So here is what took me two hours to achieve. Pathetic yes, but it took me that long to figure out how to use Photoshop. That's our topic for the week. I am going to attempt to fine tune these skills!! Anything has to be better than this!Sunday, March 25, 2007
My Sad Attempt
So here is what took me two hours to achieve. Pathetic yes, but it took me that long to figure out how to use Photoshop. That's our topic for the week. I am going to attempt to fine tune these skills!! Anything has to be better than this!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
What's a ........???
What is a search engine?
Internet search engines (eg Google, AltaVista) help users find web pages on a given subject. The search engines maintain databases of web sites and use programs (often referred to as "spiders" or "robots") to collect information, which is then indexed by the search engine. Similar services are provided by "directories," which maintain ordered lists of websites, eg Yahoo!
How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?
The search engines follow a set of rules - what they call an algorithm. This is uses the location/frequency method.
Frequency determines relevancy. A search engine will analyze how often keywords appear in relation to other words in a web page. Those with a higher frequency are often deemed more relevant than other web pages. Pages with the search terms appearing in the HTML title tag are often assumed to be more relevant than others to the topic.
Plus they have a guard against ‘spamming’ which is a page that has the keyword listed many times, just to direct you to that particular page which has no relevance to your desired topic.
Who, or what makes one page more useful than another one?
Let’s use Google for an example. They sort the web pages depending on how many other web pages are pointing at them - meaning your results are logged and monitored to determine which sites are being used the most.
Favourite search engines?
I am a self confessed Google lover. Why? Because I can always find what I need! For asthetic reason I prefer the way the page is set and how the results are presented.
Others that I have used are Altavista, motzila firefox, skroogle, doogle (for an irishmans angle on things).
News Stories
Viacom Media to sue Google/YouTube for $1billion.
Google, YouTube face $US1b lawsuit. 14/03/2007. ABC News Online
Google expands
Australian IT - Google plans software, not phone (Correspondents in San Francisco, MARCH 23, 2007)
Internet search engines (eg Google, AltaVista) help users find web pages on a given subject. The search engines maintain databases of web sites and use programs (often referred to as "spiders" or "robots") to collect information, which is then indexed by the search engine. Similar services are provided by "directories," which maintain ordered lists of websites, eg Yahoo!
How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?
The search engines follow a set of rules - what they call an algorithm. This is uses the location/frequency method.
Frequency determines relevancy. A search engine will analyze how often keywords appear in relation to other words in a web page. Those with a higher frequency are often deemed more relevant than other web pages. Pages with the search terms appearing in the HTML title tag are often assumed to be more relevant than others to the topic.
Plus they have a guard against ‘spamming’ which is a page that has the keyword listed many times, just to direct you to that particular page which has no relevance to your desired topic.
Who, or what makes one page more useful than another one?
Let’s use Google for an example. They sort the web pages depending on how many other web pages are pointing at them - meaning your results are logged and monitored to determine which sites are being used the most.
Favourite search engines?
I am a self confessed Google lover. Why? Because I can always find what I need! For asthetic reason I prefer the way the page is set and how the results are presented.
Others that I have used are Altavista, motzila firefox, skroogle, doogle (for an irishmans angle on things).
News Stories
Viacom Media to sue Google/YouTube for $1billion.
Google, YouTube face $US1b lawsuit. 14/03/2007. ABC News Online
Google expands
Australian IT - Google plans software, not phone (Correspondents in San Francisco, MARCH 23, 2007)
Pick a topic and write
The next exercise for this week was to find three articles which will help formulate my essay topic. I have decided to write my essay on the highly contentious music debate whether downloading of music should be made legal or stay illegal. As an avid downloader of course I believe we should be allowed to access as much as we want but, the issue of ‘who are we taking money from?’ The artists? The music companies, or both? All article were accessed using the Griffith Library database. ProQuest was used.
The first article I found - MP3s Are Killing Home Taping: The rise of Internet distribution and its challenge to the major label music monopoly (Kembrew McLeod, 2005) discusses the arguments around the trading of copyrighted music and the way it is distributed which poses a real challenge to the major music labels. The online file-sharing has thrown the music industry into the highly accessible Internet world, but ironically it was the music labels who back in the 80s made the push for the production of CDs and introduced a policy to stop retailers carrying the LPs. This change to the digital disc lead to the digital music problem they are now in.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1179538181&Fmt=3&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD
New Challenges for the iPod Monopoly (Steve Knopper). Now that music is available online one major computer company was quick to jump on the band wagon. Apple Computer with its iPod players are the dominant in the market. To play an iTune you need an iPod as the files can not be accessed otherwise, well 99% of songs- “a strategy that has helped Apple account for about 80% of the digital-download market.”
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1033800671&Fmt=3&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD
At the Edge (Antony Bruno)
Finally this article focus of the other players such as Yahoo, MTV, Napster etc attempting to make a dent in Apple Computer's dominance in the digital music market. The addition of online videos which enable everyone and anyone to post themselves or other artist's performances. This opens up a whole new type of FREE exposure.
The launching of Microsoft Zune will be a direct opponent to Apple. Zune will offer a wireless connection to other Zune devices enabling it to share songs. "The Zune model has generated mixed reactions for analysts, but has the direct support of the music industry, which is hungry to drive more digital sales."
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1179538181&Fmt=3&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD
------------------------
Personally I find it easier to narrow the topics down that I was interested in and then search for articles related to what I was after. I think the hardest thing is, is sifting through the hundreds of articles that are available to find which ones are the most relevant or have the best information for your topic. I hate to think how students survived without the online facilities. How lucky we are!
LECTURE 5
We covered Virtual reality, virtual philosophy and the screen age.
That cyberspace is Platonism as a working product. Half of the lecture was a previous student talking about the PR industry.
The first article I found - MP3s Are Killing Home Taping: The rise of Internet distribution and its challenge to the major label music monopoly (Kembrew McLeod, 2005) discusses the arguments around the trading of copyrighted music and the way it is distributed which poses a real challenge to the major music labels. The online file-sharing has thrown the music industry into the highly accessible Internet world, but ironically it was the music labels who back in the 80s made the push for the production of CDs and introduced a policy to stop retailers carrying the LPs. This change to the digital disc lead to the digital music problem they are now in.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1179538181&Fmt=3&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD
New Challenges for the iPod Monopoly (Steve Knopper). Now that music is available online one major computer company was quick to jump on the band wagon. Apple Computer with its iPod players are the dominant in the market. To play an iTune you need an iPod as the files can not be accessed otherwise, well 99% of songs- “a strategy that has helped Apple account for about 80% of the digital-download market.”
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1033800671&Fmt=3&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD
At the Edge (Antony Bruno)
Finally this article focus of the other players such as Yahoo, MTV, Napster etc attempting to make a dent in Apple Computer's dominance in the digital music market. The addition of online videos which enable everyone and anyone to post themselves or other artist's performances. This opens up a whole new type of FREE exposure.
The launching of Microsoft Zune will be a direct opponent to Apple. Zune will offer a wireless connection to other Zune devices enabling it to share songs. "The Zune model has generated mixed reactions for analysts, but has the direct support of the music industry, which is hungry to drive more digital sales."
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1179538181&Fmt=3&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD
------------------------
Personally I find it easier to narrow the topics down that I was interested in and then search for articles related to what I was after. I think the hardest thing is, is sifting through the hundreds of articles that are available to find which ones are the most relevant or have the best information for your topic. I hate to think how students survived without the online facilities. How lucky we are!
LECTURE 5
We covered Virtual reality, virtual philosophy and the screen age.
That cyberspace is Platonism as a working product. Half of the lecture was a previous student talking about the PR industry.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Week 4 Challenge
1. What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin?
1,223-Pounds (http://www.miramarevents.com/weighoff/weighoff.html)
2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Grant Hackett? www.granthacketonline.com
3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?
18-inch prehensile tongue (http://www.case.edu/news/giraffes/stats.htm)
4. How would you define the word 'ontology'? In your own words, what does it really mean ?
Ontology is the study of being or existence. It looks to describe the different categories of existence and reality. (Wikipedia)
5. What was David Cronenberg's first feature film?
Stereo 1969 (Wikipedia)
6. When was the original 'Hacker's Manifesto' written?
January 8, 1986 (http://www.phrack.org/archives/7/P07-03)
7. Why do all phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?
It began 30 years ago when the use of exchange names as part of the telephone number was still popular in the USA. Dials had letters as well as numbers and the first 3 letters of the exchange name were dialled followed by numbers. An example might be Central 78978. You dialled CEN 78978 or, using all numbers, 236 78978. It so happened that 5 on the dial corresponded with J K and L and you can’t make any English place names using any combination of J, K and L as the first 3 letters. So the 555 code was allocated to service levels such as Directory Assistance, Operator, Repair Service, etc. Due to the “low fill” of the 555 code, Hollywood was encouraged to quote 555 numbers in their productions to prevent real subscribers being harassed by members of the public trying out the numbers quoted on the screen. Generic and satirical advertisements and commercials often used 555 numbers. In the early days of exchange names the prefix Klondike-5 was used as this exchange did not exist.http://www.omegarobot.com/article/555.html
8. What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?
Ferry - from experience
9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?
Do the Clam by Elvis Presley
10. Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
Black Assassins
1,223-Pounds (http://www.miramarevents.com/weighoff/weighoff.html)
2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Grant Hackett? www.granthacketonline.com
3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?
18-inch prehensile tongue (http://www.case.edu/news/giraffes/stats.htm)
4. How would you define the word 'ontology'? In your own words, what does it really mean ?
Ontology is the study of being or existence. It looks to describe the different categories of existence and reality. (Wikipedia)
LECTURE
Well i learnt something new today: that the internet, the web and cyberspace are not the same thing!
Internet - sum of interconnected computer hardware and the software that runs it.
Web- is a particular application of the Internet that is particularly easy to use.
Cyberspace- is the sum of the users' imagination as they use the Internet.
We also looked at the early Internet applications such as Email, FTP IRC etc and the more recent such as IM, p2p just to name a few.
I also learnt the different between Hacker and Crackers. Hackers are the good guys that want to make programmes free for all to use - it the crackers that are the baddies!
5. What was David Cronenberg's first feature film?
Stereo 1969 (Wikipedia)
6. When was the original 'Hacker's Manifesto' written?
January 8, 1986 (http://www.phrack.org/archives/7/P07-03)
7. Why do all phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?
It began 30 years ago when the use of exchange names as part of the telephone number was still popular in the USA. Dials had letters as well as numbers and the first 3 letters of the exchange name were dialled followed by numbers. An example might be Central 78978. You dialled CEN 78978 or, using all numbers, 236 78978. It so happened that 5 on the dial corresponded with J K and L and you can’t make any English place names using any combination of J, K and L as the first 3 letters. So the 555 code was allocated to service levels such as Directory Assistance, Operator, Repair Service, etc. Due to the “low fill” of the 555 code, Hollywood was encouraged to quote 555 numbers in their productions to prevent real subscribers being harassed by members of the public trying out the numbers quoted on the screen. Generic and satirical advertisements and commercials often used 555 numbers. In the early days of exchange names the prefix Klondike-5 was used as this exchange did not exist.http://www.omegarobot.com/article/555.html
8. What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?
Ferry - from experience
9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?
Do the Clam by Elvis Presley
10. Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
Black Assassins
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Alphaville
Week 3 Viewing- This is quite possibly one of the most random movies I have ever seen im my life. Alpha 60 sounded like Dr Claw out of Inspector Gadget! basically the computer Alpha takes over the city or galaxy and has brain washed everyone into not feeling emotion as it cannot be proccessed on his hard drive! The movie was long and some what boring.
LECTURE:
This week we focused on the birth of the computer. Thanks to Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace and Alan Turing who were the fore runners in the development of this technology. The interlect of these people is absolutely mind blowing! We also discussed the leading companies in the computer world and how Bill Gates got so god damn rich!
Monday, March 12, 2007
New Wave Cinema
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7113165152671062793
See it for yourself - La Jetee
Thoughts of the week
Technology.....the knack of so arranging the world that we need not experience it. (Max Frisch, Homo Faber 1957, cited in Media & Communication pg 58).
Now who agrees and who doesn't?
For me technology is experiencing the world in a different way from the next person. Huh, your thinking. Well everyone has their likes and dislikes about todays techno bits and bobs, so each of us choose to either have all that's on offer, some, or the bare minimum.
Take this morning for instance whilst on the train to uni I was sending text messages on my phone whilst listening to my MP3. I looked around and most were if not on their phones, they were listening to music, or on their laptops or doing all of the above!
Personally i think i could probably live without the mobile, certainly not the MP3 and most definately not without some form of access to the internet! I think of how we all survived without all of this.........it's funny how quickly you forget!
The novelty when the internet first came about was being able to talk to random people from countries all over the world. Even today having travelled and with friends all over the place, the convenience of being able to send and email, chat on msn and can i just say god bless Skype.....my phone bill loves you!
I can't say that now i have friends of which i have never met, over the internet. For me that's not a friendship it's an internetship, or something of that effect. I tried the whole My Space thing but the people who i would add i talk to in person any way so the thrill of having over 200 friends on my space makes no sense to me.
Now don't be offended if you have 200 friends or something
Now who agrees and who doesn't?
For me technology is experiencing the world in a different way from the next person. Huh, your thinking. Well everyone has their likes and dislikes about todays techno bits and bobs, so each of us choose to either have all that's on offer, some, or the bare minimum.
Take this morning for instance whilst on the train to uni I was sending text messages on my phone whilst listening to my MP3. I looked around and most were if not on their phones, they were listening to music, or on their laptops or doing all of the above!
Personally i think i could probably live without the mobile, certainly not the MP3 and most definately not without some form of access to the internet! I think of how we all survived without all of this.........it's funny how quickly you forget!
The novelty when the internet first came about was being able to talk to random people from countries all over the world. Even today having travelled and with friends all over the place, the convenience of being able to send and email, chat on msn and can i just say god bless Skype.....my phone bill loves you!
I can't say that now i have friends of which i have never met, over the internet. For me that's not a friendship it's an internetship, or something of that effect. I tried the whole My Space thing but the people who i would add i talk to in person any way so the thrill of having over 200 friends on my space makes no sense to me.
Now don't be offended if you have 200 friends or something
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Looking for friends
So the task this week is to find some blogger buddies who i can add to my page. This should be interesting........a new form of introducing yourself to class mates i guess. Hi can I don't know you but can I add you to my blog.....what's your address?! Then i have the very technical task of trying to link their addresses to my page.
Last week week we watched Le Jetee (New Wave Cinema) 1962 which focused on the nature of communication not just across space, but time. It was interesting how it used still shots/images and narration to tell the story. Set in war time and with Dr Wacko's endless search for the future he finds a guinea pig (P.O.W) who can with stand his testing. With his memories of the past, in particular a girls face, the Dr creates a past/now reality in which he visits. He then meets 4 'in future people' who look like they have three eyes and want him to come into the future with him. He wants to go back to his past as the girl is there. He then dies in his parallel reality which acts as a metaphor for the end of his use by the Dr.
Memory and the mind is a powerful thing as we all know and technology and the advancement of technology is essentially from incredibly smart minds. The use of still images in this film was incredibly effective as with alot of peoples memory it's just a snapshot of different images of the past. It gets your imagination working as you try to fill in the middle bits, not just in your own mind but of the characters as well.......................................................
This movie is apparently a basis for Twelve Monkeys and Alphaville. I haven't seen either before so it should be quite good to see Alphaville in our 3rd lecture.
I hope at least some of that made sense.
Last week week we watched Le Jetee (New Wave Cinema) 1962 which focused on the nature of communication not just across space, but time. It was interesting how it used still shots/images and narration to tell the story. Set in war time and with Dr Wacko's endless search for the future he finds a guinea pig (P.O.W) who can with stand his testing. With his memories of the past, in particular a girls face, the Dr creates a past/now reality in which he visits. He then meets 4 'in future people' who look like they have three eyes and want him to come into the future with him. He wants to go back to his past as the girl is there. He then dies in his parallel reality which acts as a metaphor for the end of his use by the Dr.
Memory and the mind is a powerful thing as we all know and technology and the advancement of technology is essentially from incredibly smart minds. The use of still images in this film was incredibly effective as with alot of peoples memory it's just a snapshot of different images of the past. It gets your imagination working as you try to fill in the middle bits, not just in your own mind but of the characters as well.......................................................
This movie is apparently a basis for Twelve Monkeys and Alphaville. I haven't seen either before so it should be quite good to see Alphaville in our 3rd lecture.
I hope at least some of that made sense.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
It begins........
Yes here is where it all starts for another year. Lectures, tute's, assessments, orals.......aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh. I feel much better now getting that off my chest.
So one of the many tasks for this semester is to create and write an interesting blog with details of what goes on in lectures, tutes and about an exciting essay we all have to write! Sounds exciting doesn't it?????
I am not really up to scratch with the whole blogger thing so this shall be a good learning curve.............or a disaterous one! Such a positive outlook I know.
First week at Uni was as expected. The run through course outlines, when assessments etc are due and how the fact you must spend every living waking moment reading or watching something that is related to a subject ect... Unfortunately i tend to be one of those people who freak out and get an attack of the guilts if i watch even 10 mins of TV. So thank you lecturers your 'fear of god tactic' as it seems to work on this lass..........
Our first lecture to enlighten us on New Communication Technologies was as all first lectures are. Introductions, what's expected etc. One of the many things we will be assessed on is our highly informative Blog! Plus lecture discussions and our essay preparation.
There has been no preparation as of yet for any essay and I have been reading my Media and Communications book to get up to speed with what this sudject will involve. Words such as meme, and some others which i can't remember right at this point in time I had never heard of so the fact i have learn't something new already is a positive start......maybe not so positive that i can't remember, but hey, i have some time yet.
I have to say I did like the Prof Stockwells shirt. Very different from the usual blue collared shirt but very cool.
So one of the many tasks for this semester is to create and write an interesting blog with details of what goes on in lectures, tutes and about an exciting essay we all have to write! Sounds exciting doesn't it?????
I am not really up to scratch with the whole blogger thing so this shall be a good learning curve.............or a disaterous one! Such a positive outlook I know.
First week at Uni was as expected. The run through course outlines, when assessments etc are due and how the fact you must spend every living waking moment reading or watching something that is related to a subject ect... Unfortunately i tend to be one of those people who freak out and get an attack of the guilts if i watch even 10 mins of TV. So thank you lecturers your 'fear of god tactic' as it seems to work on this lass..........
Our first lecture to enlighten us on New Communication Technologies was as all first lectures are. Introductions, what's expected etc. One of the many things we will be assessed on is our highly informative Blog! Plus lecture discussions and our essay preparation.
There has been no preparation as of yet for any essay and I have been reading my Media and Communications book to get up to speed with what this sudject will involve. Words such as meme, and some others which i can't remember right at this point in time I had never heard of so the fact i have learn't something new already is a positive start......maybe not so positive that i can't remember, but hey, i have some time yet.
I have to say I did like the Prof Stockwells shirt. Very different from the usual blue collared shirt but very cool.
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