Lecture-
The weeks lecture began with Steven informing us about the rest of the semester and what is still expected in the course for the week. Today was the presentation of eXistenZ. The film was about a passionate video game creator. The games that were played were reality games played by everyone around them. The film had some good twists and turns. As the viewer you never really knew what world they were in. Cronenberg-the director- did a good job of keeping the viewer well entertained at all times, you didn’t know what was going to come next. The plot was good and it was much more interesting than the last film, Alphaville.
Reading-
The Military-Entertainment Complex: A New Facet of Information Warfare Steven Stockwell & Adam Muir Learning @ Griffith
The reading this week was still complex, but had some interesting points written in it. They go into talk about after the Gulf War in the USA with the technological advancements that have been made. Along with the military changes and the information that has been documented. They also go on the advancements that have been made involving the war fare. The times are changing and after each war, new things are discovered. They go on to say that the war in Iraq is more of an entertainment idea, with the concept that war is a form of entertainment. The article goes on to describe different US war times and the entertainment aspect that can be viewed on TV. Don’t forget to watch the fireworks on TV next week.
No Tutorial this week
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Week 6-Topic 6-History of the Computer
Lecture:
The history of computers was the topic for this week. Along with learning about the basics of the computers, we talked about the beginning of the internet and the web. In regards to the computers, it was interesting to learn about the beginnings of Apple and IBM and Microsoft. They were trying to make the best computers and make lots of money. But the computers began way before Apple and IBM came along. Computers are basically like calculators-machines that add up. We went into the details on the history of the first computers and how they have developed. Then there was a discussion on the Internet. The internet is a network of networks and the Web is a component of the internet. It is only one part. The details and the complexity of this technology is interesting and has changed is over the decades. It will always be changing and evolving.
Tutorial:
Topic: Speed Skating
The article that I read on Speed Skating was accurate in some aspects, but in other parts of the article it wasn’t completely true and not specific. I found the article bias to the long-track speed-skaters and don’t provide equal information to the other forms of speed skating; which is mentioned in the beginning of the article. It is accurate with the information, but it isn’t specific and was a very basic description. It doesn’t cover all the basics; it only covers the basics of the long-track speed skating. It also didn’t provide information on all aspects and areas of speed skating. If you didn’t know anything about speed skating, you probably would be completely confused about the sport. It is not a fair and balanced article; it is biased towards on form of speed skating.
If I could change anything about this article, I would add more information about the other forms of speed skating. It would include more information for the general readers to learn more about speed skating. It would include more about the training and the sport and make it more interesting to the readers.
Readings:
What’s New about New Media? Learning @ Griffith
The new media is always changing. There are always improvements on technology. New media could be a DVD player and the old media would be a VCR player. Along with the tapes to CD’s and now MP3 players have changed over the past 2 decades. Media is always changing and developing and improving. The idea of New Media captures “both the development of unique forms of digital media” (p 3). The internet is the newest and most developed of the new media. It always changing and improving, they are always growing. The internet has taken a dramatic change and has grown hugely over the years. The media is always changing and improving. the New media is always making new things.
The history of computers was the topic for this week. Along with learning about the basics of the computers, we talked about the beginning of the internet and the web. In regards to the computers, it was interesting to learn about the beginnings of Apple and IBM and Microsoft. They were trying to make the best computers and make lots of money. But the computers began way before Apple and IBM came along. Computers are basically like calculators-machines that add up. We went into the details on the history of the first computers and how they have developed. Then there was a discussion on the Internet. The internet is a network of networks and the Web is a component of the internet. It is only one part. The details and the complexity of this technology is interesting and has changed is over the decades. It will always be changing and evolving.
Tutorial:
Topic: Speed Skating
The article that I read on Speed Skating was accurate in some aspects, but in other parts of the article it wasn’t completely true and not specific. I found the article bias to the long-track speed-skaters and don’t provide equal information to the other forms of speed skating; which is mentioned in the beginning of the article. It is accurate with the information, but it isn’t specific and was a very basic description. It doesn’t cover all the basics; it only covers the basics of the long-track speed skating. It also didn’t provide information on all aspects and areas of speed skating. If you didn’t know anything about speed skating, you probably would be completely confused about the sport. It is not a fair and balanced article; it is biased towards on form of speed skating.
If I could change anything about this article, I would add more information about the other forms of speed skating. It would include more information for the general readers to learn more about speed skating. It would include more about the training and the sport and make it more interesting to the readers.
Readings:
What’s New about New Media? Learning @ Griffith
The new media is always changing. There are always improvements on technology. New media could be a DVD player and the old media would be a VCR player. Along with the tapes to CD’s and now MP3 players have changed over the past 2 decades. Media is always changing and developing and improving. The idea of New Media captures “both the development of unique forms of digital media” (p 3). The internet is the newest and most developed of the new media. It always changing and improving, they are always growing. The internet has taken a dramatic change and has grown hugely over the years. The media is always changing and improving. the New media is always making new things.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Week 5-Topic 5-Wikipedia
Lecture:
The internet is a huge factor in people’s lives in this technological generation. Students are looking online to research essays and using it social network with friends. But the issue with looking up information online is the faulty websites and online encyclopaedias. Wikipedia is an example of an online encyclopaedia that presents faulty information. Anyone can go online and change information, whether it is true or false. Information can be posted on any topic, and who ever has access to a computer can change and add information to this website. The lies and the lack of references that are made on Wikipedia make it a source that isn’t credible for academic work. But when refereeing to an article or a topic, it’s a good area to get a summary of what you are researching.
Tutorial:
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Walter Benjamin
How do the ideas from Walter Benjamin's "Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" apply to contemporary digital media?
In Walter Benjamin’s article, he presents the idea of when looking at an actor normally you see one thing. But when looking through the lens of a video camera you see something completely different. This article was written in the 1930’s, before the invention of computers which didn’t occur in that time. Walter talked about the different views within the eye of a camera. While in today’s society, nothing is as it appears. The advancement of the computers and airbrushing really change the whole idea and view of what’s on the screen; you never see the real person.
There was a time when "Art" was made by artists who were skilled professionals. Now that anyone with a computer can create things digitally (music, images, videos, etc), what does that mean for "art"?
Art has changed over time. Computers have taken over our lives and have become a huge part. We are a digital time period and everything is based on the computer. Artists still make hard copies of their work, but the digital age has changed everything. People are changing everything over to the digital. They are being replaced by computers.
Is a photo-shopped image "authentic"? Do digital "things" have an "aura" (in Benjamin's terms)?
Photoshop is not authentic because it’s not the original. It has been changed to please the eye of the viewer. You don’t see the original piece anymore and it changes your perspective and view of the art work.
It loses its authenticity. Every time is has changed it loses its original meaning and you wouldn’t fly to Paris to see a mini version of the art.
Readings:
Jorge Luis Borges: Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius (1940) (http://interglacial.com/~sburke/pub/Borges_-_Tlon,_Uqbar,_Orbis_Tertius.html)
The reading is a complicated and confusing article. I struggled to understand parts of the reading, but I got parts of the information. There are multiple articles within this one reading. In the first article, two acquaintances meet for dinner one night and are discussing mirrors. They have an in-depth detail discussion on this topic and they start discussing a place. The one gentleman had previously read about this place in an encyclopedia. After the two gentleman go to a library to research this location with no luck of discovering the place mentioned in the encyclopedia. The book had been brought from a sale, so anyone could have added those pages and made up this location. It has a similar structure of Wikipedia. Anyone can add to the website whether it’s real or not. The other articles are complex like the first article, but I enjoyed this one because it linked to the ideas of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Week 4-Topic 4- Old Communication Technologies and Theories
Lecture:
This week’s lecture was filled with various different topics. There was a discussion on last week’s film Alpahville. We were also given the biography of Walter Benjamin. He had a very interesting life full with passion. He didn’t have any formal education but was a journalist-writing for a column and did children’s radio. The German philosopher was a key figure in the First World War and was a peace activist in that time. When he moved to Paris, everything had changed. He stayed there till the 1940’s during the Second World War and later committed suicide. He was a German Jew, and the Nazi’s were taking over, he had to leave. He had many opportunities to write in various different fields and areas. It was interesting to learn about what he had accomplished in the time that he was living in.
It was also interesting to learn about the first forms of communication. It started out with drawings on rocks and now has evolved to phones and the internet. That was the only way to communicate thousands of years ago. The evolution of technology and communication has changed dramatically. I always forget that drawing on rocks and passing down stories is where it all began. Everything has changed and you don’t realize how it began.
Tutorial:
Source: msn.com and ask.com were the search engines used.
1. Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus?
A Filipino 23-year old male in a middle class Manila suburb.
Source: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPrint.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\CUL20000505b.html
2. Who invented the paper clip?
A New York physician, John Ireland Howe in 1935 invented a machine to produce straight pins.
In 1899, a Norwegian inventor, Johan Vaaler, invented the paper clip. he had a degree in electronics, science and mathematics.
Source: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpaperclip.htm
3. How did the Ebola virus get its name?
It comes from Zaire, Africa where the Ebola River is located. This is near where the first outbreak was discovered.
Source: http://www.crystalinks.com/ebola.html
4. What country had the largest recorded earthquake?
The largest recorded earthquake in the world was a magnitude 9.5 (Mw) in Chile on May 22, 1960.
Source: http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/earthquakes_what.htm
5. In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte?
1024^3K
Source: http://www.dis.unimelb.edu.au/staff/tanya/hwtute/How_to_measure_data/measure.htm
6. Who is the creator of email?
1970's, Ray Tomlinson developed local email programs called SNDMSG and READMAIL. In late 1971, Tomlinson developed the first ARPANET email application.
Source: http://www.livinginternet.com/e/ei.htm
7. What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it?
It is a Storm-infected system. Storm worm is a virus. The total number of infected systems has been waning, partly thanks to an updated version of Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool.
Source: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071225-storm-worm-delivering-coal-this-christmas.html
8. If you wanted to contact the prime minister of Australia directly, what is the most efficient way?
Sending mail is the way to contact him directly. On his website claims: “Internet and email are not secure mediums to transfer information. If you have concerns about using this form or if your message is sensitive, please use the postal address provided.”
The Hon Kevin Rudd MPPrime MinisterParliament HouseCANBERRA ACT 2600
Sending mail is the only way to contact him.
Source: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm
9. Which Brisbane-based punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of?
The Black Assassins. Steven Stockwell did keyboards and vocals.
Source: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~toxicoh/blackas.htm
10. What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words?
Web 2.0 is a new internet. It is a business based form of the internet. It has developed over the years and has a new face. Websites have changed and there are new ones replacing the older ones. It’s a way of marketing and getting businesses.
Source: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
Other Questions:
1) How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?
I am not too sure how they would rank the websites. It could be the most popular websites. They could be the ones that pay the most money for their website to come up first. It is hard to rank websites when you don’t know if all the information is correct. The website may or may not be credible (i.e. Wikipedia).
2) Who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?
The page results that come up at the top of the search list would be the pages that have the most views by people. They would be the more popular sites. They are also the websites that fit your search the best.
3) What are some of your favourite search engines? Why do you like one more than others?
I like to use Google. I have used it for as long as I can remember and I feel that is one of the better ones. It could be a totally bad search engine. But I like it. I have always found what I need from Google and its a large company. Everyone knows about Google and is a million dollar company.
It is the easiest to use. I find it simple and isn’t completely filled with ads everywhere. I find it helps you get what you are looking for. It’s also what I am familiar with, it’s the one I have used for years. I am comfortable with it.
Readings:
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Walter Benjamin
In the lengthy article written by Walter Benjamin in the 1930’s gives various perspectives on media. When this was written, media was different than what we have now. In this article it gives various aspects of the history of media.
It gives perception of when the video camera and the camera were introduced. It changed how people view the world around them. People are seen in a different way now through the eye of a camera.
Walker was also able to bring other ideas and perspectives through other comparisons. He compares the cave man drawings with the new eye in technology. He also links a cameraman and a painter together along a magician and a surgeon. He is able to illustrate how the two are similar while they are different.
The confusion of the lengthy article, Benjamin presents various perspectives of the media in his time. The art is different and has changed. It will also be changing.
This week’s lecture was filled with various different topics. There was a discussion on last week’s film Alpahville. We were also given the biography of Walter Benjamin. He had a very interesting life full with passion. He didn’t have any formal education but was a journalist-writing for a column and did children’s radio. The German philosopher was a key figure in the First World War and was a peace activist in that time. When he moved to Paris, everything had changed. He stayed there till the 1940’s during the Second World War and later committed suicide. He was a German Jew, and the Nazi’s were taking over, he had to leave. He had many opportunities to write in various different fields and areas. It was interesting to learn about what he had accomplished in the time that he was living in.
It was also interesting to learn about the first forms of communication. It started out with drawings on rocks and now has evolved to phones and the internet. That was the only way to communicate thousands of years ago. The evolution of technology and communication has changed dramatically. I always forget that drawing on rocks and passing down stories is where it all began. Everything has changed and you don’t realize how it began.
Tutorial:
Source: msn.com and ask.com were the search engines used.
1. Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus?
A Filipino 23-year old male in a middle class Manila suburb.
Source: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPrint.asp?Page=\Culture\archive\CUL20000505b.html
2. Who invented the paper clip?
A New York physician, John Ireland Howe in 1935 invented a machine to produce straight pins.
In 1899, a Norwegian inventor, Johan Vaaler, invented the paper clip. he had a degree in electronics, science and mathematics.
Source: http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blpaperclip.htm
3. How did the Ebola virus get its name?
It comes from Zaire, Africa where the Ebola River is located. This is near where the first outbreak was discovered.
Source: http://www.crystalinks.com/ebola.html
4. What country had the largest recorded earthquake?
The largest recorded earthquake in the world was a magnitude 9.5 (Mw) in Chile on May 22, 1960.
Source: http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/earthquakes_what.htm
5. In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte?
1024^3K
Source: http://www.dis.unimelb.edu.au/staff/tanya/hwtute/How_to_measure_data/measure.htm
6. Who is the creator of email?
1970's, Ray Tomlinson developed local email programs called SNDMSG and READMAIL. In late 1971, Tomlinson developed the first ARPANET email application.
Source: http://www.livinginternet.com/e/ei.htm
7. What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it?
It is a Storm-infected system. Storm worm is a virus. The total number of infected systems has been waning, partly thanks to an updated version of Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool.
Source: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071225-storm-worm-delivering-coal-this-christmas.html
8. If you wanted to contact the prime minister of Australia directly, what is the most efficient way?
Sending mail is the way to contact him directly. On his website claims: “Internet and email are not secure mediums to transfer information. If you have concerns about using this form or if your message is sensitive, please use the postal address provided.”
The Hon Kevin Rudd MPPrime MinisterParliament HouseCANBERRA ACT 2600
Sending mail is the only way to contact him.
Source: http://www.pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm
9. Which Brisbane-based punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of?
The Black Assassins. Steven Stockwell did keyboards and vocals.
Source: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~toxicoh/blackas.htm
10. What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words?
Web 2.0 is a new internet. It is a business based form of the internet. It has developed over the years and has a new face. Websites have changed and there are new ones replacing the older ones. It’s a way of marketing and getting businesses.
Source: http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html
Other Questions:
1) How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?
I am not too sure how they would rank the websites. It could be the most popular websites. They could be the ones that pay the most money for their website to come up first. It is hard to rank websites when you don’t know if all the information is correct. The website may or may not be credible (i.e. Wikipedia).
2) Who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?
The page results that come up at the top of the search list would be the pages that have the most views by people. They would be the more popular sites. They are also the websites that fit your search the best.
3) What are some of your favourite search engines? Why do you like one more than others?
I like to use Google. I have used it for as long as I can remember and I feel that is one of the better ones. It could be a totally bad search engine. But I like it. I have always found what I need from Google and its a large company. Everyone knows about Google and is a million dollar company.
It is the easiest to use. I find it simple and isn’t completely filled with ads everywhere. I find it helps you get what you are looking for. It’s also what I am familiar with, it’s the one I have used for years. I am comfortable with it.
Readings:
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Walter Benjamin
In the lengthy article written by Walter Benjamin in the 1930’s gives various perspectives on media. When this was written, media was different than what we have now. In this article it gives various aspects of the history of media.
It gives perception of when the video camera and the camera were introduced. It changed how people view the world around them. People are seen in a different way now through the eye of a camera.
Walker was also able to bring other ideas and perspectives through other comparisons. He compares the cave man drawings with the new eye in technology. He also links a cameraman and a painter together along a magician and a surgeon. He is able to illustrate how the two are similar while they are different.
The confusion of the lengthy article, Benjamin presents various perspectives of the media in his time. The art is different and has changed. It will also be changing.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Week 3-topic 3-Alphaville
Lecture:
In this week’s lecture, we watched the 1965 film Alphaville. I enjoyed this film, it was good. The technology was update in the time period, but it has come along way since then. I always hear my parents going on about when they were a kid; a computer would be the size of the room. That would have been about the time of the film, now, they are so small. Most households have computers, unlike the time of the film, it was rare to have a computer.
In Alphaville, the computers controlled the life in the community. The computer was their form of government. It dealt with “criminals” and the decisions of the community. The computers were new when this film came out and the technological advancements were no where they are now.
Tutorial:
The internet. New and popular. Everyone uses it to communicate and discover new information. I use it to communicate with people from home. Whether its Skype, email or Facebook, I use it. It is quicker and more convenient than a letter. Skype-a free calling service over the internet is a cheap way to call home. Facebook and email are ways I am able to communicate with friends and I was able to communicate with the school when applying. Technology helps in this fast paced world and when you are so far from home. I enjoy using it and it’s a big part of my life.
Readings:
Various readings accessed from Learning @ Griffith website.
The readings this week related with the film that we watched, Alphaville. They told the basics of the film, who directed, the actor’s names, etc. The reviews and summaries were able to give the viewer an idea of what to expect in the film.
I learned that it was a French film taking place in and around Paris. There was feuding going on between the outsiders and the government within Paris. The government consisted of computers that were deprived of emotions.
It helped to read and understand about the film before going in to watch it. It was easier to understand the plot especially when you have to read the subtitles the entire time.
In this week’s lecture, we watched the 1965 film Alphaville. I enjoyed this film, it was good. The technology was update in the time period, but it has come along way since then. I always hear my parents going on about when they were a kid; a computer would be the size of the room. That would have been about the time of the film, now, they are so small. Most households have computers, unlike the time of the film, it was rare to have a computer.
In Alphaville, the computers controlled the life in the community. The computer was their form of government. It dealt with “criminals” and the decisions of the community. The computers were new when this film came out and the technological advancements were no where they are now.
Tutorial:
The internet. New and popular. Everyone uses it to communicate and discover new information. I use it to communicate with people from home. Whether its Skype, email or Facebook, I use it. It is quicker and more convenient than a letter. Skype-a free calling service over the internet is a cheap way to call home. Facebook and email are ways I am able to communicate with friends and I was able to communicate with the school when applying. Technology helps in this fast paced world and when you are so far from home. I enjoy using it and it’s a big part of my life.
Readings:
Various readings accessed from Learning @ Griffith website.
The readings this week related with the film that we watched, Alphaville. They told the basics of the film, who directed, the actor’s names, etc. The reviews and summaries were able to give the viewer an idea of what to expect in the film.
I learned that it was a French film taking place in and around Paris. There was feuding going on between the outsiders and the government within Paris. The government consisted of computers that were deprived of emotions.
It helped to read and understand about the film before going in to watch it. It was easier to understand the plot especially when you have to read the subtitles the entire time.
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