Jonathan's com 300 blog

VoIP and cable/telephone networks

2005-05-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

Voice-over IP is a great technology that can help make communication cheaper for everyone around the world. However, it is debated whether or not it increases or decreases the digital divide. Some argue that it causes a greater reliance on expensive computers which further leaves behind people of lower incomes. Yet others say it allows cheaper communication in parts of the world where long distance traffic is too expensive. This aside, there are concerns over VoIP and how it will effect our current cable and telephone networks. Because voice telephony is mostly free to anyone who owns a computer, it bypasses the PSTN and the associated fees and revenues designated for such services. However, I feel that the innovation of VoIP will help destroy the telecommunication monopolies that still exist and promote the decrease of cost in global communications. Just like cell phone providers who offer free nation-wide long distance, this technology makes global communication cheaper, easier, and more universally accessible. The current telephone networks are the old technology that are being replaced by newer digital technologies such as voice telephony. The freedom of this technology to advance will only make life easier for the rest of us and decrease the cost in communication.

extra credit post

2005-05-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

As we have been reading about internet websites and accessibility, it was enlightening to learn the shortcomings of the 2004 presidential campaign websites. Since both sites failed to implement any kind of user feedback, there were many instances outlined in Kathy Gill's article that the websites failed to comply to standard web design formats. Granted that Kerry's page was slightly better than Bush's, both sites reflected an "organization-centric mindset." Furthermore, in relation to the previous articles on accessibilty to the disabled, both sites fall short of compliance. Both the Bush and Kerry page fail section 508 approval and the Bush site doesn't even have ALT text for images, which is crucial to blind people surfing the page. My concern: If these are regulations and standards set by the W3C and federal government, why is it not inforced on websites as important as the Republican and Democratic presidential campaign websites?

public space on the internet and ADA standards

2005-05-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

Before these readings, I did view the internet as a no-rules, wild wild west atmosphere. I had no idea that ADA regulations require government websites and websites that do government affiliated business to comply to accessibility standards. Perhaps in my own selfishness I just never imagined that blind people used the internet? Yet, many of our class blogs have been praising the internet as the ultimate public domain space, so it would seem appropriate for public space to be non-discriminatory in its accessibility. But if every 10 minutes or so a 1000 new websites have joined the worldwide web, who and how are they are ensuring the compliance of ADA regulations? It does seem unfair that disabled people who are using text-to-audio devices lose their web browsing ability from graphics and images, but what's the solution? Do we sacrifice visually stimulating webpage designs for the minority? Or do government and business websites need to do a better job of ensuring that even graphic displays provide some sort of explanation for these text converting tools? Most of us were upset at the idea of oppressive governments censoring the internet to its citizens with firewalls. Do we get equally as upset that disabled people don't have the same accessibily to information via the internet?

assignment 2

2005-05-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Segall

Com 300

Assignment 2

I have selected the evolution of digital media in the motion picture industry with a focus on movie directors Robert Rodriguez and George Lucas.

Networks and community search queries:

· The Blogosphere – connects me to the worldwide blog network that has many postings related to digital media and Robert Rodriguez.

· Yahoo Groups>Entertainment and Arts>visual equipment>digital movie making: This allows me to access 12 groups that specifically pertain to discussion of topics in digital media and movie making.

· International Digital Media and Arts Association: is a special interest group dedicated to the discussion of digital media.

Searches:

1. Google. General search. Wording: “Groups on digital media.” 48,500,000 results.

2. DAYPOP accessing the blogosphere. General search. Wording: “Robert Rodriguez.” 67 results.

3. DAYPOP accessing the blogosphere. General search. Wording: “Digital movie making.” 283 results.

4. Yahoo. Specific search under “groups.” Wording: “Digital movie making.” 12 results (of groups).

5. Technorati. Searching weblogs. Wording: “Digital media.” 64,627 results (posts).

Annotated list of URL’s

a. UW Expanded Academic Index> Infotrac

b. Richard Baguley

c. Gives pointers on successful digital movie making and a walkthrough

of the advantages of computer editing.

d. Infotrac found this article from a reputable magazine and therefore I

can be assured of its credibility.

e. Infotrac will be a useful search tool for finding articles that pertain to

my topic. By typing in various search queries, I have many different

journals and magazines that are accessible for my research.

f. Baguley, Richard. (2005) Picture Perfect. Australian PC World. 2

(103), 42. Retrieved May 14, 2005, from Infotrac.

· a. ProQuest

b. Scott Carroll

c. Discusses AMD64 technology and Robert Rodriguez’s use of digital technology in the all-digital film Sin City.

d. This information was obtained from Business Wire, a distributor of news.

e. ProQuest will be very useful because it only pulls information up from real sources such as newspapers and academic journals.

f. Carroll, Scott. (2005) AMD64 Technology Redefines Movie Making in All-Digital \'Sin City\'. Business Wire. (), 1. Retrieved May 14, 2005, from ProQuest.

· a. Project Muse

b. Kevin Corbett

c. Gives the history of cinema and reasons why “cultural forces and industrial imperatives” will preserve cinema despite the threat of digital technology.

d. Project Muse provides useful, credible, and reputable information because its search queries bring up academic sources, journals, and newspaper articles.

e. This is yet another site that can help insure that my information is accurate because it is coming from reputable sources.

f. Corbett, Kevin. (2001) The Big Picture: Theatrical Movie Going, Digital Television, and Beyond the Substitution Effect. Cinema Journal. 40 (2), 17-34. Retrieved May 14, 2005, from Project Muse.

4. The fact that there are networks and communities devoted to the discussion of digital media in the film industry directly relates to the facilitation of community through blogging software. Searching through the blogosphere gave me access to thousands of posts pertaining to my subject. The recent explosion of blogging has helped increase the exchange of ideas and information via the internet and has made it possible to connect people who share similar interests.

In furthering the spread of these networks and communities, we have learned how the decreasing cost of wi-fi technology is allowing people from all over the world to access the internet. Amazingly, small under-developed areas of the world can have the ability to get online and be part of the networks that pertain to their interests. The spread of wi-fi can give voice to people who would otherwise be unheard.

As technology continues to get cheaper and the whole world becomes wired, the structure of these networks and communities will become more intricate and thorough because all regions of the world will have the ability to be part of them.

5. In the remaining weeks, I will create an outline of the research I have found and the major points I would like to get across. I will use that outline as a guide for compiling the information into a presentable project on digital technology in the film industry.

Internet technology and political activity

2005-05-15T18:32:00.000-07:00

As I have learned from the recent readings, it wasn't until Howard Dean's campaign that the internet was really taken advantage of as a means of fundraising and gaining supporters. Although the Dean campaign bombed after some unfortunate media coverage, Joe Trippi certainly set the standard for campaigning over the internet. Internet technology can allow people to discuss politics through blogs and chatrooms, submit donations, email addresses, and other important contact information without much effort or cost on the campaigners part. It also helps give a working count of the actual support you have. I'm sure that in the next presidential election, Joe Trippi's model of internet campaigning will be taken advantage by both the Democrats and the Republicans.

Curbing the Commercialization of Public Space

2005-05-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the notion of public space has been blurred by advertisement after advertisement. On average, Americans are exposed to over 2000 advertisements a day, and that is in part due to the fact that, even in our public spaces, we are bombarded with advertising. As the reading mentioned, public space (being physical or not) is still the place where ideas are exchanged. However, when everything has a logo or sponsor, can we still have a working democracy that is drowning in commercialism? I could not believe that in 1993, there was actually a marketing company who planned to launch square mile sized billboards into orbit so that everytime people looked into the sky, they saw the ad! How rediculous would that be if the sky became ad space for sale? Thankfully congress passed a law against it and all we have to deal with is planes that carry banners.

Public space on the internet

2005-05-09T08:08:00.000-07:00

After reading these latest two articles, I am once again reminded how fortunate we are to live in the United States. Could you imagine being jailed for something that you typed in a blog? We live in a country that exercises our rights to freedom and therefore the idea is absurd. However, in repressive countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia, the concept is no stranger to its citizens. Everyone should enjoy the right to unlimited access of information (with the exception of personal info) via the web. Ideally, no government would be able to use firewalls from blocking its citizens from such a thing. I have had my own experience with internet censorship and it is VERY frustrating when you realize that the information is at your fingertips, but the cite is blocked. At my high school and many others across the country, the schools have internet filters that block any kind of sites that fall under certain keyword hits. Unfortunately, this resulted in many websites being blocked that did not pertain to the filters real purpose of restricting obsene materials to high schoolers. This kind of restriction is just a glimpse of the frustration that people who live in repressive countries must experience. Denying access to public space on the internet is wrong, but in those countries, limited internet access is just one of many problems faced by its citizens.

Midterm report

2005-05-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

After completing the last assignment, I am a little uneasy about my topic. I had to spend a lot of time looking for resources and finding specific information to narrow my subject down was a bit frustrating. I haven't given up yet though! I'm going to see how smoothly this second assignment goes and then reevaluate where I stand. It seems that there is just not a lot of information on my topic because it is really new and only a couple of directors have really taken advantage of all-digital movies. Come Monday, if I still feel hesitant, I will probably switch to a book review.

the internet and open source

2005-05-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

Our second reading describes the uprising of a second superpower; the collaborative efforts of millions of people via the web in efforts of worldwide peace. As internet accessability spreads throughout the world, more and more people are able to join this superpower. The author feels it is a superior democratic process to that of the United State's because rather than the occassional voting exercise, its members actively engage in a variety of "web-enabled initiatives." The author, who feels the US is comparable to the eagle- ruling from above and preying on the weak, best describes the second superpower as ants- ruling from the below and using their strength in numbers to accomplish large tasks. The productivity of this group is always evolving because new forms of communication, commentary, and other innovations via the internet are constantly being invented. This is where I link the reading to the open source software movement. By allowing users to have the freedom to write code and change the software, it allows for more productivity and a betterment for society. Thus, the second superpower, in its efforts for world peace, would be able to accomplish more with these freedoms.

blogging software and community

2005-05-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

Blogging is a more recent form of social software that allows users to post comments in a journal style format, view other people's posts, and sort through information usually organized by topic. This helps facilitate community because people can get online and exchange ideas and information with ease and efficiency. Blogging can assist in a larger idea of community in the sense that it connects people to discuss issues on a global scale. Yet it can also be as narrow and focused as creating communities within communities. In class, many of us are organizing blogs that pertain to the greater Seattle area.

Although blogging is more efficient than trying to establish a conference call, one of the problems associated with it is structure. Often, topics and issues get so forked that they lead to nowhere and solutions never get presented. Another question about the community value of blogging is what is actually being accomplished? Besides the exchange of ideas, do members of those communities really get things done? For example, in the reading, it suggested hypothetical of paypal being integrated into the software so groups could sponsor fundraisers. But is this realistic?

wi-fi technology

2005-04-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

As wireless fidelity technology gets cheaper and is expanded into rural areas, this provides a unique opportunity for communication scholars to study the effects of the technology on the development of the community. The village area network (VAN) set up in Bohecio, Dominican Republic is serves as a good example. The people of Bohecio are mainly farmers and there is little to no industrial growth in the area. After having a telecentre installed supported by a VAN, this could provide an amazing opportunity for communication scholars to study the evolution of the rural farming community and the positive effects of technology. As equipment continues to get cheaper and people are able to take advantage of license-exempt frequencies, communication scholars will have more and more opportunities to study the effects of wi-fi implementation into rural areas.

electronic voting

2005-04-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

Personally, I don't think we need to switch entirely to electronic voting. Unlike India's electronic voting machines, the ones here in the United States cost thousands of dollars. I see nothing wrong with just sticking to a scannable ballot where people fill in a circle next to the desired candidate. This gives tangible proof of who you voted for. To make them more error proof, they could implement a second marking to ensure the right candidate (either circling the persons name or writing in the name as well), however this takes away from the convenience of machine counting. I personally feel that people just need to be smarter and more assertive when voting. Although in class we discussed that some people are dyslexic, I highly doubt that we had that many incorrect votes due to dyslexic people. In fact dyslexic people, being aware of their problem, are probably more careful when voting on a ballot than others (just a thought).

man-machine relationship

2005-04-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

These latest readings, although interesting, didn't really change my perspective on the man-machine relationship. The author of the first article had a relatively negative outlook on the machines that we have created- machines that function for precision and accuracy, which is in contrast to the human mind which is less precise but more creative. I am a personal fan of technology. I love how it makes life simpler. Yes, more is demanded of us today and it is the result of our own doing, but at least we have technological aids to keep us on track, to keep us informed, and to speed up our everyday processes.

The internet and national/local news

2005-04-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

I would have to agree with the authors of The Role of the Internet in National and Local News Media. It only makes sense that greater availability and amount of national news on the internet would lead users of that media source to have an increased national political knowledge compared to local knowledge. My own experience with internet use backs up their hypothesis. For example, when I click on my internet browser, my homepage is MSNBC. Although it is tailored to the area I live in for sports updates and weather, the news it gives me is national news. I rarely read the Seattle Times or P.I. and get my local news from TV. However, I spend a greater amount of time on the internet and according to the uses and gratification theory, my time spent purposefully browsing the internet is to expose myself to the content that I want to see. Whereas when I'm watching TV, it is a more passive experience and I may be doing something else at the same time.

Information overload!

2005-04-11T01:06:00.000-07:00

Is our generation held hostage by information? Throughout these readings I couldn't help but think about two things: First off, have any of you ever been told about the days when getting a college education was basically your ticket to success? Nowadays, more is demanded of us and less is gauranteed! Having your degree doesn't necessarily mean $60k right out of college. It is certainly undeniable that more and more is being demanded of the human mind. Consider the fact that using a computer, a natural skill for most grade schoolers, is completely foreign to most of our grandparents. The other thing that came to mind was the statistic that in college, we forget over 70% of what we learned! That is a clear indication of too much information and too little time.

Both readings use the term "information anxiety." In its definition, it describes the gap between what we understand and what we think we should understand. I'd have to admit that there have been plenty of times in my life that I've experienced frustation because I don't understand something, yet because of the informational age we live in, I think I should understand it. It is said that most humans only use 10% of their brain capacity and geniuses are able to use 14%. Regardless of that, I do wonder if there is going be a time when this ever increasing technological age surpasses me and my future grandkids laugh about how poor ol' grandpa doesn't even know how to use a (fill in the blank with something not invented yet).

April 6

2005-04-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

One of the points of Networks of Remediation discusses the entertainment industry's use of rememediation for economic purposes. Through repurposing, the entertainment industry "takes a familiar content and pours it into another medium form." Basically, it will take something and spread it over as many markets as possible to rake in the most money. For example a comic book becomes a movie, video game, cereal box, action figure, etc. In this case, the goal is to engage all of the child's senses into the content. I couldn't help but reflect back to my childhood with Superman. I was definitely subjected to repurposing because not only did I watch all the movies and cartoons, but I WAS superman. Yes, I owned a cool blue outfit with a red cape. When I wasn't watching Superman, I was playing with superman toys or perhaps eating something sponsored by Superman himself.

In Principles of New Media, a main point was that modern media was standardized much like the operations of an assembly line whereas new media provides unique and individual customization to its experiences. Although this articles was a bit too technical for my liking, I did connect with the section under "automation" and its discussion of artificial intelligence. In most of the video games I play, the A.I. displays high-level automation of media creation. The A.I. displays a level of intelligence because it responds to our gameplay. This made me think of how advanced automation has gotten over the last 6 years because A.I. in games have become so realistic in the way that they respond and strategize against your own gameplay.

March 30th readings

2005-04-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Ah-ha #1. First off, I never knew anything about internet structure or how it worked and operated so learning some basic concepts about Internet Protocol was news for me. I had no idea that through IP, our information that we send gets sent out it tiny packets to the destination. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is responsible for ensuring that those packets arrive at the destination address, and if they don't, it notifies the original computer and has it resend the packets that didn't make it. The original computer actually makes a back-up copy of what your sending just in case this happens.

Ah-ha #2. When you send an email, your information packets get sent through dozens of computers whose job it is to move information in the right direction to the right machine. These computers are called routers. This process is possible through a tool called traceroute. An understanding of traceroute will help one know the process and path of information sent from your system to a host computer.

ah-ha!

2005-03-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

My first "ah-ha" is regarding the notion of critical mass, and how it was originally a scientific term related to the amount of radioactivity needed to hold a chain reaction. However, for our course material, it relates to the adoption of new media technologies into a community or society. Critical mass is achieved when enough people have accepted the technology and a point is reached where that technology becomes fully integrated into society. In our readings, they used email and fax machines as an example.

The second ah-ha is in regard to James Beniger's hypothesis of when and how we started transforming from an industrial society to an informational society. The notion of speed, which developed with the invention of railroads and steam powered boats, redefined they way communication was needed to maintain control . Shipping out products with less travel time between cities meant a higher demand of communication techniques needed to support such a process. This demand led to an explosion of new communication inventions...........ah-ha!