PomeGranate Phone.

This new revolutionary phone seems destined to blow the iPhone away.

Gadget

A friend of mine introduced me to this bit of technology several weeks ago. Check it out.
http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet

Understanding Media

One question that comes to mind as I read this is how does media change my life in the way that I interact with my peers/friends/family/world? What are the social consequences of the way in which I connect with those around me? The example I give is that of my friend. Even though we don't live near each other we still live in the same "global village". This is an interesting thought for me. The internet and e-mail make it possible for me to live in that global community along with others. The internent itself is not me-yet it truly becomes that extension of ME to the outside world. The e-mails I send, the pics I post, the text messages I get and send, all beocme the ME that others recieve. They become the extension of who I am to others. Our media extends the "human" to others and this in turn makes the media become somthing else, somthing more than what it was created to be. It becomes life giving and shapes the thoughts, patterns and the way in which we view the world.

Canonic anti-text

It was interesting to me to read this in that it got me to thinking about the ways that I personally view media. How does it impact my life? Even though this article gives a different view of how McLuhan viewed media, it does give insight into what and how he saw communication. If anything Marshall McLuhan was a revolutionary of sorts in how he strove for the "organic" in his thought process. His thoughts on the nature of the technologies rather than the information contained on them is important because it does give us an understanding of what modern communication is. Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, cell phones are all ways that keep us connected to the "global village" that is our world. It amazes me that McLuhan saw this and what it would mean even when his colleagues thought he was mad!!!

10 Things the iPad is Missing

Here's an interesting article by Wired magazine about what the iPad is lacking. Most notably, is a camera that it thinks it has (according to the picture, and article, on the right).

JFK vs. Nixon - the 1960 debates [CC]

Who won? Depends if you were watching TV or listening to radio, apparently.

Jackie O's White House Tour

In 1962, the First Lady welcomed Americans into the White House for a television tour.

Apple iPad: Steve Jobs Keynote Jan 27 2010 Part 1

Nokia Ovi Store -Promo Video

iPad Unveiled

Apple formally announced their touch screen tablet, the iPad, yesterday. Here are some links for more in-depth details.

http://gizmodo.com/5458359/apple-ipad-official-pictures/gallery/

http://gizmodo.com/5458302/steve-jobs-reveals-the-ipad-+-video

More articles including pricing can be found on Gizmodo.com

~JV

Marshall McLuhan in Playboy?

I thought the title would catch your attention! After reading both articles for this week (and I'm sure we all did) you were probably as surprised as I was to learn that Marshall McLuhan was featured in Playboy and Vogue magazines, just to name a few. I've posted the Playboy article incase you're interested in reading it and I've posted a few McLuhan related cartoons. Enjoy!

The Playboy Interview:

http://www.nextnature.net/2009/12/the-playboy-interview-marshall-mcluhan/

Google: Newspapers are ?

The Evolution of the News

For your consideration: http://www.madatoms.com/site/blog/the-evolution-of-the-news

Interesting Quote

"Advertisements contain the only truths to be relied on in a newspaper."
~Thomas Jefferson~

Images of Media:
The question that comes to my mind as I read this is "what is media"??? Really, what is it? Is it really possible to narrow down a topic as broad as media into three parts? Media as language, media as a conduit and media as an envioronment are all ways in which to make media more tangable. But all three of these catagories come together to form somthing much bigger and much broader. If media is is to be analyzed according to its content alone then one has to understand all facets of that content in order to understand the realtionship media has to our world as a whole. I perfer to think of media as a conduit, where content is the most important part of what is being delivered.

~LC

Facebook Status/Information Sharing

Hi class!

I was thinking about social interactions and the way the Facebook and other social networking sites help us communicate with each other in various ways. I was scrolling down my Facebook today, and saw a lot of very interesting posts. One of them had to do with religion, and it sparked a debate that included many people from different backgrounds. The one thing that I noticed is that friends of friends of friends were participating in this discussion, and many of them weren't on my friends list, nor the originator of the philosophical question. But there were over 40 posts under the original questions, and people were able to respond to each others statements and points of view. Not that any of the posts had any more validity than others, but this forum allowed many people to share their views on a particular subject. And while the "answer" may have not been found, the discussion and different views of interpretation were very interesting to read. Being a 'grad' student, I thought that I would make the observation that these sites are not only a way for people to stay in touch, and be constantly (and annoyingly) updated on what people are doing. It's also a place where discussion can take place freely, and ideas and philosophies can be shared to form a group understanding on theories and issues that we encounter on a daily basis.

So, outside of letting everyone know that you got caught 'touching it' (HA HA!!! Sorry, I blame the navy...) Facebook allows people to connect on a deeper level than it may have originally been intended. That is to say, the exchange of information and possible answers to questions that many of us can't find answers to in other places.

Just a thought.

Jenkins Response

One thing that caught my attention while reading the Jenkins article was their mentioning of games as a means of learning for children. This reminded me of some research I did last semester on this very subject.

In an article I read last semester, the authors discussed a type of game that enables players to manage virtual worlds. One example had students be an environmental scientist in charge of a wildlife park. They had to manage water pH levels, oxygen, and so on. Then the game would advance a decade or so and show them the results of their actions. Whether or not the fish were dead or other scenarios had occurred depended on what the player did. This enabled them to see real world consequences without having Green Peace on their back for killing a lake of fish.

"Part of what makes play valuable as a mode of problem-solving and learning is that it lowers
the emotional stakes of failing: players are encouraged to suspend some of the real world consequences of the represented actions, to take risks and learn through trial and error" (p. 25). This quote from the Jenkins article gives a good explanation for why learning from games can be valuable.

Participatory culture seems to be ever growing in popularity, so it only makes sense to adapt it to learning as well.

~JV

Collaboration and Ethics

Names:
Morgan Finley
Amy Arismendez
Monica Pena
Megan Gonzalez
Leilani Stein

Sources:

• A Guide to YouTube Removals | Electronic Frontier Foundation. (n.d.). Electronic Frontier Foundation | Defending Freedom in the Digital World. Retrieved January 21, 2010, from http://www.eff.org/issues/intellectual-property/guide-to-youtube-removals

The Electronic Frontier Foundation lays out facts about the fact that you can attempt to post to YouTube and the fact that to date no one had been sued for posting a copyrighted song and the steps needed to take if you wanted to take legal action for a removed post.

• Fayle, K. (n.d.). Understanding the Legal Issues for Social Networking Sites and Their Users. FindLaw for Legal Professionals | Law & Legal Information. Retrieved January 21, 2010, from http://technology.findlaw.com/articles/00006/010966.htm

This article outlines the laws pertaining to social networking sites and gives the actual statute that relieves these sights from any liability pertaining to copyrighted material being posted.

• RIAA - For Students Doing Reports - January 22, 2010. (n.d.). RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America - January 21, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2010, from http://www.riaa.com/faq.php

This source goes against most of the others found as it is posted by the recording industry and outlines the reasons why one shouldn't post any copyrighted material without permission. This source dictates that any use is considered illegal and leaves one liable for legal repercussions.

Music Piracy

Katie Savage
Kim Kahanek
Rosie Mendieta
Jaclyn Nix
Marcos Hammond

www.copyright.gov retrieved on Jan.21,2010, describes the 1976 Copyright Act. In sections 107-121 of the Act, it describes the "fair use" policy with limitations and agreements of royalties and specific conditions of the usage.

www.copynot.com retrieved on Jan.21,2010, defines copyright infringement, piracy, counterfeiting, forgery, bootlegging, plagiarism, trade marks, patents, and identification marks. It is even linked to drug dealing, terrorism and prostitution.

www.musicunited.org retrieved on Jan.21,2010, states there was no "fuzzy line" between legal and illegal in regards to piracy and any kind of infringement is wrong in all cases.

Participatory Culture

Mel Santiago
Lisa Campbell
Rob Boscamp
Liz


The sites we found were the following:

www.gseis.ucla.edu/iclp/dmca1.htm
UCLA online (UCLA, 2009) Retreived January 22, 2010
This site has a list of inforamtion about various copyright laws and situations where a person would need to use them. Gives inof on the Digital Millennium copyright Act


Music copyright law USA (Music copyright law in the USA, 2009) Reteived January 22, 2010
www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html
This site gives helpful info on various copyright laws in the United States. Fairuse, Limitations on exclusive rights, Scope of exclusicfe rights on recordings, Subject matter on copyrighted material in general

Fair use copyrighted material (Fairuse copyrighted material, 2009) Retrieved January 22, 2010
www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm
Gives info on FAIR USE copyright law and how it can be used, who it protects.

Five Mobile Trends for 2010- How the Computer in Your Pocket is Changing Your Business - Advertising Age

Here's a look at participatory culture, social media, etc. from a business & advertising perspective.

http://adage.com/digitalnext/article?article_id=141596

YouTube to Introduce Limited Film Rental Service - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/21/technology/internet/21youtube.html?ref=media

An exercise in "Collective Intelligence"

The Group:
Lori, John (aka JV with a hat), Leigh, Natalie, & Kellie

In order to focus our researching efforts more efficiently, we first imagined a scenario that not only involved using copyrighted material, but also demonstrated the unique "collective intelligence" of our group.

We then searched for solutions with the following question in mind:

"How can we legally post Lori's video of Leigh doing a kegstand on Kellie's backporch with JV holding Leigh's ankles, Natalie pumping the keg, and Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" laid in as the audio?"

JV is our resident expert on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, and pointed us in the right direction to the legal guidelines on the U.S. Copyright Office site:

The Digital Millennium Act of 1998 (1998, December). Retrieved January 21, 2010 , from U.S. Copyright Office website: http://www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf

The following source is a checklist from Cornell University, which helps determine whether a case satisfies the criteria for Fair Use:

Checklist for conducting a Fair Use analysis before using copyrighted materials (n.d). Retrieved January 21, 2010, from Cornell University Copyright Management Center website: http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/policies/docs/Fair_Use_Checklist.pdf

Finally, we also found a video tutorial from YouTube that demonstrates exactly how to bypass any copyright infringement suits by attaching a "good faith" disclaimer to your posts.

YouTube copyright tutorial (audio only) (2009, January). Retrieved January 21, 2010 from YouTube website: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lVVZsJNfDE

1/21 Group Assignment

Biance
Carlos
Gregg
Victoria


Digital Millennium Copyright Act Study
The Library of Congress. U.S. Copyright Office.Retrieved January 21, 2010. from the Library of Congress website:
http://www.copyright.gov/reports/studies/dmca/dmca_study.html
The U.S. copyright office published the findings of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

DiaRiaa: Its my music and I’ll share if I want to
Retrieved January 21, 2010, DiaRiaa.
http://www.diariaa.com/
This website is a community based site to bring together Peer2Peer clients who face legal problems.

Electronic Frontier Foundation
Retrieved January 21, 2010, EFF.
http://www.eff.org/
EFF is an online activist sight. They promote the safe and legal way to circumvent copyright laws as well as keep up to date information concerning the ever changing world of electronic information.

Mary Wienke
Kathleen Bowman
Lauren Smith
Brittany DeClercq

Draper, Paul. "Music two-point-zero: music, technology and digital independence." Journal of Music, Technology & Education 1.2/3 (2008): 137-52. Print.
UCLA Law Copyright Infringement Project. Web. 22 Jan. 2010. .
United States. U.S. Copyright Office. U.S. Copyright Office- Fair Use. May 09. Web. .

Article one is a journal entry is for a study done for new media skill development and how appropriation affects school age kids.
Site two is a copulation of court cases compiled by UCLA in the realm of copyright infringement.
Site three is the government website for copyright infringement. It explains the copyright laws and fair use laws.

THE ANSWER!

Group:

Jon Mabee
Rand Clark
Joshua Sanchez
Mehmet Karaarslan
Mike Granato

We found that if you go to these sites:

University of Texas, Austin. Crash course in copyright.

Retrieved January 21, 2010. from University of Texas, Austin website:

http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/Intellectualproperty/cprtindx.htm

This site has numerous answers about copyright laws across all different kinds of media and intellectual properties. It is a one-stop-shop for all your copyright infringement needs!



The Library of Congress. U.S. Copyright Office.

Retrieved January 21, 2010. from the Library of Congress website:

http://www.copyright.gov/

This site is the official US website for Copyright laws and what the do's and don'ts of peoples propriety.


Copyright Clearance Center.

Retrieved January 21, 2010. from the Copyright Clearance Center:

http://www.copyright.com/

This site looks a little shady, but does offer some quick information on the use of copyrighted information. They have been around for a while, and look like they can offer advice on when you can and can't use materials.

The most the difficult process of this search was that the law can't keep up the continual change of media and medium.

Response to Jenkins

What I found interesting in the reading by Jenkins (and I think JV will agree with me) was the positive perception of gamers. Unfortunately, most gamers, have the stereotypical image projected onto them of being male, overweight, living in mom and dad’s house and are seen as anti-social because of the time and energy they put into the games. With the newer consoles’ availability to connect to other gamers and PC MMOs creating communities where users have to work together to achieve a goal a whole new idea of what a gamer is comes to light. I think that Beck and Wade see gaming as an asset to someone’s skills in the real world, like risk-taking and teamwork, is awesome.

APA Guidelines - Briefly

Here's a quick guide to formatting sources in APA style.

http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citapa.htm

Power of Blogs

Blogs are excellent sources of unfiltered information that people who read them are generally ones who are aware of the media bias. Their flexibility, public nature, the already apparent diversity and the ability to accept comments made blogs one of the most and effective alternative media tools. The fact that multiple bloggers could work from one site added up to something that could only expand the way we presented ourselves as individuals and keep track of our interactions with others.

Images of Media

I think that Meyrowitz left out the viewer or recipient of the media in question. It is true that we are constantly exposed to various types of media and messages, but it is the responsibility of the receiver to decipher the message that is trying to be sent. Throughout my studies of media, I have come to terms with the fact that it is the perception of the receiver that ultimately responsible for how they respond to the information given to them. The average recipient (for lack of a better term) chooses what to take away from mediums that are not instantly interactive. That is to say, no immediate response to any questions that may have come up during the message sent. Although technology is moving towards the integration of instant feedback and quick reply's, most media is still a one-way street. That being said, most "average" people don't break down the production values of media in the same way that scholars do.

A few things that came to mind while reading this article:

Media/Art reflects life, and life reflects media and art. Therefore anything that we create or are exposed to is something that our society has either created or has had to address.

In reference to camera angels, lighting, and visual, audio, etc. adjustments to convey a certain message or feeling about something or someone is still left up to the receiver to decipher. You can try to paint a picture in a certain way in order to try to communicate what you are trying to achieve, but if a person walks away with something other than you intended, it doesn't mean that the message was a failure, it simply means that it could have other meanings than you originally intended.

And finally, you can choose what to watch, when you want to watch it, we are not force-fed media. If it challenges your particular view point (i.e. Morals, beliefs, ideas, etc.) then don't watch it. However, if you are a parent or someone who has to educate someone else about something they are exposed to, it is your responsibility to address any questions that arise. To put blame on others for your lack of wanting to explains something (what is sex?) is inexcusable. It is easy to blame others for your own discomfort with dealing with such issues. If you are not comfortable enough to explain what sex is, how to respect partners, why people do it, etc. DO NOT blame the media for filling in those gaps. If a child sees a bad relationship on TV, and that's all they ever know about relationships, that child will probably emulate what they see. If there isn't any other messages to be received on relationships to counter balance what is seen, then this is what they will think is the norm.

HA HA! I do love a good rant.

iPhone Haiti Survival

Dan Woolley was in Haiti with a mission organization, making a film about the impact of poverty on the people of Haiti. As he and a colleague headed back to their hotel rooms, the earthquake hit and Woolley found himself buried under six stories of rubble.

Having lost his glasses, Dan's nearsighted vision was getting the better of him. Using the focusing light on his camera and taking pictures, he was able to figure out where he was. Dan did this until he finally found an elevator to take cover in.

Next he used an iPhone app to treat a compound fracture in his leg. The app instructed him on how to make a tourniquet for his leg and a bandage for a head wound. It also warned him that if he felt he was going into shock, he should not fall asleep, so Woolley set an alarm to go off every 20 minutes.

Woolley also wrote goodbye notes to his family and friends, which thankfully, he didn't need. This week he was reunited with his family in Colorado.

Comments on Jenkins et. al (2006) article

How will students be better able to communicate with others from diverse cultural backgrounds as Jenkins et. al (2006) wrote? It seems that the participation gap with fewer barrio kids having Internet access would affect cultural interaction in cyberspace. Public libraries are not filling in this gap because access to the Internet is lousy there.

As for the transparency problem, students being able to examine media themselves, critical use will be a function of age probably, with younger kids needing the advice of someone older to help them make media choices.

As for playing games online, I know of one person who often played with anonymous opponents some of whom were just young kids. When she found out that she was playing with a juvenile, she watched her language in her trash talking. This could be viewed as an ethical dilemma, how you communicate with a young teen like this.

Comments on Meyrowitz article

What struck me was the mention of content codes on page 4 of the Meyrowitz article, and it made me think about content codes for new media. How are they different and similar to other older media? Also what is the grammar of new media?

The plasticity of the medium idea can be applied to YouTube and Facebook. People are molding these sites into what they want them to be and are then molded by their use of the media.

How do the characteristics of each medium interact with cultural codes and customs?
YouTube and other social networking sites seem to violate cultural codes and customs;
people send nude pictures of body parts by posting racy photos of themselves on social networking sites (and through email and cell phones, too). The line between the private and public self is dissolving. Is this a good thing or a bad one? If you are job hunting, you might want to take those racy photos of yourself off Facebook. I think that
social networking sites allow everyone their 15 minutes of fame—at least locally.


Liz Worden

Images of Media - Meyrowitz

Hey class! After reading the Meyrowitz article, specifically the three underlying metaphors and how media as language looks at the unique grammar of each medium, it got me thinking about camera shifts and how they encourage the audience to identify with one side or another. For instance, in a horror movie or gangster movie, have there been times when you identified with the criminal or bad guy opposed to the protagonist? The reading gives examples about Bonnie and Clyde and The Godfather, but other movies come to mind like: Scarface, Casino, and Saw. Can you think of any others that aren't gangster movies? For me, it seems like these are the easiest to think of.

Example of Participatory Culture

Interesting Links

Hey class, here are some links to some cool websites. One is about video games and the other is about technology in general.

www.kotaku.com

www.gizmodo.com

~JV

Pants on the Ground - Remixed

Check out these remixes of the best performance on American Idol this year, "Pants on the Ground" by Larry Platt.

http://www.popeater.com/2010/01/14/larry-platt-pants-on-the-ground-remix/

Here's one to entice you...

New Media War Satire

Another reading:

Social Network Sites

http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

I'm having trouble getting the link to work for the Henry Jenkins article, "Games, The New Lively Art." Try this link:

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