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.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
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!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
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!
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!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
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!
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!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)