One of the best things about new media is all the creative things people are doing, the internet especially is a way for people to easily share their creativity with the world, especially in games, comics, design.
The websites like Kongregate or Newgrounds acts as a sharing site where people or developers can place flashh games and provides a easy method for people give feedback or to donate to developers they like. Previously it was next to impossible to make games and distribute them easily without suport from a producer but with sites like these it it possible for people to produce and improve their skills and even earn money from creating games.
Threadless a website selling t-shirts designed by its users. Designs are submitted and voted on for a 7 day period, if they score high enough the design is put into production and the designer is awarded $2,000, a $500 voucher, a gift bag, and is elegable for a $20,000 best design of the year.
Comics have boomed on the internet. From small simple comics updated daily (Explosm, SMBC, Dinosaur Comics) to long storylines updated less often (Order of the Stick, Erfworld, Templar, Captain Excelsior) it is easier than ever to create and distribute comics.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Confessions of a Technophile..
So I posted a card in the mail today with a stamp and everything!!! This very basic action caused me to realise that technology has made me lazy. 
Usually Facebook warns me about upcoming birthdays so I have time to prepare an e-card for the lucky recipient. In this case however the recipient was turning three so that was not really an option. This lead me to think about the other ways technology has made my day to day life more ‘convenient’ examples such as these spring to mind. If I can’t spell a word rather than getting up to use a dictionary I Google it instead … see lazy! Skyping or MSN is the new ‘meeting’ a friend for coffee, we have a vacuum that does the work for us, lights that are voice activated, I try to make a whole conversation fit into one text rather than use the phone or even knock on my flatmates door (we have all done that!) it, rather than go out for a run in the fresh air I prefer workout with my Wii, so it isn’t all bad there is some exercising happening. So what is the point of this blog… well it seems obvious, I really cannot wait until my niece is old enough to use the internet so I can send her a virtual card!
To discover if technology rules your life as well check out this link…
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Privacy as a cover
Can I ask you something please?
If you had just won an international award for most outstanding short film in some prestigious competition, would you want this achievement to be kept private?
Ok, ok,
What if you just received an honour for outstanding service to your local community? Would you want that to be kept private?
Alright,
What about that photo of you at that dress-up party wearing a Nazi uniform and smoking pot? (no disrespect to you P.Harry!)
It seems that most informal debates in the classroom or lecture theatre about privacy focus on the idea that we have the automatic right to be in sole control of the release of all information about us. Therefore it seems that in these debates, the term 'privacy' has become inseparable from the term 'protection' - that is, when we are asked if we are concerned about issues of privacy, the majority of answers are based around protection of our actions. Be them done intentionally or by a lack of judgement at the time, the term 'privacy' did NOT originate to give us protection against the stupid things we do, or more mildly, the mistakes we make. At most, before the era of new media, the term privacy in terms of ourselves I would argue, only covered the protection of our naked bodies; when we get home, we have the right to close the curtains, lock the doors and change our clothes in private.
Of course there are areas beyond the exposure of the naked body that need to be protected by the idea of privacy - we live in the password era and we have the right to choose who we give our credit card details to. What we are discussing here is the need to take extra responsibility to ensuring that, before debating privacy, we are thinking properly about what information we really have a right to keep private.
The internet is a part of society. It is not a consequence free environment, and Privacy is not a cover.
If you had just won an international award for most outstanding short film in some prestigious competition, would you want this achievement to be kept private?
Ok, ok,
What if you just received an honour for outstanding service to your local community? Would you want that to be kept private?
Alright,
What about that photo of you at that dress-up party wearing a Nazi uniform and smoking pot? (no disrespect to you P.Harry!)
It seems that most informal debates in the classroom or lecture theatre about privacy focus on the idea that we have the automatic right to be in sole control of the release of all information about us. Therefore it seems that in these debates, the term 'privacy' has become inseparable from the term 'protection' - that is, when we are asked if we are concerned about issues of privacy, the majority of answers are based around protection of our actions. Be them done intentionally or by a lack of judgement at the time, the term 'privacy' did NOT originate to give us protection against the stupid things we do, or more mildly, the mistakes we make. At most, before the era of new media, the term privacy in terms of ourselves I would argue, only covered the protection of our naked bodies; when we get home, we have the right to close the curtains, lock the doors and change our clothes in private.
- If somebody drinks too much knowing they have work the next day and consequently under-perform, this is not a case around which you can argue for the right to privacy. You probably broke your contract and possibly put others in danger.
- If you or anyone else post a picture of you smoking pot on a social networking page, this is not a case around which you can argue for the right to privacy. Smoking pot is illegal [mmmkay]!
Of course there are areas beyond the exposure of the naked body that need to be protected by the idea of privacy - we live in the password era and we have the right to choose who we give our credit card details to. What we are discussing here is the need to take extra responsibility to ensuring that, before debating privacy, we are thinking properly about what information we really have a right to keep private.
The internet is a part of society. It is not a consequence free environment, and Privacy is not a cover.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Digital Language?
The new digital age has bought up a discussion about our language. This discussion seems to be whether the English language is changing or not. We all see it everywhere, in our texting, our IM use and facebook. Well facebook seems to have tensions on the use of language and our spelling. Certain groups of people have their own lingo and ways of spelling.
We clearly have social tensions. Structuralism (a theory of language) tells us that the sign is arbitrary. So letters and words mean different things in different languages. Maybe people on facebook don't talk to others from outside groups as they probably don't understand them. Yet since the sign is arbitrary certain words, spelling and phrases can be made accepted by people, if there is enough fluidity between people.
But some say that our modern ways of "txt spk" were found in the victorian age with poets. So since different kinds of people on the net use different ways of spelling and talking maybe there can be fluidity as they don't need to be afraid of change as it is something that has possibly always been there.
We clearly have social tensions. Structuralism (a theory of language) tells us that the sign is arbitrary. So letters and words mean different things in different languages. Maybe people on facebook don't talk to others from outside groups as they probably don't understand them. Yet since the sign is arbitrary certain words, spelling and phrases can be made accepted by people, if there is enough fluidity between people.
But some say that our modern ways of "txt spk" were found in the victorian age with poets. So since different kinds of people on the net use different ways of spelling and talking maybe there can be fluidity as they don't need to be afraid of change as it is something that has possibly always been there.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Privacy!
One of the questions that came up in the lecture was whether people are concerned about their online privacy being hacked, tampered with or used to get negative information. I am personally aware of the dangers with online privacy therefore I do not post anything I may regret on the social media sites I am signed up with, and if my friends post things that could get me into trouble at some stage later in my life, it’s deleted without a second thought. If someone were to take advantage of my Facebook profile and use the information I have provided to try and get me in some sort of trouble, they’d probably be quite disappointed with what they’d find (i.e. there’s nothing to snoop on).
There are some online privacy things that are very concerning, such as internet banking and using a credit card on the web, and some unlucky users are struck by credit card fraud and other such invasions of privacy. Even these can be controlled by the user them self having knowledge of how to avoid this situations, how scams appear and what to do if you get hacked.
The privacy statements on SNS are available for users to read, even if they are complex or lengthy. If people have a real concern about their privacy, they should read these statements and adjust their profile and settings to ensure their safety. Either that or just not sign up at all.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that privacy policies are there for a reason: to be read/understood and used as a guideline for safety. People who are concerned about their personal information being leaked to whomever probably have something on their online profiles which must be hidden to ensure they obtain friendships or some sort of employment in their later life.
There are some online privacy things that are very concerning, such as internet banking and using a credit card on the web, and some unlucky users are struck by credit card fraud and other such invasions of privacy. Even these can be controlled by the user them self having knowledge of how to avoid this situations, how scams appear and what to do if you get hacked.
The privacy statements on SNS are available for users to read, even if they are complex or lengthy. If people have a real concern about their privacy, they should read these statements and adjust their profile and settings to ensure their safety. Either that or just not sign up at all.
I guess what I’m trying to say here is that privacy policies are there for a reason: to be read/understood and used as a guideline for safety. People who are concerned about their personal information being leaked to whomever probably have something on their online profiles which must be hidden to ensure they obtain friendships or some sort of employment in their later life.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Some might say we should be sufficiently conscious of our visibility online as to avoid any potential problems with prospective or current employers. It shouldn't be a problem, if you're careful not to put anything online that you wouldn't want a formal acquaintance to view.
This train of thought seems to assume the things employers are "stalking" us to see are merely photos of drunken parties and immaturity. Or, apparently, to read Twitters and statuses that complain about your workplace. Here's an "infamous" story about that. Think how easy it would be for employers to find you via Google if you got internet-famous via an offensive Tweet about a potential employer... not a good look.
But what if it's something you don't view as an issue, but your employer- because of their own beliefs- will judge you for? The gender or race of your partner, your religious beliefs, political leanings, your personal affiliations, any children you might have. Shouldn't we be more worried about it being harder to avoid genuine workplace discrimination because our private lives are more public with the internet- than worrying about being judged by employers for putting a stupid photo (or having a friend upload a stupid photo) on the net?
I mean seriously. If the internet hasn't taught you to be extra paranoid by now, it's probably time to start.
Bebo... then facebook!
Remember the good old days when all your friends used to have a Bebo page?
This was not so long ago (well about 4 years ago in my case), and now we have facebook as a replacement. Just in case you didn’t know, Bebo still does exist. The log-in procedure, the profile layout, there is no change in the system either. So what happened, between us and bebo that brought the devastating good-bye?
Bebo and Facebook are both a social networking sites (SNS). You can upload photos, write comments on your friends’ profile page, join a group, and change your display photo on both sites. The basic idea and functionalities are the same in these two different SNS. So how did we come to favour one over the other?
To start with, one of the interesting things Bebo let us have control over was to choose our own skin (the background). There were thousands of different skin designs that you could choose from, or you could even make your own! AMAZING! This way, you could express your identity through the skin as well, by the design, by the pictures on them, by the colour and etc. But really, there came the stage where you couldn’t find the right skin that defined you. I remember, I even tried to MAKE MY OWN, only to find myself failing miserably on the next minute.
Also, Bebo had a section that showed your friends, just as there is on facebook. But, Bebo called it ‘Top Friends’ and make us do the hard selection. For me personally, it was really hard to decide on who my top friends are. Since primary, I haven’t really made any distinctions among my friends, as to who is the better friend of mine, and I’m sure a lot of you have thought the same thing. HOW OLD ARE WE (or WERE WE), REALLY?
Ahh, and the hearts we could give out to our friends. For the first few weeks, giving out hearts and getting them back was pretty fun. But it got boring and tiring. I used to be stressed over whom to give the heart to each day (HAHA) and logged into bebo just for the sake of giving out hearts, cause you only got one each day. It was like an online peer pressure, almost.
Facebook gives us no choice, or in a positive manner, it allows no differentiation and we don’t have to bother. I guess this allowed us to spend less time, or even no time in customizing our page, hence extending the time in which we actually communicate with others online, and maybe this factor brought upon the success of Facebook.
So… sorry Bebo, it’s not you, it’s us. You gave us too much freedom that we couldn’t handle. Sorry.
This was not so long ago (well about 4 years ago in my case), and now we have facebook as a replacement. Just in case you didn’t know, Bebo still does exist. The log-in procedure, the profile layout, there is no change in the system either. So what happened, between us and bebo that brought the devastating good-bye?
Bebo and Facebook are both a social networking sites (SNS). You can upload photos, write comments on your friends’ profile page, join a group, and change your display photo on both sites. The basic idea and functionalities are the same in these two different SNS. So how did we come to favour one over the other?
To start with, one of the interesting things Bebo let us have control over was to choose our own skin (the background). There were thousands of different skin designs that you could choose from, or you could even make your own! AMAZING! This way, you could express your identity through the skin as well, by the design, by the pictures on them, by the colour and etc. But really, there came the stage where you couldn’t find the right skin that defined you. I remember, I even tried to MAKE MY OWN, only to find myself failing miserably on the next minute.
Also, Bebo had a section that showed your friends, just as there is on facebook. But, Bebo called it ‘Top Friends’ and make us do the hard selection. For me personally, it was really hard to decide on who my top friends are. Since primary, I haven’t really made any distinctions among my friends, as to who is the better friend of mine, and I’m sure a lot of you have thought the same thing. HOW OLD ARE WE (or WERE WE), REALLY?
Ahh, and the hearts we could give out to our friends. For the first few weeks, giving out hearts and getting them back was pretty fun. But it got boring and tiring. I used to be stressed over whom to give the heart to each day (HAHA) and logged into bebo just for the sake of giving out hearts, cause you only got one each day. It was like an online peer pressure, almost.
Facebook gives us no choice, or in a positive manner, it allows no differentiation and we don’t have to bother. I guess this allowed us to spend less time, or even no time in customizing our page, hence extending the time in which we actually communicate with others online, and maybe this factor brought upon the success of Facebook.
So… sorry Bebo, it’s not you, it’s us. You gave us too much freedom that we couldn’t handle. Sorry.
angry sounding questions about facebook
I don't have facebook.
*GASP!*
I know, I know, I'm pretty radical
.....just kidding.
the thing is, with social networking sites, I've signed up to far too many in the past... Hi5, bebo, myspace, facebook(of course), and all those other annoying ones that i can't remember the names of that occasioanlly still send me annoying emails about random people wanting to 'friend' me.
*shudder*
(i can't delete them, i dont remember my passwords =( )
When people ask me why I no longer use facebook I used to mumble something about how i dont like social networking sites.
But now, I respond "BECAUSE IT'S PART OF A CONSPIRACY THAT WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO WORLD DOMINATION"
of course, it is all in jest....
BUT
Facebook has taken over huge chunks of people's lives.
When did everyone start relying on facebook so much?
When did it start dominating so much of the time we spend on the internet?
Why does so much of so many people's lives happen in the realm that is facebook?
Why is it that people feel the need to check facebook so much when they're at uni?
Aren't they in a place where they can interact socially?
Aren't their friends nearby, IN THE FLESH?!
I've heard this line countless times: "Oh right, yea, you don't know about it 'cause you don't have facebook."
What happened to the good old days when gossip was passed by word of mouth and people gave out cute little enveloped invitations to events?
Why is it that everytime two people get together they have to "make it official" on facebook?
And why do people freak out if they're not included in the guest list on facebook for an event? As if that's the official invite as opposed to your friend asking you if you wanna go to that party.
Why is it that everytime you meet someone new you go home and add them on facebook as a 'friend'?
this leads me to my next point.
Are all your facebook friends really your friends?
Do all the people who boast 500 or 600 'friends' on facebook really have close ties with ALL these people?
of course not.
Is it really that important to have that many facebook friends?
Have these people heard of Dunbar's number? it's 150 meaningful relationships. It's impossible to have more. One does not need more. Once cannot maintain 150 easily, let alone 600.
It's impossible that they are actually good friends with 600 people. It is impossible that they even talk regularly to HALF of these people.
What happened to quality over quantity?
Sometimes people make it sound like i miss out on a lot becasue i dont use facebook. But that's not true.
My friends tell me to get facebook again.
but even they can't think of a good reason why i should.
_
*GASP!*
I know, I know, I'm pretty radical
.....just kidding.
the thing is, with social networking sites, I've signed up to far too many in the past... Hi5, bebo, myspace, facebook(of course), and all those other annoying ones that i can't remember the names of that occasioanlly still send me annoying emails about random people wanting to 'friend' me.
*shudder*
(i can't delete them, i dont remember my passwords =( )
When people ask me why I no longer use facebook I used to mumble something about how i dont like social networking sites.
But now, I respond "BECAUSE IT'S PART OF A CONSPIRACY THAT WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO WORLD DOMINATION"
of course, it is all in jest....
BUT
Facebook has taken over huge chunks of people's lives.
When did everyone start relying on facebook so much?
When did it start dominating so much of the time we spend on the internet?
Why does so much of so many people's lives happen in the realm that is facebook?
Why is it that people feel the need to check facebook so much when they're at uni?
Aren't they in a place where they can interact socially?
Aren't their friends nearby, IN THE FLESH?!
I've heard this line countless times: "Oh right, yea, you don't know about it 'cause you don't have facebook."
What happened to the good old days when gossip was passed by word of mouth and people gave out cute little enveloped invitations to events?
Why is it that everytime two people get together they have to "make it official" on facebook?
And why do people freak out if they're not included in the guest list on facebook for an event? As if that's the official invite as opposed to your friend asking you if you wanna go to that party.
Why is it that everytime you meet someone new you go home and add them on facebook as a 'friend'?
this leads me to my next point.
Are all your facebook friends really your friends?
Do all the people who boast 500 or 600 'friends' on facebook really have close ties with ALL these people?
of course not.
Is it really that important to have that many facebook friends?
Have these people heard of Dunbar's number? it's 150 meaningful relationships. It's impossible to have more. One does not need more. Once cannot maintain 150 easily, let alone 600.
It's impossible that they are actually good friends with 600 people. It is impossible that they even talk regularly to HALF of these people.
What happened to quality over quantity?
Sometimes people make it sound like i miss out on a lot becasue i dont use facebook. But that's not true.
My friends tell me to get facebook again.
but even they can't think of a good reason why i should.
_
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Social Media for Music Exposure
Recently, my brother has been trying to launch a music career. It's pretty normal nowadays for bands to be launched online, as opposed to the traditional form of getting a few low-key gigs at a pub to start off somewhere. Take for example, the band Gorillaz, who pretty much started out as an online band only (they did no live gigs at first) and used MySpace to get popular. This got me thinking about the options that an aspiring musican has to gain exposure through the new media forms, these being social networking and viral video sites. I want to look at a few sites and lay out the pros and cons of their use as music exposure platforms.
Facebook is probably one of the most useful platforms for this purpose; with having 500 million active members and being at the forefront of most media-savvy minds, it's a pretty good place to start. Being able to upload, say, video performances of songs and have them on your friend's newsfeed definitely helps to get your music out there. The way Facebook is set up is that something that your friend may comment on is shown on the friend's friend's newsfeed, therefore catering for the viral spread of media (especially video). The downside is that while it has the ability to create fan pages for anything, it doesn't have a specialised music section, unlike the next platform.
MySpace is arguably the most well-known platform for launching bands and artists, owing to the fact that the Music section of MySpace is well established in music industries worldwide. An artist/band is able to create a fully customisable site with music, graphics, influences, pictures, info about upcoming shows, basically anything anyone needs to know about the band. MySpace peaked in popularity a few years ago and while it has been overtaken by Facebook as the premier social networking site, it still has a large influence on especially the American music industry and is popular as a site for teens to go explore and find new bands and types of music.
YouTube, being a viral video site, automatically has an advantage over the other two in that it deals exclusively with video, making the material posted more representative of the artist and more visually engaging too. YouTube has been a launching ground for countless 'online celebrities', who usually start by uploading covers of popular songs to prove their talent and gaing a following before uploading original content. The downside is that in the Sea of YouTube with hundreds of millions of videos, it is a bother trying to get a few friends to view your uploaded videos so they appear closer to the top of a search query, otherwise they will be doomed to obscurity in the depths of the YouTube servers.
So folks, there you have it. If you want to launch a music career online, I'd suggest using all three plus a publicist of some sort to get the ball rolling, like this kid (who was scoped out by Ellen DeGeneres and now has a record deal):
I like.. the internet?
When recently browsing through the extensive catalogue of videos on YouTube, i was directed to an odd home video. This video was of a little girl, Jessica performing her 'Daily Affirmation'.
"I like my house, I like my haircut, I like my stuff," are just a few of the things she declares to herself in the mirror. Her energy is so uplifting and positive which got me thinking, why do we treat the Internet in such a negative way?
There's so much focus on the negative side of Internet, always talking about bullying, privacy policies, creepers, stalkers, predators, addictions etc but where is all the good. Yes, these things are important to know about but can we not learn to balance the good and the bad?
By focusing on the bad, we are sometimes missing out on some of the greatest features and uses of the Internet. Skype and YouTube are two great examples of this. I mean where else can you go to watch funny videos to keep you entertained for hours? and have you ever been able to talk face to face with your family in a different country before? Not only are the entertainment aspects great but also in terms of updated, its the best place to turn. Online news websites such as New Zealand's own tvnz are always up to date and are often the first port of call for information about breaking news.
Online social networking sites are in particular shown in a negative light. This is especially highlighted with the recent focus on unsuccessful job applications due to social networking sites such as Facebook.
I think it's about time we get out of this negativity and stop focusing on the bad because we may miss out on the little gems of the Internet such as Jessica and her daily affirmation. We could all learn a thing or two from her.
Subliminal Messaging
Subliminal messaging is just in movies right. You can't cause people to buy things through hiding words in songs or having someone drink a coke in some clever product placement can you? I don't know the answer for sure, but I do know a far more useful use of subliminal messaging...
Subliminal messaging music
Listen to the track above. What do you hear? Probably a horrible sounding electric guitar ring tone, and you are right, but this is a ring tone with a twist. This melody was made by a Japanese cognitive scientist named Hideto Tomabechi and will increase your girl friends bust by about 2-3cm. HOLD ON GUYS! Before you run off to secretly insert it into your significant others phone and put them on speed dial you should know how subliminal messaging actually works.
Subliminal messaging works in music by building a song around with auditory components associated with a naturally occurring physiological condition - or in layman's terms - creating music with sounds that already trigger a physiological response. For example: In a restaurant you could make some music with undertones of a rumbling stomach, then disguise it alter it so it isn't obvious and play it along side musical instruments, in this case it could make patrons more hungry. Alternatively you could create a music piece with low intimate tones to get your partner in the mood aka a subtle Berry White! hehe. Contrary to popular belief it does not work by reversing a song!
How this piece of music works is to resemble a crying baby, which causes the body to believe there is a crying baby, which in turn makes a woman's breasts increase in size in preparation of nursing their own child. Of course this isn't a one time listen! It takes about 200 listens before an effect is measurable (10 days at 20 listens per day).
Although I would guess subliminal messaging is not used often in music, it can be seen often in visual advertisements and follow the main themes of Sex and Hunger. As NPR "Wait Wait Don't tell me" Host Peter Segal said: "It is nice to see the Japanese spending some of their sexual energy on Woman and not just robots."
For anyone interested here is a CIA report on Subliminal Messaging.
Subliminal messaging music
Listen to the track above. What do you hear? Probably a horrible sounding electric guitar ring tone, and you are right, but this is a ring tone with a twist. This melody was made by a Japanese cognitive scientist named Hideto Tomabechi and will increase your girl friends bust by about 2-3cm. HOLD ON GUYS! Before you run off to secretly insert it into your significant others phone and put them on speed dial you should know how subliminal messaging actually works.
Subliminal messaging works in music by building a song around with auditory components associated with a naturally occurring physiological condition - or in layman's terms - creating music with sounds that already trigger a physiological response. For example: In a restaurant you could make some music with undertones of a rumbling stomach, then disguise it alter it so it isn't obvious and play it along side musical instruments, in this case it could make patrons more hungry. Alternatively you could create a music piece with low intimate tones to get your partner in the mood aka a subtle Berry White! hehe. Contrary to popular belief it does not work by reversing a song!
How this piece of music works is to resemble a crying baby, which causes the body to believe there is a crying baby, which in turn makes a woman's breasts increase in size in preparation of nursing their own child. Of course this isn't a one time listen! It takes about 200 listens before an effect is measurable (10 days at 20 listens per day).
Although I would guess subliminal messaging is not used often in music, it can be seen often in visual advertisements and follow the main themes of Sex and Hunger. As NPR "Wait Wait Don't tell me" Host Peter Segal said: "It is nice to see the Japanese spending some of their sexual energy on Woman and not just robots."
For anyone interested here is a CIA report on Subliminal Messaging.
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