Course Summary

Ok, so time for my summary/impressions of New Communications Technologies!

What did I like about it:

I liked that, despite my initial thoughts, the subject was not for people who already know a lot about technology. I knew pretty much nothing about it at the start of the course, but it didn't matter because everything was explained, and even if it was hard to understand, all I had to do was ask my tutor or someone else and it was explained in an understandable way. I also really liked the freedom of choice of the essay topic. When I first learnt we had to do the essay, I was really worried about it. But since there was such a broad range of areas to focus on, I was able to find a topic that genuinely interested me, so doing the assignment was actually a really interesting and even educational experience! I also liked that the blog tasks where we had to use word and excel were directed by simple instructions, but not so simple that I didn't constantly need help! But there was always help available! So it was all good. Also, if I sent an email to my tutor with a question, it was always replied to soon after (good netiquette!) which is good because they were about assessments etc, where I didn't want to be kept waiting for a reply. To quickly recieve a reply is way better than not getting one at all, and still being confused about what I have to do!

What I didn't like about the course/what didn't work:

I don't really have many complaints here, but I would have to say that the main thing was that some of the films (most of them) were really confusing. Maybe it was just to me, but from watching them I never grasped the concept; I always had to read about them afterwards to understand them. Maybe if they were just generally explained to us first, then we could have watched them and had a better understanding of them. I'm not just saying this because I'm lazy and didn't want to have to spend my time reading about them, it's because if we knew first what was happening in them, then we could see the actual parts of the film in which certain/pivotal moments occured, instead of having to try remember them later. This was especially the case in 'Primer.' I had no idea of any of it while watching it, but when I read about it and it made more sense to me, I couldn't relate all the important parts to when they actually happened in the film.
But having said that, the films during the lectures were good; they explored interesting concepts, and it's good to see 'art house' films like those, instead of big Hollywood ones all the time.

Well that's about it, but overall it was a good course!

week 12 lecture

Hi!
Week 12's lecture was about 'Free Software, Open Source, Creative Commons, Electronic Frontiers Foundation.' So the gist of free and open source software, including the 'copyleft' concept of having free stuff on the Net, was founded by Richard M Stallman, and it is basically software that anyone can access and share for free. This is a nice change to having to pay for your proprietry software. So everyone can benefit from free and open source software, unlike proprietry software, where only its makers can benefit, and I guess the people who pay loads of money to get it. The creation of this free and open software is obviously hugely beneficial to the many people who use the internet, as outlined by Adam in the lecture as being anyone who has a blog, so anyone in this course, and anyone who even uses a computer and the internet.

The Creative Commons are people who issue licenses so that we can use them on our blogs and various other things, and use information (sensibly of course) without the prospect of being sued by the mega-rich people who can sue us, and belong to 'big corporations.' This has implications for the whole e-democracy concept-the right to freely generate information, leading to discussion and debate, but not having to worry about legal repurcussions.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an organisation dedicated to maintaining freedoms on the Net. As they say; "when our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense." They are concerned with issues like free speech and internet privacy. The internet privacy thing is relevant for their case against AT & T/US government, who they were suing because it was revealed that AT & T (a company like Telstra, from what I can gather??) are allowing the US government access to private records of their customers. So the work of the EFF is doing important and relevant things for rights over the internet.

That's all for now! See ya!

week 11 lecture on cyberpolitics

Hello!
Cyberpolitics was the topic of week 11's lecture. The digital divide was mentioned; so the fact that not everyone has equal access to computers, especially the internet, and as the lecture notes read, how can everyone be represented in on-line debate? It then said access is easier to gain now through friends, libraries, cheaper costs etc, but what about people living in, say, slums in Africa? I don't think they have access to libraries with internet connection, or friends with net connections etc, which is also refered to in the notes. But then it reminded me of something I read in the text book for this subject. On page 189 it talks about 'digital optimist' Nicholas Negroponte, and his goal of providing every child in Third World Countries access to a laptop computer. It's definitely good that he's doing something to benefit others, but as I read it I just thought, what would those kids do with a laptop? What would they look up on the net if they had access to it?

Anyway, on to Habermas' theory of 'the public sphere.' By this he meant the area of social life and existence where 'public opinion' forms. Also, McLuhan's argument that the electronic media could provide opportunities to people of involvement in the 'public sphere.' I agree with this, because I definitely believe in the power of the media to provide people with facts, knowledge etc that can help people to form opinions. I think it is an incredibly important that the media and communication technologies like the internet, allow people easy access to information. For example, when I'm doing an assignment, I can go onto the Australian Government or Parliament website and get some legitimate info. I also agree with what the lecture notes say about John Fiske's argument-that people come up with their own interpretations of what they read of the media, and, I believe, everything in general. And, what John Hartley said about television communicating to all different people, things happening all over the world. Just turn on the news and that's what you'll see.

The free speech and censorship section was relevant and interesting to me, because it was an issue focused on in my essay. I'm all for democracy and the practising of democracy by the citizens in that I appreciate all the privileges it brings, but I don't think people should be able to put anything they want on the net; somethings should definitely be censored. But of course that's just my opinion and there are a lot who disgaree with it.

Reading about the hackers reminded me of Jason Nelson's lecture, and what was put on his site when hackers got to it. I had always, until now, thought hackers were in fact involved in computer crime-just messing with people's sites abnd putting inappropriate things there etc. But the lecture shows another side of that, and this leads me to ask, are the type of people Jason Nelson was talking about actually not hackers, but crackers? I guess so, because according to The Hacker Ethic, no content can be damaged, they simply want to share the info. But that's not what Jason Nelson's hackers/crackers did...so I guess they were crackers. And the hacker contribution to democracy is significant; especially 'providing access to debates for a multitude of voices that could never be heard through existing mainstream, broadcast media.' Debate is a crucial aspect of democracy, therefore something providing people with a voice is important to the practising of democracy.

I won't lie and say I fully understood Primer because I definitely didn't! I wasn't sure of the actual moment their invention became a time machine. So I was pretty lost. I read some spoilers as we were urged to do because the second half would be ultra confusing without them, but the sites google came up with that I looked at were blog conversations between people who were genuises and knew all this stuff about the issues covered in Primer, so that pretty much just confused me more! But, all the time travel 'possibilites' in the lecture notes were interesting, especially the part that pointed out that computers just expand time, and that experiences could be relived as new and present. It just goes to show how different a computer is to the human brain! Anyway, that's it for this week. 'Til next time!

I didn't see that I had to do this in week 3!!

Ok, I was just checking all the tute tasks we were meant to do since the start of semester, and I fully saw this task from week 3 that I never saw and therefore haven't done! I don't know if it's too late or anything, but I'll do it anyway. The task was to post a blog about my experiences with communication technologies, so how I use them, and which ones I use.

I use lots of forms of communication technologies; I use the phone often, as well as the computer and the tv. I also go to the cinema as well. However, these aren't all new communication technologies, although they have definitely been updated, which makes them new. But, there are a lot of actual new communication technologies that I use just as frequently.

These include, first and foremost, the mobile phone! I know it seems like such a trivial thing to say that mobiles are so important etc, but honestly, they are great for keeping in touch with everyone you know! The fact that you can just send a message as well is an effective way to catch up with someone and organise something etc, quickly. It's also handy to know that wherever you are, providing you have reception etc, that if you have your phone with you, you can contact people and be contacted. Think of how good they are for if you, or someone else, is going overseas. You can get international roaming put on your phone and stay in touch with everyone at home even when your on the other side of the world.

I also use my ipod. It's so convenient; it's small and can be taken and used just about anywhere. It provides entertainment, and because they are compact, can fit in your pocket or bag easily and hardly take up any room.

The task also asked how long have you been using new communication technologies, and what influenced you to start? Well, I guess I have been using communication technologies since I was basically able to. I've been watching tv since I was little, and been using the computer since, I guess, primary school. And as I have gotten older, the technologies I use and how often I use them and what I use them for have changed greatly. When I was young, I used to use the phone only when I had to. Now, I use my mobile to talk to people whenever I'm bored, or just feel like it. What influenced me to start using communication technologies would have to have been the fact that they offer entertainment. Like I said, it all started with the tv and movies, and I watched them because they were entertaining. I used to chat on msn messenger etc because it was something to do. And now I use the computer mainly for uni purposes, but I still use the phone, tv and my ipod for entertainment reasons.

lecture 10 on cybertherapy

Week 10's lecture on Cybertherapy was taken by Debra Beattie. She spoke about things like kids helpline, and how they now operate over the internet. Kids can log into kids helpline chatrooms and have internet conversations with counsellors. Debra said that they were fairly controversial and had been subject to criticism. However, I think they are a great idea, and there was plenty of things said in the lecture that proves their success. As the internet is generally a less-personal approach, I think kids, and people in general, would feel so much more comfortable talking in a chat room. That way, they wouldn't be nervous to say things that are harder to say to an actual voice, or if they were worried they would start crying over the phone, that wouldn't be a concern for them on the net. Debra has researched this, and found facts that support why these services are good. For example, the counselled felt safer online and were more likely to stay on the net and talk than the phone. Also, there's a whole lot of things on the net that can be done that can't be done on the phone. Things like e-messages can be sent from the counsellor to the counselled, of affirmations and things like that, so it's not as if they just had one conversation then the counselled is on their own. Debra also introduced the concept of art therapy, where the counselled draw how they feel, which also allows the counsellor to see what the counselled's issue is, sooner than when on the phone. The example was a picture someone had drawn of her and her mum on one side, then her dad alone on the other side. That's pretty insightful and helpful to the counsellor. I think if it helps people, which it obviously does, then it's definitely worth doing.

We also watched a film by Debra called 'The Wrong Crowd,' which I thought was interesting. It had narration throughout it, of the character in it, and it was about Debra's life, I think. It explored themes like police corruption and brutality, and was set in Brisbane from I think the 1950's or so onwards. Anyway, I enjoyed it.

week 11-excel tute task

I haven't used excel in so long, I vaguely remember doing it in year 10 but still, I have no idea how to use it. We had to work out costs and things for three people. Being as I didn't really understand what excel was for because I had never used it outside of school before, I was pretty confused as to why we were entering these values. Anyway, the first steps were basic and easy, just typing names and amount etc. So that was simple enough. When we progressed onto harder things, it was more confusing. The instructions helped heaps, but sometimes didn't explain little things you had to do, so I would do it slightly wrong and it wouldn't work like the instructions said it should. Those were the main problems I experienced, and the solutions to them were just to get Adam to help me and explain it to me and get help from people around me too.
It wasn't too confusing but because I have no idea about it I'm sure other people would have found it easier than me. I can definitely see how it would be useful, as Adam explained it to me, it saves a lot of time when you're trying to work out finances etc. So although I would have to get a better feel for it, it would be very beneficial to people who know how to use it and who do use it when they are doing spreadsheets etc.

week 9 lecture

Cyberpunk was the topic of week 9's lecture, and during the lecture we were introduced to William Gibson. He sounds complicated, and normally I don't like it when I can't understand things, therefore have to re-read them, which is what you would have to do with his work. But it also sounds like he has some interesting ideas, especially the "merging of organic and mechanical elements in the human body." We saw a steady flow of Keanu Reeves as well. Ha ha, not really, only twice. But anyway, the Matrix came up again as I recall it did weeks ago, to compare it with Alphaville, which I found extremely helpful to me to better understand what Alphaville was all about, not that I really understand either one now, but I'm getting there! The whole cyberpunk thing refered to the utopia and dystopia themes that we've heard of before; they were also brought up in the course of Alphaville. It's strange to me to think that people think of tecnhology as being utopia...as seen in the lecture notes, if you percieve technology as being a utopia, what happens when you are forced to go back to reality; what will you have then? The cities as machines theory is something to think about. All three alternatives (the city is a machine for living, the city is a natural thing created by natural beings and the city is a living being) all have elements of truth to them. I especially agree with the first two-the city is both of these things, but it's funny that all through life I was taught the difference between 'man-made' and 'natural' developments, and here it says that the city is a natural being, even though I would originally have thought of it as un-natural and man made, although really it is both. The Modernism/Post-Modernism section brings up the discussion on freedom of speech, which is a large theme in my essay. The lecture said that new media needs new understandings, and especially political ones. I agree with that after doing my essay, but I'm not all for freedom of speech with new media, even though before this I have always been pro-freedom of speech! So I guess I'm not bringing a needed political understanding yet. Anyway, that's it for this week.

ESSAY: INTERNET CENSORSHIP OF PRO-ANOREXIA AND PRO-BULIMIA WEBSITES

The internet is an increasingly popular form of new communication technology because of the variety and amount of information it provides, and the ease with which it is gained. Due to this, teenagers and anyone else can now access pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites; sites that people suffering from these eating disorders can visit to encourage and support each other in their quest for thinness. This is an example of why there is now a need for censorship on the internet; but who should be responsible for this? This essay argues that certain internet sites with inappropriate material like these should be blocked, however that prompts debate over what the implications of internet censorship would mean for freedom of speech and thought.

In Australia, laws have been enforced regarding the issue of internet censorship, in the form of the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Bill 1999 (Jackson, James & Tapley 1999). This Bill states that it is the responsibility of the Internet Service Provider, or ISP, (the provider of internet access) and Internet Content Host, or ICH (who host internet content for others without supplying an internet connection). The Bill also notes that content providers are not free from regulation, but that they are dealt with under State and Territory Legislation. This legislation is an admission that there is a need for some form of internet censorship, and that need has been put into practice.

Also decided in the Bill is what is classed as ‘prohibited content’, and should not be available on Australian internet sites. Prohibited content means content that has been classified under the guidelines established with the Commonwealth Classification (Publication, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995 as either R, X or RC. R refers to ‘information deemed likely to be disturbing or harmful to persons under 18 years’, X is ‘non-violent sexually explicit material involving consenting adults’, and RC stands for ‘refused classification’(2006c). These classifications prove that there is material on the internet that should be restricted.

The establishment of this Bill has prompted debate over issues of freedom of speech and freedom of thought. That is, a person’s right to say or write what they want, and the ability to be able to access information and views that will allow a person to form their own opinions. Strauss (1976 p. 23) asserts that without freedom of thought, “the only kind of intellectual independence of which many people are capable is destroyed, and that is the only freedom of thought which is of political importance.” Organisations such as Electronic Frontiers Australia (2006c) have formed because they share a belief in online rights and freedom, and it is certainly arguable that censorship interrupts freedom of speech.

However this causes issues because of the cost, and of the cost to whom, people are prepared to fight for their right to free speech. Electronic Frontiers Australia suggests censoring alternatives such as filtering products (2006c). An example of one of these services is Net Nanny (2007b). Net Nanny is used by parents to monitor what their children are viewing on the internet. It blocks objectionable web content and sends an e-mail to parents if their children try and access objectionable websites. There are other filter services like this, but they create issues of over-generalising. For example, if sites containing the word breast are blocked, information about breast cancer cannot be researched (Culture and Recreation). Whilst internet censorship becomes a complicated matter due to personal freedoms, it is generally recognized that some internet content needs to be blocked, with either filters or by law.

Pro-anorexia websites are not, despite their disturbing and highly controversial features, prevented or censored by the Bill and its Classification Scheme. The problem with these websites is that because the conversations are occurring in a surrounding where everyone is thinking alike, that line of thought and the behaviour that goes with it is normalized. Anna Burke (Federal Member for Chisholm) asked Philip Ruddock (Attorney-General) to review the Classification Scheme in regards to the pro-anorexia websites, but his response was that the scheme “does not prevent the exploration of strong themes or the expression of controversial views (2006d).” However, the R classification seems fitting to apply to these sites, as content that could be harmful to persons under 18 years, but also to people in general.

A pilot study was featured in a European Eating Disorders Review to examine the impacts on young women viewing pro-anorexia websites (Bardone-Cone & Cass 2006). The women completed questionnaires to examine their moods and cognitions before and after viewing these websites. Overall, preliminary data showed that seeing a pro-anorexia website had “negative affective and cognitive effects on young women (Bardone-Cone & Cass 2006).” This does not prove that anyone who views a pro-anorexia website could develop an eating disorder purely due to the content on the website. However, it makes evident that these websites can encourage people to feel negatively about themselves. A body-conscious teenager is particularly susceptible to being negatively affected by this, shown in a study by Cavanaugh and Nemeroff (1999) cited in Peterson (2004, p. 364). It showed that 40% of girls, some as young as six, preferred thinner bodies than their own, and 80% of pre-adolescent and young adolescent girls had dieted before or were currently dieting. This highlights the fragile state of young minds in relation to physical appearance and shows that because anyone who sees one of these websites is at risk of being negatively affected, they should be censored.

The implication of these sites not being classed as prohibited content is that anyone can at any time go on the internet and easily locate a pro-anorexia or pro-bulimia website, read weblogs, messages written by sufferers to other sufferers encouraging their lifestyles and read a list of recommended exercises and low-calorie foods. The website ‘Pro-Ana Nation’(2007c) is an example. Before entering the site, a Microsoft Internet Explorer warning is seen, reading “You must be at least 18 years old to enter this website.” There is no possible way to know if the person who clicked ‘OK’ and was allowed entry into the site was in fact 18. A warning reading that you must be at least 18 years old to view the content of the website reinforces the possibility of the R classification being applied to these sites. However, without any form of restriction in regards to censorship, these sites can be freely viewed and could be causing a number of problems for anyone who views them; another reason why censorship is needed.

Pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites should be censored. Although it causes issues for freedom of speech and thought, filter products often do not provide enough advantages to outweigh their disadvantages, and therefore may not cause people to actually purchase them. Censorship with the Classification Scheme is the most effective way to ensure less vulnerable people view these sites. Therefore, pro-anorexia and pro-bulimia websites should be grouped in a restricted website category.

REFERENCES:

List of References

1. Beresin, Eugene V. & Derenne, Jennifer L. (2006a) Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorder http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1043848461&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientld=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD May/June (accessed 26 April 2007)

2. Bardone-Cone, Anna M. & Cass, Kamila M. (2006b) Investigating the Impact of Pro-Anorexia Websites: A Pilot Study http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1125238721&sid=3&Fmt=2&clientld=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD July/August (accessed 26 April 2007)

3. Ernst, Morris Leopold (1964) Censorship: The Search for the Obscene The Macmillan Company, New York

4. Harrison, John & Hirst, Martin (2007a) communication and new media from broadcast to narrowcast Oxford University Press, Victoria

5. How did the Internet start? Internet Development Guide 2. http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/resources/guides/g2/s2.htm (accessed 7 May 2007)

6. Internet Censorship Laws in Australia (2006c) http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/cens1.html March (accessed 23 April 2007)

7. Jackson, Kim, James, Matthew & Tapley, Mark (1999) Bills Digest No. 179 1998-99 Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Bill 1999 http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/bd/1998-99/99bd179.htm (accessed 23 April 2007)

8. Need For Action Against Pro-anorexia Websites (2006d) http://www.alp.org.au/media/1206/ms134.php (accessed 23 April 2007)

9. ‘Net Nanny Parental Controls from ContentWatch’ http://www.netnanny.com/ (accessed 7 May 2007)

10. Net Nanny Review 2007 (2007b)http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/netnanny-review.html (accessed 27 April 2007)

11. Peterson, Candida (2004) Looking Forward through the Lifespan Developmental Psychology 4th Edition Pearson Prentice Hall, Frenchs Forest

12. Pro-Ana Nation (2007c) http://www.pro-ana-nation.com/v1/index.php (accessed 23 April 2007)

13. Strauss, Leo (1976) Persecution and the Art of Wrting Greenwood Press, Connecticut

14. Tribe, David (1973) Questions of Censorship George Allen & Unwin LTD, London

Legislation

1. Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Bill 1999


2. Commonwealth Classification (Publication, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995

week 10 tute task

In the tute today we had to do a series of 'things' with Microsoft Word. We had to type a letter, then change some things to bold, italics and underline, do headers and footers then add tricky things using track changes, which I had never heard of before, and also use mail merge. I remember doing these things in year 10 BIP, but that was a long time ago, and didn't help me today! Apart from up to the headers and footers, I could remember nothing! That was my main problem; the fact that I am basically computer-illiterate when it comes to anything more technical than writing something and saving it! I also only had minor problems where what the instructions said would happen, didn't happen, and it completely confused me. Other minor things happened, for example when I was attempting to mail merge, my document kept vanishing, leaving only the insert mail merge toolbar thing, but I figured that one out myself! The solutions to my other problems that I couldn't figure out myself was asking Adam and the people next to me for help. It definitely wasn't too simple for me, but I think next time it would be much easier. It would have been easier for people that know the kind of basic computer skills. It was a bit confusing, but like I said before, after I got help, it was alright. I can definitely see how this software could be useful to me in the future; when I have to send impressive resumes I can use my new-found skills to jazz it up a bit! It's also just handy to know these things.

week 9 about week 8 lecture

Hello!
Week 8's lecture was taken by Jason Nelson and was about net art and digital creativity. I have had Jason for one other lecture before in a different subject, and I knew it would be an entertaining lecture, as he is so funny. Anyway, I was familiar with the sort of art he does from that other lecture; and he definitely has some cool ideas. The warning about hackers will probably come in handy to people with their own website as you definitely wouldn't want people putting the sort of stuff on your site that went onto his. In the other subject lecture and the one last week, Jason discussed the fact that the internet is not private, contrary to what people think. I had always thought that the net was an anonymous place, as in people you know can't find out what you're looking up and looking at. A lot of people have made the assumption that your internet activities are secret, but as Jason said, that's not the case. You can definitely be tracked! So I'm glad I don't do dodgy things on the net, haha. Anyway, the most interesting thing about the lecture to me was when Jason was talking about one of his art works, and what it was about. It was a series of moments from advertisements, and he said that he had taken the "hook" moment, so the moment of inspiration in the ads, and put them into a piece of art. I liked it because it seems like such a cool idea, something I wouldn't think to do, so once my attention had been drawn to that, it made me think of ads I knew and what would be the hook moment in them. I thought that was a really original idea, which is good, as he said internet content should be clever and original. That's about it for this week...til next time!

week 8, lecture week 7 on games

So, Adam took week 7's lecture on video games studies. I'll admit that I'm not really a fan of video/computer games. When I was younger and got a playstation, I used to love playing crash bandicoot, but that was years ago. However, I can't deny how hugely popular they are. I see lots of men, boys and sometimes women and girls playing them for hours at a time, so obviously I can appreciate that they have their appeal. The lecture was probably the first time I've actually considered games to be a form of communication. It's interesting to think that one day they probably will be viewed in the same way we now look at newspapers. And of course with so many technological advances, it's a whole other thing to think about the potential games have. Especially to think that the army uses some games to train soldiers! That goes to show the significant role they play. The tute tasks for this lecture were to check out the games on the net. I went to Activeworld. Seeing that made it so obvious to me how games are actually forms of communication. I mean, direct communication with other people. You create your own character and world, and then chat to other people that have done the same. And as conversation is such a basic and obvious form of communication, coupled with the fact that these things like Activeworld are new technologies, games fit nicely into the whole 'new communication technologies' thing!
til next time!

week 8 tute task

Activeworlds: It lets you create your own 3D world, and visit other people's created worlds. In these worlds, you become a character and so does everyone else, and it allows you to interact with each other in an imaginary world. You can talk to each other, and fly, swim and walk around, and see the other characters. When they speak, it comes up as a speech bubble in the created world, as well as in text-form in the conversation section underneath; that part is similar to the msn set up. The actual graphics of the created world are pretty cool too; there's little bunches of flowers growing, and lakes and grass and even brick walls. Those are all the qualitative differences between Activeworlds and msn, as msn doesn't have any of that except for basic chat. Msn allows you to chat to other people, but you have to already know them or at least already have their e-mail address. This is unlike Activeworld, where you meet people when you visit their worlds or have them visit yours. That's why the socialising is different; on msn you talk to your friends as yourself. On Activeworld you can create an environment, become a character and talk to others who have done the same. The fact that Activeworlds is 3D obviously makes a difference because it allows the creation of the worlds and everything that comes with it.

I've seen the ads for Habbo Hotel, and it looks to be similar-a place where you create a character and interact with other characters created by other people. The difference between it and Activeworld is that, from what I could gather off the ads, Habbo Hotel is more real-life situations, like the Sims, where you live in a house, maybe hotel from the name, and have parties, hang out with other people etc etc. Habbo Hotel is different from msn for the same reasons as Activeworld; characters fitting into a certain environment and interacting with others. Again, that is a big step-up from the basic qualities of msn. Habbo Hotel, like Activeworld, takes chatting and socialising to a new level by the creation of new worlds.

week 6 tute tasks-news worthy

NEWSWORTHY: As I said in last week's task when I used this for news, it is news-worthy because it definitely has the characteristics of being a story in the news. For one, it has the element of impact because it's a rough sea and it's crashing into a house. I then added the speed boat crashing into the wall because that increases its news-worthiness, by creating a freak accident, as well as the unusual, because this isn't heard about very often.

week 6 tute tasks-friends

FRIENDS: This image is friends because it's a boy and his dog, and as they say dog is man's best friend. And generally the boy has his arm around the dog and they look like pals! I put the sky in there to illustrate what the boy is pointing to, and it also has the feel of spending a day with a friend, because the clouds are rolling, and this shown in fast motion usually means a day gone by. It shows two friends hanging out for a day, which is what you do with your friends, even if you're not doing much, just sitting around like these two.

week 6 tute tasks-communication

COMMUNICATION: These walkie-talkies are a mode of communication, that's why I chose them. Even though they are probably not used very often with so many things like mobile phones, e-mail etc, they still provide some form of contact between people, which is basically what communication is. I added little speech bubbles saying 'hi,' to demonstrate an actual conversation, as conversations are a popular and common mode of verbal communication.

week 6 tute tasks-celebrity

CELEBRITY: This image of Britney Spears to me represents what I think makes a celebrity, and makes people interested in celebrities. Someone who is famous for whatever reason, and then has people love them, hate them and scrutinise their every move, which is shown in this photo where someone has already pointed out everything she is doing 'wrong' in this photo. I made the addition of faces watching from everywhere, as it seems that is what we do with celebrities, and camera flashes going off. Only a celebrity could make going to the toilet something to read about in magazines.

week 6 tute tasks-games

GAMES: I chose an image of the board game snakes and ladders, obviously because it is a game played between people for 'fun.' I altered it by putting angry faces on the once-smiling snakes, because you know you are playing a game when you start of for fun and being friendly, but then it turns competitive and into a series of arguments. At least that's how I can remember all my game-like experiences; board games, sport games, all of them!

week 6 tute tasks-Popular

POPULAR: I chose a mobile phone to represent popular, because they are obviously hugely popular devices. I modified it by creating, not that you can tell, a human heart behind it, because people always say "I couldn't live without my phone." As the heart is a vital organ in living, I put them together to show the dependence people have on their phones!

week 6 tute tasks-Australian

AUSTRALIAN: I know it's such a cliche to have this for my Australian image, but that's why it's so Australian! A koala (Australian animal icon) wearing a national shirt with the words 'Down Under' is pretty Australian to me! The changes I made to it were just to make the background green and yellow because they are indeed the Australian colours!

Week 5 lecture post

Good afternoon,
Week 5's lecture was about virtual reality, philosophy and the screen age. It re-capped all the things that existed before and ultimately helped to create virtual reality; like telegraph, telephone, cinema etc. It also explained virtual language; most of it I remember learning in high school english, but it was still really useful to be reminded of all the concepts. And to re-read them all reminds me how important they are to videos, for example sound, as well as all the different camera angles. However, all this virtual reality stuff confused me...until vision, sound, touch and taste and smell are used as examples, and that makes it clear to me. The touch one is interesting; like force feedback-forces acting on muscles, joints and tendons. Although I'm not sure if I can think of a time I have experienced this, maybe that's because I don't really understand the touch part, but it's still cool to read about! All this virtual stuff is still a little over my head, maybe I need to read it in simpleton terms! But anyway, they were the stand-out concepts of the lecture, because I kinda understodd them and they were interesting!

Til next time!

week 4-lecture week 3

Hello!
Since we had a big tute task this week this will only by quick! This lecture we learnt all about the birth of the computer. Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace were pioneers of the computer, we also learnt about the various computer companies, like Microsoft, and of course we heard of 'the Microsoft Conspiracy!' We then started watching Alphaville, which confused me no end. I didn't understand where the man was or generally what was going on. It was about computers taking over whole societies, basically. Anyway, that's all I've got for now.

week 5 tute exercises-university life

UNIVERSITY LIFE: This is uni life to me! There is, I guess, the social side too, but this is more familiar! All of a sudden after cruisy ol' school, you enter into this full-on world of study and assignments! It's pretty over-whelming to adjust to, as I think is evident in this image!

week 5 tute exercises-unconventional

UNCONVENTIONAL: To me, this is a pretty much unconventional use of a toilet, though it certainly looks like it works, and even looks pretty cool! But unconventional all the same as I've never seen flowers growing from a toilet before.

week 5 tute exercises-news

NEWS: It's news because it is news-worthy. It has the shock element of some sort of crazy and destructive weather that makes the newspapers.

week 5 tute exercises-high tech

HIGH TECH: Because it looks like a lot of technology went into making it, it's so robotic! Also, because it looks complicated, so it's gotta be technology, right!

week 5 tute exercises-summer

SUMMER: This is a typical cliche summer day! A hot, sunny day at the beach and it reminds me of many a summer day at various beaches.

week 5 tute exercises-friends

FRIENDS: This image represents friends because they have their arms around each other and are smiling and laughing like I do with my friends!

Week 4 lecture written week 5

Greetings from week 5,

There's not a whole lot to say about the last lecture; we had two women, one of them was a former Griffith student, not sure about the other, come in and give a presentation about their job's in PR. It was interesting but didn't really relate to me as I'm not interested in PR. However, it was still interesting to see the contacts they made, and that I can make, through people they became friends with at uni, met on planes etc. You never know who and what has the potential to be a job opportunity! Anyway, the second half of the lecture was the next part of Alphaville. I think we nearly finished it, it was near the end but I don't know if we'll see anymore of it. Anyway, with my new understanding of Alphaville in that I was actually able to watch it knowing what it was about, understanding the characters etc, I found it much more interesting and watchable. The society existing in Alphaville unravelled more to the viewer and to the main character, Lemmy Caution. We saw that people who showed emotion were killed, like the man who cried when his wife died, and we saw that the main female character showed emotion (cried a little bit) when she saw Lemmy in trouble. I liked watching it because I could actually understand it this time!

Tutorial tasks week 4

Task 1: Book- French new wave : an artistic school

Task 2: Sources-1. Vertigo (09687904); Spring/Summer2005, Vol. 2 Issue 8, p8-10, 2p, 5bw
2. Cineaste; Apr96, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p52, 1p, 1bw
3. Sight & Sound; Jul94, Vol. 4 Issue 7, p10-12, 3p, 3bw

The purpose of the first source is to examine the relevance of the French film Alphaville. The author compares Alphaville to other science fiction films of more recent times, such as the Matrix. It also refers to utopias and dystopias, and the meanings of the words. Reading that the author has done a comparison between Alphaville and the Matrix has given me a much better understanding of the basis of Alphaville. Because we have only seen half of it I don't really understand it, and I don't really understand the Matrix either but I know the very general basis of it. and so now I can relay that to Alphaville; a world operating within extreme technological developments.

The second soure was incredibly helpful in increasing my understanding of Alphaville. It is a brief summary of the film; the storyline and issues and the characters in it. It explains how the main character, Lemmy Caution, arrives in Alphaville, which is a totalitarian city-state of the future. It is completely run by a computer system known as Alpha 60, which is erradicating Alphaville of any humanities, like emotion, making it and the people there basically robotic. The article also explains where the film was shot and the technicques used, as well as on what the film was shot and viewed.

'It all happened in Paris,' the third source, analyses and discusses Jean Luc Godard's use of Paris, France to make Alphaville. As the second source also refered to Godard's use of the city of Paris, and how most sci-fi films use set design to create their look, I figured the use of Paris alone was fairly pioneering to do. I find the use of Paris effective, because the way the film comes together is bizzare enough already, location-inclusive. The sci-fi genre and feel of Alphaville is apparent despite the basic setting, which is relevant as the third article also discusses science fiction and pulp fiction narrative in Alphaville, as well as compares Alphaville to other Godard films.

This task has greatly helped me formulate my topic, because before undertaking it I had little idea of what Alphaville was all about, not just because I've only seen half of it, but because it was generally confusing for me. The Matrix analysis was the first informant source, because like I said, I could start to understand the basis of Alphaville, and this allowed me to consider certain aspects and issues of my topic. The second source was the best to me because it was a quick but effective and informative summary of Alphaville, and now I understand the storyline of the movie. This will benefit me in the lecture when part two is shown, as I will be able to understand it and continue to build on my topic knowledge. The third source helped me formulate the topic more because I don't know anything about how sci-fi films are made, but now I have something to think about!

Task 4: Scavenger Hunt!
1. 1446 pounds http://www.backyardgardener.com/pumpkins.html
2. 'Contact Me' on the granthackettonline.com website http://granthackettonline.free.fr/?page_id=107
3. 46cm long http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giraffe.html
4. Ontology : That department of the science of metaphysics which investigates and explains the nature and essential properties and relations of all beings, as such, or the principles and causes of being. In my own words: how we exist http://dictionary.oxid.ro/Definition/Ontology/index.html
5. 'Transfer' (1966) http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/directors/02/cronenberg.html#film
6. January 8 1986 http://www.technozen.com/manifesto.htm
7. the prefix '555' was pretty much unused, so they started using it in Hollywood so that the public wouldn't be calling real phone numbers when they wanted to talk to a star http://www.agsd.ca/sedley/stump/stump.htm#Why%20do%20movie%20phone%20numbers%20always%20start%20with%20555
8. 120 Euros by ferry http://www.athensguide.com/ferries.html
9. 'I'll Never Find Another You' - the Seekers http://www.onmc.iinet.net.au/topspot/1965.htm
10. Black Assassins http://www.brisbanewritersfestival.com.au/2005/content/standard.asp?name=StockwellS

Q. What is a search engine?
A. A search engine is an internet tool that allows you to type in a keyword, question etc and it will do a search of the internet and bring to you the websites that match the words you used in your search.

Q. How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?
A. By putting it in order of what contains the most keywords you used in your search.

Q. Who, or what, makes one page more useful than another one?
A. By having more of your keywords than the others.

Q. What's your favourite search engine? Whydo you prefer it to the others?
A. The obvious, google, is my favourite, because it retrieves so much information, and because you can narrow your searches and do an image search, or an Australia-wide only search.

Q. Can you find some current news stories about search engines?
A. I know google was used in the example but it's all I've got! It's not that recent, from last year, about google buying YouTube-a big news story because they are two extremely powerful and popular internet companies, used world-wide and worth a lot of money!

week 2 blog

Why Hello,
So onto my second blog...the week 2 lecture was basically the history of communication forms throughout various places-the UK, USA and Europe. The lecture began with a summary of the forms of study of communication and the jobs that have come from them. It basically showed the many avenues that opened up for communication technologies study as new means of communication were born. The lecture continued with the past 100 years of happenings in the field of communication technologies. The first real 'trigger' of what I was reading and hearing in regards to making sense to me, came with the 1940's USA Communications Studies of Minimum Effects. It spoke about Nazi propaganda, something we basically all have a general knowledge of. It also, for me, linked onto the point about McLuhan's starting point being the individual. That's because I thought about what a huge success Nazi propaganda was in Germany, and how effectively it was used, but the lecture included that it had minimal effect on the USA soldiers. So I agree with McLuhan that and how media effects, and effectiveness, start with the individual. Obviously, that's largely circumstantial as well, and depends on other things, but the individual comes into it. I was interested in his references of certain media being 'hot' or 'cool'. Radio and cinema being hot, and telephone and television being cool, due to their effects on the physical senses. Like I said I was interested, but I'm not sure I would class television as cool; I think it has the characteristics of being hot, because I think it has lots of intense information and is consuming of the audience, as McLuhan believes the other hot media means to be. But I'm sure he knows what he's talking about more than I do! The Mixed Effects (1970's) segment was interesting, because of what it said about the public's perception of a crime, due to the ways the media reported it. I did a speech last semester based on that underlying theme, and I definitely agree with the media having a strong amount of persuasion upon the public. In the UK section, the segment I most enjoyed and understood was the Stuart Hall, Birmingham School part. It's about how different audiences interpret media texts in various ways, and again relates to the McLuhan theory of the individual as the starting point. It shows how important each person is to the outcome and different understandings of a certain text. Not sure I really understood the European stuff... it just wasn't as easy to read as everything else! The La Jetee video was...well, I don't really know a word to describe it with. I enjoyed it, but it was confusing, and it took me ages to realise that they had the whole time-travel thing going on. So I really can't say much about it because I didn't really understand it, but I really liked that the man was flitting between the place where the men were transporting him from, and his meetings with the woman, and how he always found her again and went back to her, except at the end. Anyway, that's it for this week, (sigh of relief)
Kirsty

My First Blog

Wow, my very first blog, how exciting! So it is a blog specifically for the New Communication Technology course, and I'm not really sure what to say, but I'll just talk about my experience of the course so far. Before and even at the start of the first lecture, I didn't really know what the subject was about, it sounded kind of complicated, until it became so obvious; it's all in the title of the subject-new communication technologies. All the new ways to communicate! As I use several of the new ways of communication like iPod's, blogging from today onwards etc, it became less confusing. The lecture was basically an introduction to communication technology, like the uncomlicated Aristotle version of what is communication, and the much more complicated Shannon and Weaver version. It also talked about the good ol' forms of communication technology, like print, telegraph, telephone, radio and cinema. Those things seem so simple to us now, but to think of what incredible inventions they were when they were first invented, and everything they have encouraged now, is pretty amazing. I wonder what the inventors would think of everything that has come of their original products. I liked what Marshall McLuhan said about technology being extensions of the human body, I thought it was an interesting concept. It seemed to me to be kind of saying that the individual person is just as important as the individual piece of technology they are using. And now I'm in my first tute, making my first blog entry on my first ever blog, and to think before this I barely knew what a blog was! It was easy and even fun to make, and I'm quite enjoying posting this blog entry now! I don't have much else to say, and I don't know how long to make these things, but I hope this is sufficient for now! See ya