film. We originally through of using garage band to create our own soundtrack but figured using Creative Commons would be easier and quicker.

In out next tutorial on Wednesday the 21st of September, we added the credits and music to our footage. We were told to show our tutor our video before we uploaded it to YouTube to prevent any errors or law suits for compyrighted material. Unfortunately, due to copyright we are unable to upload our video to YouTube and must email it to our tutor instead. This was because of firstly, we need to get Facebook’s clearance on using their logo in our video and due to the lack of time, this wouldn’t have happen fast enough. The other issue we had was due to the fact that we created a facebook page for Denis Ferguson and used a picture we found on Google. As we do not own the rights to his picture we are unable to use it without permission from either the photographer or Denis Ferguson himself. Because there is so much media attention and legal restrictions surrounding Denis Ferguson the chances of getting permission would be very slim. To overcome this issue we therefore had to change the name to Peter File, and get a photo from Creative Commons, and we would then not be breaching copyright.

Week 8 - Response to Content

Report on some aspect of your essay preparation or class discussion on this week’s lecture and readings:

• Free Software and the Creative Commons

• Why doesn't strict copyright make sense for some things?

• What are the benefits of proprietary software versus free software?

• Where does free software come from?

• It is not illegal to share food or clothes or recipes, why should it be illegal to share software?

• What is the difference between free and open software?

• Why is free software important for all computer users?

• Try some open source software and report back.

‘Free software is software that gives you the user the freedom to share study and modify it. We call this free software because the user is free’. (Lee, M. 2011). When using free software, you are given the choice to learn, and also share information with others. It allows people to share their knowledge and then for others to build upon that knowledge with their own. The amazing thing is, is that, you don’t have to be a computer genious to use the software it is made easy to access and readily available. It also releves the stress of being caught for copyright when copying information for a friend. Unfortunately there are some threats to free software which include digital restrictions management, Software patents and treacherous computing. These can cause problems to the use of free software. Overall free software is a very useful component for all computer users and is easily accessed.

Lee, M. (2011). ‘What is free software and why is it so important for society?’, Free Software Foundation, Viewed September 21st 2011, via https://learning.secure.griffith.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_101249_1&frame=top

Week 7 - Tutorial Task

Report on your progress in producing a video that you can embed on your blog. Remember, students can use mobile phones, home cameras or laptops to capture fresh footage that you definitely own the copyright to. It is a challenge and your grade will depend on how well you write up your experience.

Our group further discussed our concept this week and wrote down 5 questions to go away and ask 3 of our friends. The questions are:

1. Have you read the terms and conditions before setting up your Facebook account?

2. On average, how many times do you go on Facebook a week? 


3. CYBER BULLYING: 


Have you ever been involved in an argument on Facebook? 


-Would this be the same in real life?

-Has this lead you to delete or block people involved in this argument? 



4. Do you have personal contact information on your profile? 


5. Do you accept or add people you don’t know?

The first 2 questions are concerned with getting some back ground information on our guests and we then launch into the important questions about their privacy, knowledge and usage of Facebook.

We have to be aware about copyright in relation to using names, images, brands or logos in our film. Since we are going to be showing a Facebook page in our video we will have to research, if we are allowed to use the Facebook logo and homepage. Another issue will be the music we end up using due to the fact that we would be copyrighting it. Our tutor did suggest us to have a look at Creative Commons.

We thought it would be a good idea to make a plan, and decide where we want to be in terms of finishing our video each week. We decided to work individually at first in order to get our individual footage to a decent standard before getting together and puting the film together. We also have created an event on Facebook so we can all keep in touch and remind each other of our meetings and discuss any further ideas we may have.

Week 7 - Response to Content

Discuss issues that came up in the lecture:

*How is Wikipedia useful?

*Has anyone here edited Wikipedia? How hard is it?

* Why does Facebook work?

* What would it take for you to close down your Facebook account?

* Where is the profit to be made in produsage?

* Is citizen journalism the end of traditional journalism?

Or any other topics that emerge from the lecture and readings.

Wikipedia is one of the most well known and most used sources online, that people turn to for definitions or basic information on any topic you can think of. It is highly useful in the sense, as it gives you a basic idea of the topic and is extremely easy to use. It provides hyperlinks to definitions, for words people may not understand. There are however, many criticisms of Wikipedia and its credibility. It is stated in the First article journal that the ‘power structure within Wikipedia is invisible, vague and opaque, giving rise to a tyranny of structurelessness’ (Kostakis, V. 2010). Wikipedia is often seen as an unreliable source, as anyone can post ideas and information on the site; however it is most defiantly useful as a beginning to any research. With Wikipedia an individual can start with searching their topic using and then find useful references which will then lead them to the original text that the quote came from, which in most case will be a more legitimate and academic source than using Wikipedia.

Kostakis, V. (2010). ‘Identifying and understanding the problems of Wikipedia’s peer governance’, First Monday, Vol. 15, No. 3.

Viewed September 21st 2011 Via http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2613/2479

Week 6 - Tutorial Task

The challenge over the next three weeks (week 6, week 7, week 8) is to produce one or more short audio-visual pieces, preferably with a new communication technology theme, while all the time blogging about your experiences.

This week do a short report on different production tools that you might use and explain your basic concept in one sentence. Keep in mind

1) How you can add elements that you have created (photos, music, video from your phone etc) into the production,

2) Problems you may have with copyright over elements that you did not create and

3) The dangers of defamation (saying or implying something that harms another's reputation).

As I was unable to make it to the week 6 tutorial, I had to wait till the next week to be put into our groups. The next week however once we were put into groups, we began brainstorming and initially came up with two ideas; the first idea was to interview people about their thoughts on the neural implants and if they would be open to the idea. We then realised, however, that we would be limited to interviewing other students studying ‘New Communication Technology’ as they will be roughly the only ones with any idea of the pros and cons of neural implants.

The other idea was the one we decided was most appropriate and logical. We plan to research in the form of interviews and find out how individuals respond to the privacy of Facebook and the impact this has on their personal life. We will be using films to create our production. Based on our brief concept at the moment, it appears that we will not have any problems with copyright as we are not using anyone else’s material. We will be however, asking our interviewees if they are happy to be recorded when answering our questions, so we can use their responses in our production.

Week 6 - Response to Content

Discuss issues arising out of the lecture particularly why Hollywood is having so much trouble adapting to the rise of the internet. For it 116 year history, cinema has depended on technological change for its existence and then for the new developments (colour, sound, TV, recorders, 3D, VHS, DVD, CGI) that have kept the format fresh and interesting to audiences who can quickly become jaded. What makes the internet different? Is downloading killing Hollywood or could it be the path to new beginnings?

The internet has allowed easier access to films for the everyday person. Whether this is a good or bad thing for Hollywood films is unsure. The positives of the internet being involved with films are that, it makes it a lot easier to market films to a greater audience. Rather than wait for something to come into cinemas for people to hear about it they can now be advertised on line and with such websites like YouTube. it is also now easy to watch the trailer of movies and builds anticipation for the audience to when this film will come out. As Michael masciono states in his article 'Transforming filmmaking through crowd sourcing', 'Crowd sourcing is playing a more significant role in the development and marketing of certain kinds of films, especially independent and short films, driven by dramatically changing conditions in the independent film world.' Crowd sourcing has broad potential in filmmaking. It will likely have greater value in testing films with audiences, and it may contribute to the release of a greater variety of film versions on different platforms.

On the other side of things the internet has also allowed a person to download films online for free which leads to massive losses in the profit of the film industry. Traditional Hollywood films are also now being undermined by amateur films that are being released online for free for people to download. Not to mention that the internet has allowed anyone to upload their film and claim that they are now a film maker taking away the importance of it from classical Hollywood film directors.

Another clear example of how the internet can assist in getting your name known, as a film maker, is the film ‘The Tunnel’. Enzo Tedeschi and Julian Harvey had a great idea to pay for the creation of their film via user donations. Once this occurred and the film had been made they released the film online for free. As stated by Ed Gibbs in his article ‘The Tunnel: going viral’, ‘then they would sell a special edition DVD off the back of the publicity, and screen the film at select theatres and special events.’ This was a great success and created a whole new side to the internet and its connection to the film industry.

Mascioni, M. (2010). Internet Evolution: Transforming Filmmaking through Crowdsourcing. http://www.internetevolution.com/author.asp?section_id=709&doc_id=190970

Gibbs, E. (2011). The Tunnel: Going Viral. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/the-tunnel-going-viral-20110523-1f0b2.html

(Viewed 4^th Sep 2011)

(Viewed 4^th Sep 2011)

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.