My Final Media Project.

The Lloyd Dobler Syndrome

Here is our final video of "The Lloyd Dobler Syndrome". Hope you recognize some familiar faces and again, thank you to all of you whom helped Greg and me with your contributions. For those of you that asked what movie this was from, it's called "Say Anything".

I-PHONE REMIX RE-POSTED!!

Here is the link to our blog it was posted on May 4th previously now I'm re-posting it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXuq-Jr4Ji8

Lauren's Mixtape Site

Here's the link to Lauren's project.

http://earvibes.blogspot.com/

Mary's media project

http://marysmusicmash.blogspot.com/

Blog...

http://drinkingdownthebad.blogspot.com/

-Leilani Stein

Running Buffet

Here’s the link to my choose your own adventure zombie blog. I hope y’all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed making it.

http://runningbuffet.blogspot.com/

http://istayremixing.blogspot.com/

Final Project Link

I posted this last month but it has since been buried by other posts. Here it is again.

mmoaddictguide.blogspot.com

Cheers!

~JV

Party Girl vs. Pregnant Girl: Parts I & II

Here is Part I:



...and Part II

Link to News Brought To You - By You

http://news-broughttoyoubyyou.blogspot.com/

Check our blog out and post something if you want. This is your news blog, brought to you... BY YOU! Thanks!

-Rob, Amy and Josh

How to Check Out Our Blog

To check out our blog for the term project, click here!

-Kathy & Katie

My project

Here is the link to my final project. On video games.


http://newlydevelopedvideogames.blogspot.com/

Whateva You Like (funny remix)

I-Phone Remix

Here is the link below to our blog entitled I-Phone remix below Gerzain has posted our video but I also wanted to post the link to the blog so that everyone could check it out .

Please feel free to leave any suggestions or comments on the blog!!!

Thanks!

http://iphoneremix.blogspot.com

Hey guys if anyone is interested in checking out our fishing blog we would love to have yalls input as well as fishing stories. Thanks everyone, Mike and Rand. Check us out at:

The Texan Angler

http://texanangler.blogspot.com/

I-PHONE JERK.mov

Project

Here's the link to my blog for my New Media project!

http://megansaysvideogamesareart.blogspot.com/

Happy Feet Walk It Out Remix

Link to Mamma Mia blog!

Here is the link, created by Jaclyn Nix, Morgan Finley, and Monica Pena to the finished blog for Mamma Mia Remix Evolution.
http://mammamiaremixevolution.blogspot.com/

remix at it's funniest

Telephone Remake @ Yahoo! Video

WOW is Right!

Ok so this kid is truly crazy. Most of yall have probably seen this already, but if you haven’t seen this kid wig out then you have to check it out. I am not going to post the YouTube vid on the blog site b/c there is a risky section during the clip. All you have to do is simply YouTube WOW freak out and it’s the first clip that pops up. This guy is a for sure video game addict.

World Of War Craft Intervention?

This is a video about a group of friends getting together to do a WOW intervention or are they?

Remix - Sistine Chapel

I saw this link on Digg today of a 360 degree virtual image tour of the Sistine Chapel. Reminded me of how Henry Jenkins used the Sistine Chapel as an example of remix or mashup because it features stories and images from the Bible.

Dance Your Ass Off, Charlie Brown!

For everyone's enjoyment, here is the remix video of A Charlie Brown Christmas with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I am about to attempt to repost the video to YouTube and resign a statement of good faith. I will also post this statement in hopes that they will allow the video to be viewed and searched by anyone who so chooses....

Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational orpersonal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

let's hope this works. I will keep you all updated on the progress of this and hopefully you can search for it soon :)

More

We all have a fire within us. Don't let it burn out.

Six Degrees of Remix Culture

http://sixdegreesofremixculture.blogspot.com/

The link to my blog that we saw in class! check it out.

Facebook

After Brittany's presentation we had talked about how facebook using your personal information to market you was kind of shady, well..
FACEBOOK is at it again...violating your personal information: As of today, there is a new privacy setting called "Instant Personalization" that shares data with non-facebook websites and it is automatically set to "Allow." Go to Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and Websites and uncheck "Allow"...

How Facebook won the web

This article on "How Facebook won the web" is really interesting! It discusses how Facebook is ruling Google and Twitter, but it warns "Facebook's user base is volatile: They may one day decide to embark on a mass exodus, causing Facebook to fall like MySpace and Friendster before it." It makes me wonder how long this Facebook thing will really stay around for. While I was working on my undergrad I used Facebook, afterall that's when it got big! However, when I got my bachelors in 2006, that pretty much meant the end to my Facebook use. Now that I'm in grad school though, I'm using it again to stay in touch with my classmates and vent about exams! I really don't see myself using it as frequently as I do now, once I graduate. Check out the link below and let me know what YOU think! Will you still be a loyal Facebook user once you graduate?

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/22/facebook.won.the.web.cashmore/index.html?hpt=T2

New iPhone Lost and Found! For Real!

In case you missed it, the Internets erupted yesterday like an Icelandic volcano over news that a top-secret iPhone 4.0 had turned up in a bar. Check it out.

And here's the follow-up article on How Apple Lost the Next iPhone.

Zombie Girl: the Movie

I watched an interesting movie this weekend, called Zombie Girl: the Movie, about a 12 year-old girl from Austin who decided to make a zombie film. The movie was interesting because it focused on the behind the scenes aspect of making a movie and the decisions and obstacles this girl had to face. In terms of new media, there was a section when film critics and indie film makers discussed the “blurring of the lines between consumer and producer” and how technology has changed so much that a 12 year-old can make a feature length film. What once was limited to a few people who had the ability and know-how to film a project and edit it is now available to anyone who has the time and creativity to make a movie. They also discussed if this was a good or bad thing and not everything produced will be worthy of the audience’s time (which makes sense when you see a lot of the stuff on YouTube). I recommend checking this movie out if only for the sole purpose of seeing what a pre-teen can accomplish and feeling bad about yourself for being so lazy at that age. At least, that’s how it made me feel. Below is the trailer.

Combatting My Space Addiction

This parody of films and tv shows gives advice for combatting My Space-itis. It is funny and makes a good point--about the fact that there is a real world out there with real people in it--you can have real friends and hobbies.

Facebook Addiction

I think the addiction doctors will be getting around to Facebook soon for some of us. What is so addictive about socializing from a distance using technology? Brings out the lurker in all of us? Or the voyeur? Is it the hope that one day you will find someone fantastic online--best friend ever, new boyfriend, etc.?

The Skinny on the Trololo

Check this Russian news story (with English captions) for a valuable lesson in global media flows.

This is all that's wrong with FB!

This is probably one of the best ways I could describe to you all the things I HATE ABOUT FACEBOOK! But, I still find myself a slave to it, because of all the friends I can actually stay in touch with on here.

Social Networking Wars: Super News!

Here are a couple of animated cartoons about making fun social networking sites. This first one is about Myspace contronting a user for not being on the site. In steps Facebook.





Twouble with Twitter....





"Friend Request"

Social Network Sites

Since the Internet is now used for everything in daily life, why not online learning? Even though sites like second life are starting to use this kind of tool to reach students, this is a kind of learning that in my opinion is still in its infancy. This seems like the logical next step since society has already seen the adaptation of twitter, facebook, second life and so many more that I could not even begin to list them here (nor do I even know them all!!) One area of particular interest to me is instructional communication in the online classroom and more specifically how teacher immediacy and social presence relate to student motivation in the online classroom. One of the really cool things about online learning is the interpersonal dynamic that has to be accounted for-that is, how do instructors promote a "climate" for learning when there is no classroom and students are in a virtual world? Verbal immediacy is a good tool to use as it is more difficult to use nonverbal in this sort of learning environment. What I would love to see in the future of online learning is more research and study into the ways student motivation is shaped in this sort of classroom. Are students motivated the same way as they are in the traditional classroom? More motivated for learning? Perhaps less? Fascinating stuff indeed!!!

Lego Poetry

Hollywood should be taking notes. Well played, tomjoetwins, well played.

Avatars and Us

My Second Life avatar Sheena Baddingham thought the class might be interested in this video about behaviorism and avatars. It seems that creating an avatar from an image of ourselves can affect behavior. Researchers at Stanford University have been studying this. I know that having Sheena around has motivated me to become a better person. (just kidding, nothing can do that)

Jeff Gomez talking about transmedia narratives

Jeff Gomez speaks of symphonies of nonlinear narrative. Transmedia is a way to overcome licensing problems, studio politics, etc. Movies will be a lifetyle experience. He says people will spend money to live in unique worlds like the Avatar world. Maximizing profit but he also says that sponsors will make some experiences free for fans.

SORRY:(

Oops wrong site…but if anyone is interested in checking out Mike and Rands site you can find us at www.texanangler.blogspot.com cya there

The iPad Killer?

HP has recentely leaked some new teaser videos (like the one above) about their new product, the Slate, they're hoping will give the iPad a run for it's money. The Slate has some key elements that are missing on the iPad, such as a built-in camera, a USB port (a real one, not an adapter), and an SD card slot. Also, there are two cameras: a 3MP lens in back and a front-facing VGA camera for video conferencing. The Slate also has a single USB 2.0 port, an SD card reader, a "conventional" SIM tray for 3G networking, and HDMI-out video capabilities (with 1080p playback) via the Slate's dock connector. Possible unofficial features include an 8.9-inch, 1024-by-600-pixel display, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor, and 32 or 64GB of built-in flash storage (expandable via the SD card slot). HP has already made it pretty clear that users will be able to view Flash videos on the Slate. One of the biggest official selling points for the Slate is Windows 7, a full-on, multitasking, desktop-caliber operating system. The iPad, on the other hand, runs on a modified version of the iPhone OS and lacks third-party-app multitasking and is specifically designed for touch. The iPad also runs lightning-fast while Windows 7 is designed for a keyboard and mouse but HP is promising a "touch-optimized UI" to help with fingertip navigation.

More Jenkins!

Pretty interesting clip...

A Slice of Fried Gold

Above: Jimmy Fallon’s impression of Kate Gosselin on Dancing with the Stars complete with scary hair extensions and robot-like movements.
Below: Gosselin’s actual performance.

Addicted to Video Games?

Here's an excerpt from an interview with Henry Jenkins in which he discusses the notion of video games addiction, which ties in nicely to our conversation about Second Life last week and my concerns about how quickly we jump to diagnosing media obsessions.

Young Job-Seekers Hiding Facebook Pages

I recently read this article about young job-seekers and how they are starting to hide their Facebook pages, because they are worried it will hurt them during their job hunt! Pretty interesting article and something to consider for all those looking for a job in this tough market. Wouldn't it be a shame to lose a job over a Facebook page?!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/03/29/facebook.job-seekers/index.html?hpt=C

(For some reason it wasn't letting me link it up, sorry but you'll have to copy and paste)

Final Project Blog

So for my final project, I'm doing a combination of things on the subject of MMORPGs (such as World of Warcraft) and addiction. If you've played any of these games, you know what I'm talking about...or at least heard of someone who has. Anyway, a big part of my project is a "self-help" blog.

The link is:

mmoaddictguide.blogspot.com

There isn't a lot up at the moment but feel free to stop by and make comments or whatever. Feedback is appreciated.

~JV

A Second Life Production

The makers of this video remind of the first movies made. A new technology in play that allows for the creation and distrabution of entertainment content. As second life continues to develope players(aka participatory clients) with media savoy and a nack for creative vision, a new platorm for movie development might be around the corner. Keep in mind I'm not suggesting a block buster theater presentation, but webisode productions are a possiblity.

Easter Spirit

I can't explain why this funny, it just is.

Hitler Gets Banned from XBOX Live

Maybe I should do my project with this video. Now Hitler is banned from XBOX Live. This is a good example of remix in that you can see how funny you can make the same old video footage. Would Hitler have played video games? Probably, if you could win territory in the game and have people hung on hooks with piano wire if you won. Enjoy!

Hitler Takes Over Texas A&M University

Funny, funny, Hitler taking over once again, this time of our alma mater. If Hitler were alive, would he be impressed with Texas A&M University? Maybe some of the traditions. Quite possibly the corps. Not that I am a Hitler fan or anything. Glad he is dead and that I never met him.

Adam does it again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NisCkxU544c
While this post is alittle graphic in the use of language, it does drive home the comedic drive of Andy Samberg.

Sandbox game example

Video Games | Red Dead Redemption | Exclusive Life in the West Part II

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

This game hasn't come out yet, but I saw this video today and it really caught my eye. Red Dead Redemption is being developed by Rockstar Games, the same game company behind the Grand Theft Auto series, as well as Bully, Max Payne series, and Midnight Club. I didn't know this game was a sandbox game until I saw this video. The narrator describes it as an "open-world" game, which is another way of saying it is a sandbox game. The player is free to go from town to town and interact with the people he meets and the environment. This is in contrast to more linear game such as Halo or Call of Duty where the player is sypheined down a set path to advance in the game. This game looks really great. You don't see many Western-themed games out there, let alone an open-world Western game. Can't wait!

The video is widescreen so it doesn't fit properly on the page, here's the link to the video in HD.

Surrogates and Second Life all too real??

The human element disappears in virtual worlds such a second life. There is no possible ways that interpersonal relationships could be built the same way in these avatar world compared to the real world. This "cyber life social hang out" reminds me of the movie Surrogates with Bruce Willis. In the movie, avatars are sent out to live their lives, they can look how they choose to look, work where they want to work, just like second life. The only difference is that instead of meeting in a cyber world, the avatar is actually in the real world. The glamour is presented at first but then you start to see the cracks of the avatar phenomenon and how it greatly affects people's lives.

Why is Kanye Interrupting Obama's Speech?

When congressman Joe Wilson called Obama a lier by shouting out "you lie" while the president gave a health care speech, we all knew this would end up on youtube.....

Depp Doesn't Watch his Movies.....

This probably has nothing to do with class but Im a huge fan and found this pretty funny

More on Second life

I got home and wanted to know more information on second life and found this very interesting hope yall like it

CSI Second Life New York Crime Scene Investigates

CSI in Second Life, an example of participatory culture. It's interesting how we can take a television show from television and incorporate it into this alternative world.

Ohio State Goes Second Life

Here is an example of a university that uses Second Life as a resource for educational instruction... Kind of creepy, kind of cool. But will it lead us to become like our future selves seen in such films as Wall-E? Or make us more prosperous? I guess only time will tell.

iPad Gaming Guide

For anyone interested or just curious, Kotaku has a frequently updated page on iPad games.

http://kotaku.com/5502258/ipad-games-the-ultimate-gamers-guide-to-apples-ipad-[updated]/gallery/

Check it out!

~JV

Why second Life scares the hell out of me

Imagine a world where there are no boundaries, no limits to who a person can be and no limits to the imagination. That world is second life. For some reason as I read all about this virtual world filled with everything from lessons on how to build a piano, to learning in a virtual classroom I am reminded that there is lacking (in my view) a human element in this medium. I am fully aware however that some would say it is the human element that makes this medium what it is. But what of the face to face element of communication? Is it really possible to live in a world that in all respects is real except for the fact that humans can never physically touch one another? Second life reminds me of a dream world where the participants practice "lucid" dreaming-that is, where you know you are dreaming and can control the dream, what the dream is, and what the dream does. No limits! You are the pilot of the dream. I have had such dreams and although these dreams can be pleasurable, they are not real. Second life is a powerful alternative to the real world and in my opinion has the potential to be as addictive to some as crack cocaine. It reminds me of an episode from Star trek Voyager where the crew had discovered this alien species that lived their lives asleep in the "waking world". This alien life form lived out its life in a dream state instead and what was dreamed was actually the alien's real world. But in reality the aliens body had become weak and easily conquered because all the energy was focused in the dream world state rather than the one in the waking world. This dream world actually made it vulnerable. I think second life is fascinating, yet terrifying because it has the ability to totally consume the energies that could otherwise be spent building a real, physical, relational, emotional world in the physical life. It looks like a substitute for what we as humans were meant to be-real, breathing, bleeding human beings connected via touch and face to face contact.

Oh, It Has Losers

The show The Office does a great job of including current pop culture into its show. Here’s a short clip about Dwight’s decision to sign up for Second Life. Pay attention to the description he gives of his character in the game.

Also, I included The Office’s take on parkour- which we talked about in class last week. Parkour, sometimes used interchangeably with freerunning is “the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path by adapting one's movements to the environment” according to Wikipedia.

No More Politics: Bush vs Condie

Please take this video as a response to Liz Worden's last post, 10 Political Gafs. :))

Welcome to your Second Life

Perhaps you are not aware yet, but people are going crazy with these kinds of games. They usually do not consider those as computer games. I am talking about MMORPGs, in other words, Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games. Second Life is one of them, and maybe one of the most realistic ones. We usually tend to think that games are for kids, but you need to be 18 or over to be able to play this game. (For kids who are 13 to 17 have the Teen Second Life).

In Second Life, you pretty much design your new life. If you are not happy with your sexuality or age you can decide what to be. If you are not satisfied with your hair, you can give a new style. It has an internal currency, L$ (Linder dollar). L$ can be purchased using US Dollars and other currencies on the LindeX exchange. You can use L$ to buy, sell, rent or trade land or goods and services with other users. Virtual goods include buildings, vehicles, devices of all kinds, animations, clothing, skin, hair, jewelry, and works of art. Services include camping, wage labor, business management, entertainment and custom content creation.

There are many more things about Second Life, but the thing I want to share is the video below. "Real industries" try to get spots on Second Life. When you get into the game, you see many brands you are already familiar with. I found this video interesting because it was created (2007) by a respected advertising agency, DRAFTFCB. It is one of the largest global advertising agency networks with headquarters in both Chicago and New York. This video is their declaration and dedication that they are on Second Life.

I wonder in what extent do these games have impact on the advertising industry and how players do receive them. Check out SecondLife.com: Buying Lands

A Day In the Life of Duke: Backyard Adventures

Hi class! This is the latest installment of "A Day In the Life of Duke." This time, you are introduced to Duke's stepbrother, Max (the cat). They have tons of fun roaming around in the backyard together. Apparently Max has more fun than Duke.

This is my first attempt at using Windows Movie Maker to create a mini movie! I filmed the video, editted it, added music, transitions, an intro, and credits. I hope you enjoy it! Make sure your sound is up loud enough to hear the background music, especially for the last 2 clips (there are only 3). ENJOY!!

This trailer makes me feel....

I can't decide what makes me love this trailer so much. It's either because (a) Bill Withers is a stud, (b) Dante's Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso were written in the 14th century and somebody decided to make a videogame out of it, (c) I'm a sucker for chivalry, or (d) it says go to hell at the end.

10 Political Gaffs

Here are some of our leaders having brain-mouth coordination problems. For those Bush haters out there, they do say that Bush was dyslexic and that caused him to have trouble reading teleprompters. I guess that was it.

Sarah Palin Demonstrates Her Brilliance--Once Again

I just could not resist posting this as my own mother would campaign for Sarah if her health was good enough. Many people see this woman as being a brilliant person in a moose hunting, beer swilling, plain talking, common sensical way. View this clip and make up your own minds.

The Office + It's Always Sunny = Back on Topps

This sitcom is based on the Topps brothers of the baseball card fortune, who have just discovered that their uncle's company has been bought out by Disney. The style and content are very similar to The Office and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: the dry wit, sarcasm and general office humor provide an experience very much like sitcoms found on network and cable TV.

As far as anything participatory or interactive is concerned, there really isnt much opportunity other than the YouTube community's ability to post comments or video responses. These factors alone make the viewing experience different from if we were to watch such a show on NBC or FX.

Flea Market Montgomery - Pet Shop Version

I love remix culture.

Flea Market Montgomery - Long Version

The Cleveland Show-Flea Market Mini Mall Song Rap(HD)

Zero Punctuation

(The video is widescreen so it doesn't quite fit on the blog, here is the link to the video, and here is a link to watch other episodes of Zero Punctuation)

The audio and visual characteristics of Zero Punctuation incorporate simplified, stick figure-like characters, simplistic and/or borrowed visuals, as well as text to convey meaning. Yahtzee, the show's creator, uses this style to review video games weekly in his own unique style. Yahtzee's distinct style of talking very quickly, simple animations, and witty criticism of games are his trademarks.

The style of the show is very dynamic, Yahtzee can throw whatever sort of image he likes onto the bright yellow backdrop to convey his opinion of a game. Yahtzee's use of simplistic figures and pictures allows him to create any picture he would like to illustrate his point. This particular quality of his show is not unlike that of comic books, in that in the simplicity of the image we can read into our own interpretation of the image. His style is very consistent, using a stick-figure like characters wearing a derby hat to represent himself, and a demon/imp-like creature to represent enemies in a game. He also uses recurring visuals that fans of the series will pick up on.

Zero Punctuation's style and content are different from normal TV in that Yahtzee has no censorship. His humor is more often than not brash and crude. The show often features violence and gore. Being an internet show, there is no FCC breathing down his neck. Also, if Yahtzee thinks a game sucks (he usually does) then he is free to say so. He is not biased, he will not get in any sort of trouble for ragging on a particular game. This is different than if he were to work for something like "Official Xbox Magazine" or some sort of company associated with a game developer; if Yahtzee was affiliated with a game company he may be less inclined to give a negative review of a game.

Yahtzee has invited fans to participate a few times during his show. During one episode he cryptically referred to his "Top 5 games" that he is a fan of, but did not directly name these games. He challenged his fans to figure out what these games were. He also occasionally addresses viewers directly, making fun of them for whining that he hates their favorite game.

Zero Punctuation is different from traditional media in that it is a sort of vlog. Although Yahtzee's mug does not appear in the show, a cartoon representation of him does. Yahtzee's voice is the only voice we ever hear in the show, and he is telling us his opinion of a game, very similar to vlog's featured on Youtube. Zero Punctuation can also be likened to a video version of a comic book due to it's visuals and juxtaposed images that Yahtzee uses to convey meaning.

Jaclyn Nix
Rosie Mendieta
Megan Gonzalez

Ask A NINJA!!!

To sum this assignment/video series up... It consists of a guy wearing a ninja suit, and answering questions and talking about random things. The video is low budget, plain, and doesn't really have any real high production value. While the design and show are rather simple, there are no commercials, and he interact directly with his audience by answering questions and discussing topics that they ask him. The show focuses on him, his antics, and his comedy. It allows the viewer to participate with laughing with him, at him, and encouraging him to continue his antics through various forms of communication, such as email, snail mail, and a phone hotline. However, with nearly 4,000,000 (yes... that is correct, and yes, that's a lot of zero's) views (each coming from a unique IP address) it's hardly fair to say that he isn't popular. In fact one of the best ways that this kind of medium beats out TV, is that you can see your viewer-ship immediately, and so he can show the popularity and ratings for his show as they come in.

Members of this group: Jon M, Rand, Josh, and Mike.

Kate Modern and Back on Topps

Back on Topps has audio and visual characteristics that zoom in and out, flashing to the next scene very fast and is constantly moving. It is geared towards those who like the office and is a parody on this show. This episode called "double crossed" is about stalking and also makes fun of Christianity.

In Kate Modern, there is violence, sex and youthful plot lines. It is a story about post modern life and it revolves around Kate-who is she? is she alive? These are two of the themes that is revolves around. I thought it was uncomfortable to watch both shows since I would never watch something like this normally. Back on Topps making fun of Christians was a bit unsettling and frankly I found it offensive...Kate modern was violent and seemed to promote it in order to get viewers. All in all, interesting viewing.
LisaCampbell
Liz Worden

Blog Post- Lonelygirl15

We choose to view and analyze Lonelygirl15 because it is a web based series and has an interesting approach. As we began to watch it, we realized that each episode has a different topic that was focused on and each season increased in it complexity. Originally shot with a vlog style approach, Lonelygirl15, after being discovered to be a fictional story line, the film style change slightly to a hand held style over the webcam approach. Also with the discovery, the story line became more complex. With more characters being introduced, the webisodes began to emulate television in a more traditional manner. Towards the end of the series, things like seriality.
Lonelygirl15 has some interactive components, for example comments by viewers and video responses by other vloggers such as “What the Buck” began to appear immediately. In earlier episodes, Lonelygirl15 was known to respond to viewer’s critics by making mockeries of their responses. Lonelygirl15 differs from traditional television in the fact that viewer’s immediate critics affect the direction of the show. Also for a scripted show, Lonelygirl15 was one of the first of its kind to be filmed like a vlog.


Leilani Stein
Morgan Finley
Monica Pena
Amy Arismendez

Lamborghini Poster

Standard Entertainment Single camera production. Produced by amatuer film producers for a situational comedy effect. The style is very consistant with political and moral themes. The episodes look like something that you would see on adult swim or even MTV.
If you register with the website you can leave comments about the episodes that you watch. The On Network website has other web shows that can be viewed on the website as well.
The episodes can be subscribe to via email or Itunes and you can embed the episodes on different internet sites.

Gerzain Peralta
Melissa Santiago
Greg Griffith
Marcus Hammonds

God of War III Demo

An interesting thing about video game demos is that rather than watch a video of the game in action, you get to play it and experience it for yourself. For a movie trailer, different scenes are carefully put together to showcase the movie without giving away too much about it.

Game demos are kind of the same way. Developers are often on the fence about them because they can give away too much about the game or actually playing it may turn away some gamers. Of course, really good demos may get people excited about it.

The latter was the case with the God of War III demo, at least in my case. I had never played the first two and had only seen images of the third one. When I bought District 9, it came with the GoW III demo. I decided to try it out.
The demo begins about halfway into the game (as I found out after buying the actual game) and you start off with weapons and power-ups you don’t actually have when you reach that point in the actual game. I should note that many demos do this; they give you items and powers earlier than normal so you can try them out. Anyway, you start out walking around a corridor and you see the lava titan climbing Mount Olympus in the distance. The depth and scale is amazing here and you can really tell how monstrous the titan is as he scales the mountain.

You fight your way through enemies, which include skeleton creatures, centaurs (which you can gut), harpies, and a chimera. You reach a point where you kill the sun god Helios, by ripping off his head and using it as a lantern.
You walk through dark caverns, lighting them up with your newfound lantern. You finally reach the chain of fate (I think that’s what it’s called) and you fly up the chain with your wings (taken from Icarus). You dodge beams, walkways, and falling hot Cheetos (actually just lava rocks) until you reach the end and you see the lava titan in front of you. He reaches to grab you as Kratos (the main character) flies at him with a blade ready to stab. As he approaches the titan the screen goes black and the God of War III logo slams onto the screen, ending an action packed demo.

The demo is actually one of the best I’ve ever played. I immediately wanted the actual game and did in fact buy it because of the demo. The demo was different from a trailer of the same game in that you get to experience it yourself. You get to press the O button repeatedly to rip off Helios’ head. It ended right as it was really picking up and left on a cliffhanger, making you want more.
I’ve seen some great movie trailers but they never had the same feel as a good game demo. A movie trailer isn’t too hard to put together (not that I’d know) but selecting different scenes to show off is quite different from deciding what part of a game you let players experience.

This is tricky because some games have slow parts with little to no action and some games take a while to get good weapons and power ups. If you let players demo a slow part of the game, it might turn people away. If you give them too much, the same might happen as well. Creating a good demo is difficult and some developers refuse to do it. If the GoW III demo had me solving puzzles, I might not have wanted it afterward (especially the puzzle that took me 20 minutes to figure out). On the flip-side, if the demo was the fight with Poseidon (one of the most epic fights ever put into a game) it would’ve killed the rest of the game, because how do you top a fight on that grand of a scale?

The demo was exceptionally well done but that’s not always the case with game demos. I think overall, crafting a good demo is far more challenging than making a good trailer, because so many more elements go into it. It’s not just a visual showcase; it’s an experience – an experience that should leave you wanting to play the actual game when it comes out.

~JV

Kate (not so) Modern

The web-based TV series that Lori and I (Natalie) studied was KateModern. The audio characteristics of this video are that it is a non-diegetic sound. Everything in the background sounds like techno music. She also has several sound effects for instances when she is trying to levitate a sandwich. As far as visual characteriestics, the video shots cut back and forth a lot. You will see a close up of a sandwich, then she is magically next to her Shia poster trying to talk to him, then you are given a close-up of her face. It is also evident that she is filming herself in the 3 videos we watched. The shots are shaky and sometimes sideways sometimes. The audio and visual characteristics can only be described in one way: amateur. You know that she is trying to be portrayed as a girl, just in her bedroom, but in reality she is really trying to act and it's not really working for her. The style is consistent, with all of the cutting back and forth and her obsession with Shia Labeouf. She is trying to achieve a normal TV style but as the viewer you know that it is not done as well, it's all first person style. There is nothing interactive about watching the videos, but you can participate on her site. She has friends and followers and they can make comments about her videos. She has had almost 100,000 views and has 4,000 subscribers, so the series has incorporated fan participation. What makes this experience different from traditional media objects is that the character does it all. She handles all aspects of creating the video, which lends to it appearing amateur. Overall, Lori and I would not recommend this web-based TV series. KateModern came across as annoying and I felt that she was trying too hard. You be the judge!

Katie Savage
Kathy Bowman
Mary Wienke
Brittney De Clercq

The Guild

This is an serial youtube show that chronicles the lives of a local area guild who play World of Warcraft. This is a scripted show with each episode lasting between 2 and 8 minutes.

The video switches from high quality video and audio to a webcam vlog style of video and audio. This is done for aesthetic reasons because the show cuts from Codex' video diary to the events she is talking about. Kind of like a memory being shown to the audience. This style is fairly consistent and persists throughout the series.

The guild is shown during a television program so that explains the style of the show. It is very similar to television because of its serial nature but the content of the show is fairly adult and includes obscene language which due to FCC regulations is not available on television. I think this aspect of the show makes it seem more plausible. Bleeping and cutting of language breaks from the reality of the media when it is done in television and movies. This medium allows you to become fully absorbed.

Blockbuster is 'bleeding to death'

http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/24/news/companies/blockbuster/index.htm?hpt

This article from CNN is about how Blockbuster is trying to survive in the movie rental business. A couple of key points: they are $1 billion dollars in debt and they are now offering on demand videos via smart phones (beating Netflix to the punch). Netflix has been ahead of the game when it comes to streaming videos and movies by mail, while Blockbuster is desperately trying to catch up. Is it too late for them? Is Netflix too synonymous with movies by mail that loyal customers will not give Blockbuster a try? If that's the case is it really too late for Blockbuster?

Personally, I was a huge fan of Blockbuster, until they jacked up their rentals to $5 a pop! At that point I started to make 'archives' of all my rented movies, because I was not going to pay $5 and not get anything else out of it! (But that's besides the point.) So, I switched to Netflix and love it! I pay under $10 a month, I get a few movies every month, plus I can stream them from our Xbox. I have no intention on giving Blockbuster a try. So, do you think it took Blockbuster too long to get up to speed with new media practices? If so, do you think they will 'bleed to death' in the near future? I DO!

Hahaha

I saw this today on one of my favorite artists sites, Paul Madonna. I felt it was relevant and funny. Enjoy.

This is HILARIOUS!!!

A very entertaining "what if..." conversation!

Accusations Fly in Viacom, YouTube Copyright Fight

From Wired Magazine, March 18th, 2010:

Google deliberately weakened its copyright compliance standards after it acquired YouTube in 2006 so it “would profit from illegal downloads,” Google co-founder Sergey Brin once said, according to a Friday filing by Viacom in its infringement suit against the company...

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/03/viacom-youtube/?intcid=inform_relatedContent#ixzz0ixKxwMpM

The Game Academic

I was looking through a 2007 edition of Game Informer magazine (yes, I’m that big of a nerd) and stumbled across an interview with Henry Jenkins about video games. Unfortunately, there’s no online version of the article but on Jenkins’ blog there are several links you can check out about the topics discussed in the interview like games as an art form, games as meaningful expression, and violence and video games. I highly recommend reading Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked, an essay he did for pbs.org. Enjoy!

The Uncertain Future of TV

I came across this article on Gizmodo, talking about the future of iTunes, Apple, Hulu, and TV. I'm not even gonna begin summarizing it here so check out the article. There are embedded links to other articles too, so you may wanna check those out as well.

http://gizmodo.com/5498711/the-problem-with-hulu-the-ipad-and-cheap-tv

~JV

Episode #1 of PregnantGirl-31

In response to LonelyGirl-15's dramatic vlog/saga, I've decided to start one of my own.

Welcome to PregnantGirl-31, a bittersweet diary about a pregnant grad student (me) who is convinced that the powers and developers that be are deliberately delaying the opening of PF Changs and Freebirds in Corpus Christi because they hate me and they want me to starve.

Fortunately, I've made it through my first real test of sobriety (Spring Break) but it's going to be a cruel, cruel summer without beer and beer-induced jackassery such as this:

How to Celebrate St. Patrick's Day

Here is good instruction on how to celebrate St. Patrick's Day old country style. I thought everyone might enjoy it since everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Eron guuurrrr Bra! Can't spell it, but Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

How to Draw in Sketchbook

Here is a how-to video for artists. I thought someone might enjoy this; spring break can get long and boring. Sometimes it is hard to find things to do. Right? Of course not! It is interesting anyway.

Who Wants to be a Youtubillionare...

thought this was pretty cool for everyone to try.

YouTube Video Editing Help

For anyone planning to do remix or wanting to edit YouTube videos you may find this helpful. Haven’t tried it yet myself but if it works half as well as this guy says then it’s worth it. He cusses every other word- consider yourself warned.

Video response to "A day in the life of Duke"

Your dog may love to run around and get treats but guess what my dog likes to do. This is Beans and her favorite toy Baby. Warning: this is R-rated.

A Day in the Life of Duke: Bath Time!

This is my yorkie, Duke! He just had a bath and is super excited about it. He hates getting them, but LOVES to run around afterward and get a treat for being a good boy. I hope to make these Duke videos more of a regular thing and to keep with new media, I uploaded the video to YouTube. Enjoy!

Duck Hunt Error

Talking about Duck Hunt in class today brought back some memories. In fact, I still have the original Nintendo with Duck Hunt, because I could NEVER part with it! Anyway, I found this video on YouTube and it shows a set back of the 1980's era video game. Oh and a warning: the dog is a bit creepy!

Nick Swardson - The Future of Video Games

Wish the actual video was there and that it had better audio, but the perspective is pretty funny. How crazy are we going to seem to our grandkids when we describe our hey-days to them? Even better: do you ever bring it up if you were a fan of, say, Tupac, Dr. Dre, Wu-Tang, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Missy Elliot, or the like? I remember hearing older generations talking about the "good ol' days". What the HELL are we gonna sound like?

Bus Fight to Black Betty

There was a fight on a bus. And someone shot it and uploaded it. It looked like this:




People watched it. They were entertained. They argued about it. Then they remixed it. Which brings us to this:

Move It!

This being video game week and all, it is only fitting to mention this here. The annual Game Developer's Conference is going on as we speak, er read, and Sony just announced it's new motion controller, the Playstation Move. Check it out in all it's glory in the links below.

http://kotaku.com/5490535/sonys-motion-controller-is-the-playstation-move

http://kotaku.com/5490554/first-look-at-the-delicious-playstation-move/gallery/

http://kotaku.com/5490574/how-the-playstation-move-is-not-a-wii-remote

Enjoy the read folks.

~JV

Jenkins Reading

The reading from Jenkins for this week, Games: The New Lively Art has some tricky linking issues from this blog. Try this link. If it doesn't work, type it in exactly like this, including the capital letters.

http://web.mit.edu/cms/People/henry3/GamesNewLively.html

Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins

For those of you writing your take home midterm, here’s a site I found useful and will be quoting throughout my paper.

Gaga in Wonderland

Personally, I’m not a big fan of Lady Gaga but this remix had me at “break dance fighting”.

Mario: Game Over (2007)

Serving as Nintendo’s mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation in 1981. Let's look at what remix culture does to our precious nostalgia... :)

Here is a short movie created with some animation features, a good example for remix culture and early video games. Mario video games series are great nostalgia for many of us. The short movie above, "Mario: Game Over" was nominated for Best Comedy Video of 2007 in the Youtube Awards. It's quiet simple and doesn't have a happy ending, but they have a serious production team, and you need to see how many views they got on YouTube: 21,880,046 views

People watch these things! Really, they do! Me too...

I suggest you to visit their YouTube vlog, these guys really like to make animation short videos. Visit http://www.youtube.com/poykpac

Anti Communist Rhetoric

I thought this was noteworthy because YOUTUBE is precisely the perfect place for this type of speechmaking. Because YOUTUBE is such a wacky place, I think that venting is not just accepted but expected. People who go to this site might be a little more open minded about such wild arguments or maybe just more open to enjoying them.

29 Oscar Speeches in Two Minutes

This is not terribly important academically, but it has some relevance due to the academy awards being broadcast soon. Also, it is sociallty relevant because of homophobia being what it still is--a problem in our society.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muRtutFrwwE

Lewis Black: Leave Mike Huckabee Alone!

This is a parody of the "Leave Brittany Alone" vlog. It's funny and yet a little creepy.

Closed Captioning Brought to You By... YouTube?

All videos uploaded to YouTube are now getting closed captioning, thanks to Google's voice recognition software. It isn't perfect, which should make for some hilarious mistakes. More here

http://gizmodo.com/5485777/youtube-gets-automatic-captioning-for-all-videos

~JV

Lewis Black on Video Games

Lewis Black is one of my favorite comedians. He's one of the angriest, cynical, sarcastic curmudgeons alive and he's funny, too.

Mecca Pilgrimage

I round a really interesting article on CNN today that I wanted to share. It's about the world's largest annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabi. Three million people take part in this event, that's huge! The article and video are from the perspective of Suroosh Alvi, who went with his family on this pilgrimage. Videos are not allowed, so he had to literally sneak his camera in and film everything at his waist side with a tiny video camera. It makes your wonder, would you be able to do the same thing? I know I would be scared to get caught and end up in an episode of Locked Up Abroad! It's interesting though to see the massive amounts of people who take part in this pilgrimage. I also feel that Suroosh is bringing new media to the small holy city of Mecca by filming and posting it online for all of the world to see.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/03/02/vbs.mecca.diaries/index.html?hpt=Mid

Flags of the World- SNL digital short

Slap Chop - Remix

I thought this advertisement was a great example of remix culture. I saw this new ad on TV and was very impressed. It's really cool when the stuff we talk about in class starts popping up all around you. I guess we just never really paid attention till we understand what it is we are seeing. Hope you enjoy!!

Mike Granato

Somebody's response to whale video

Here is a creative response to the whale video. It boggles the mind. I guess this person was expressing horror in a unique way. Or maybe it is an expression of helplessness since there is nothing anyone can do about it now. That's whale 3, mankind 0. The alien is a cute little fellow.

Here is a clip showing that killer whale that killed the female trainer. This whale has been involved in attacks on people before. It reminds me of Hurricane Katrina. There was an aquarium that Katrina destroyed, and all of the fish swam away. Fish psychologists said the whale is not happy being in cativity.