What i'm listening to...right now...this very moment.

Bob Dylan

Bringing It All Back

The Gates of Eden

Dylan is best.

Of war and peace the truth just twists
Its curfew gull just glides
Upon four-legged forest clouds

The cowboy angel rides

With his candle lit into the sun
Though its glow is waxed in black
All except when 'neath the trees of Eden

Tutorial Task 8 for Week 9 (I believe)

Giving some decent thought to Essay Topics or Essay Questions, I think the one that best suits me, my writing and my research skills - essentially, the one that suits my strengths - is Question 1, and I'll post it below:

1. Marc Prensky's "Emerging online life of the digital native" and Dave Weinberger's "A New World" both present different views of contemporary internet users. In light of your own experiences with new technologies do you think they are accurate portrayals? Discuss why or why not with specific examples.

Now, I've found Marc Prensky's article here, but as for Dave Weinberger's article titled A New World, well...I'm stumped. So much so that I've emailed Adam Muir, the course convenor for 1501HUM (New Communication Technologies) with the query Where do I find it?

Moving on with some of my additional sources, or references, i have found a number of interesting articles through Google scholar. They relate as they deal with the behaviour of those native to Digital Technologies such as the web, blogging, sharing, creating, gaming, buying and selling etc. as well as including statistics.

My first reference is titled Internet and Society: A Preliminary Report by Norman H. Nie and Lutz Erbring. Basically, this journal concerns the visible effects the internet (and Information Technology) has had on American citizens. An introductory prologue for the article sums up the articles relevance to my assessment question quite clearly; it follows:

Using data from a national random sample of American adults, it is found that the more time people spend using the Internet, the more they lose contact with their social environment. This effect is noticeable even with just 2–5 Internet hours per week, and it rises substantially for those spending more than 10 hours per week.

My second reference is titled Days and Night on the Internet and is co-authored by Philip E. N. Howard, Lee Raine and Steve Jones. As an American research paper, its concern is how the internet has spread throughout America, and looks statistically at the length of time users spend on the net, the frequency of times they use the net and the demographics of those users. It's insightful and helps one understand a little more closely the people more inclined to use the net; their behaviour and assists me in writing my essay, helping me to deduce what a contemporary internet user really is.

My third reference is titled The Internet and Social Life and is written by John A. Bargh and Katelyn Y. A. McKenna. This paper is interesting, because it addresses the historical context of the internet, and then it examines the effects of the Internet on an individual user's psychological well-being, it's effects on personal relationships, identity, the workplace and social interaction and effects on the community. I think this article will be useful from the opposite to a analytical, statistical paper and concerns more the negative effects of internet use, as opposed to Prensky's and Wienberger's positive portrayals of internet use.

My fourth reference is titled Has The Internet Become Indispensable? by Donna Hoffman, Thomas Novak and Alladi Venkatesh. In their article, they explore the idea that the internet (as the title suggests) has become indispensable to people. The idea is that the internet has become so embedded into the daily fabric of people's lives that now, people cant do without it. It also looks at the net as superseding television as the major source of entertainment and continues to raise ideas and points that validate their hypothesis'. Nonetheless the paper is interesting from two standpoints: one as the internet being indispensable in a good way, for business and as an educational tool and second as a negative influence relating to computer addiction through online gaming and pornography.

Lastly, my fifth reference is titled Addiction to the Internet and Online Gaming and its by Peter Wiemer-Hastings. I thought this article would offer an interesting point of view in terms of the assessments question regarding accurate portrayals of internet users. I've noticed in both Prensky's and Wienberger's articles, they make little mention to internet addiction thus, this article could serve to oppose the views both aforementioned authors have. This obviously then is an article that concentrates on the adverse affects of internet use, and addresses the notion of internet addiction and it's shared aspects to substance addiction. To me, of all the articles I have chosen, this one strikes me as the more readable and the less academic.

Lecture 8 - Summary

Our eighth lecture was presented by Jason Nelson whose eclectic, semi-hostile, spontaneous and thoroughly engaging way of presenting left us all surprised, amused and a little shocked.

To briefly summarise (as taking notes proved difficult), Jason discussed torrents and the legalities surrounding them and asked for a show of hands to who in the class downloads them. Unsurprisingly, and to Jason's dislike, no-one offered to volunteer.

He began to talk about the Internet Boom, where companies invested millions and millions into online endeavours, specifically mentioning Pets.com and taking suggestions from students he also conceded that other companies like Amazon and Ebay were included. He spoke about Ebay, Myspace and Yahoo's downturn in popularity and then visited Archive.org - looking at old code archives of websites such as Google, Yahoo (again) and even GU. He briefly mentioned Google Wave but never went on to describe it.

Jason moved onto the popularity of Social Networking sites and pointed out that all social networking sites come and go - and after Facebook and Twitter, there'll be something else. Jason directed us a little closer to niche' social networking - small Social Networking sites that surround a shared common interest. Introducing Elftown: a social networking site to do with a users fetish with anything Elvish. And then VampireRave: same thing but with vampires.

The lecture then became a slideshow of interesting websites. Next was Uncyclopedia, an anti-wikipedia that parodies the site and which allows anyone to add, vandalise and fabricate any article they so wish to choose. Next was HomeStarRunner - an internet cartoon.

Then things became interesting when Jason asked the class (also including other attending lecturer's) whether he should venture onto 4chan.org. Interestingly, a student behind me shouted "No, dont go to 4chan!" which I guess only served to encourage Jason. Adam expressed hesitation, but Jason went onto to briefly summarise that 4Chan was a place for people (particularly hackers and spammers) to come together and change the way things run. It's basically an online community that has the power to influence Governments, companies, organisations and websites. I believe a lot of their stuff is illegal.

The last cool site was EDIS (The Emergency Disaster Information Service) which is a map of the world displaying current real-world emergencies. And then we finished with Jason's site secrettechnology.com - a site that includes bizzare and unsettling flash games that I believe are meant to be a form of digital art. Only 15 minutes ago, before writing this summary I gave one of his games a go - it was interesting.

Political Cartoons

My best mate, Nathan - a Graphic Design student and hobbyist illustrator - was recently given the opportunity to draw a political cartoon in Sydney's Hub (a free publication on the streets of Sydney) on the alleged story that the Australian Federal Police went back on their word with the family of Scott Rush (the Bali drug-mule) when Rush's family cut a deal with the AFP to supply them information in exchange for handling their sons case with some leniency. Well, as of the 13 February, Scott Rush has been sentenced to life in prison for drug-trafficking and as a result, there is some doubt regarding the AFP's handling of the case.

Although the cartoon that heads this blog post has nothing to do with that particular story or my friends cartoon, it's a great example of effective political cartooning - one which provided me with quite a giggle. Note the simplicity. The drawings are straightforward; clear and effective; almost rushed, but rushed so it's artistic. Similarly, the colours are crayoned in or with textas; the characters emote particular and obvious gestures and there is not a straight line in sight. As a career - I would imagine it would be quite rewarding. Go here for the gallery of political cartoons on The Australian website.

Chrome Takes Mantle As Fastest Browser.

I've found an interesting article that mirrors my thoughts lately and which applies to the course. Google Chrome, Google's web browser - which is in direct competition with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 and Mozilla's Firefox 3.5 - has been reported today to be the fastest internet browser.

The article can be found here. To be frank, I'm not much of a computer-freak, i take an interest here and there, and normally i don't have much time for the lastest results on which program nudges only marginally in front of another, but I just find it both intersting and increasingly relevant.

It's interesting from the perspective of Google's ascent. Everything they have a go at, they succeed with. When their browser first appeared, I didn't care, all i knew was that Firefox was far better than Internet Explorer - and I knew better than everybody else. I looked at Google, taking a stab at the web browser market as greedy; as attempting to become even more dominant and try and grab even more of a slice of the pie in markets that weren't their own. But when I picked Chrome up for the first time, I realised that it really was the quickest. Two seconds less, everytime you load a page may not seem like much but it adds up. Not just that, but your surfing just flows so much easier. Ok, ok. I'm talking about a web browser - pretty boring, yes...but it's a vehicle for using the net and consequently: communicating. And as long as Google continue to revolutionise internet technology - like with Chrome - New Communication Technologies will continue to emerge and evolve, and I'll continue to have something to say.

Tutorial Task. Getting Political.

Well starting off, I signed an E-Petition protecting Australian citizens from the death penalty. It can be found here.

Next, I found a story on Kevin Rudd announcing the two next Australian Ambassadors for USA and European communities (such as Luxembourg and Belgium) will be Kevin Beazley and Brendan Nelson respectively. I found the story on the Sydney Morning Herald's website, and it was the story I chose to comment on . I lightly commented:

"I find it interesting that Kevin Rudd has appointed a former 'liberal' opposition leader. I knew there was something else with Nelson when he announced his plans to step down 2 - 3 weeks ago. I do like him, just not as a leader. Kim Beazley on the other hand - well, as Ambassador for USA, I 'm skeptical. He has always seemed full of wind to me."

As of writing, my comment is waiting approval but it can be found here.

Going off a news report that was issued only 45 minutes ago (according to Google News) Barack Obama is today denying that much of the opposition he faces from his administrations ideas and policies concern peoples issues of him being black. I woke up this morning to this report on my radio and it got me up out of bed quickly. Racial intolerance makes me sick. Nevertheless, I had imagined Obama's election would face a lot of pressure from racial issues and as the first black man as President - but it in the beginning, it really wasn't so. Only now it seems it's becoming an issue. Pathetic.

My local representative is Cr. Ian Mackensie. My state representative (for Greenslopes) is Cameron Dick, a member for the Australian Labor party. His last address was on September 3rd at 4:27pm and it was titled the Victims of Crime Assistance Bill. My federal representative is Anna Bligh.

And concerning the essay topics, I've narrowed it down two questions: Number 1 and Number 3. Number 1 concerns discussing Marc Prensky's and Dave Weinberger's texts on contemporary internet uses, and comparing them while using specific examples - more closely an essay. Whereas Number 3 seems more relevant to me and less academic; it concerns the discusion of new digital technologies making it easier for amateurs and yet harder for professionals.

And as for what Adam has asked: I don't like the idea of a "Clean Feed". Familiarising myself a little more with the concept, I found a British website that went into depth with the implications such a system would have on users and internet flow. I can understand that there is a lot of indecent material on the internet, relating to the concern of child pornography and anarchic info and resources for terrorists etc. but to put in place what is effectively a 'federal firewall' - it would cause us far more anguish than benefit. Firstly, my experiences with a complete network firewall originates from my days in high-school. The system didnt work. There was too much blocking of legitimate websites, and far less 'illicit' websites that were not even picked up. On a federal scale, it would be messy and counter-productive. All we need to do is really take a look at China - who has what is essentially a federal firewall or clean feed. Besides the problems I've already mentioned, a clean feed leads to censorship issues, and in China, a Communist nation, where the Government tells people what they can and can't look at, this poses a serious problem for people, particularly Democratic people such as ourselves. The people lead the Government, the Government doesn't lead the people - in a democratic nation, censorship leans closer to the latter. In that light, censorship has no place in a Democratic society.

Stephen Fry In America

Television comprises but one small part of my life. (Ok, maybe that's a sad understatement.) But when I do choose to watch something, I like to think that whatever it is, it has some merit. Shows with merit can normally be found rather consistently on ABC and SBS. One show of late that I have been watching religiously is ABC1's Stephen Fry In America. It's a 6-part documentary (or travelogue) following Stephen Fry and his adventures across the 50 states of America in a London Taxi. Fry is one of Britains more prominent men of intellect; he is an author; the voice of the Harry Potter audiobooks and a fresh TV personality with razor-sharp witticisms. My opinion of him recently improved upon spotting him in the crowd watching The Ashes - Australia and England's fiercest cricketing competition.

Ever since being a little boy I have always had a wry sense of curiosity of America and Stephen Fry's documentary afforded me the opportunity of familiarising myself even further with the U.S. of A. while heightening my desire to go there. Or at least to travel again. Now, to kill two birds with one stone (excuse the tired expression) - Stephen Fry in America can be watched online, through ABC's new iView service. (A New Communication Technology, perhaps?) It's a neat little service in the vain of new digital television technologies such as TiVo: if you miss your program, watch it later. It's like You Tube only the videos are shows that have featured on ABC, and the quality is far superior.

For anyone who hasn't seen it and who has an interest in travel-documentaries, I seriously recommend it. If you also have an interest in America, or you appreciate fine BBC productions (or Stephen Fry, for that matter) - well, I have even more reason to recommend it.

Tutorial Task - Video 2

This is a short video featuring photos surrounding the event which was my 21st. It begins with me getting off the plane from the UK; kickin back and relaxin'; having fun with my immediate family from melbourne and then the special night itself.

Lecture 7

The lecture, which was presented by Adam, began with the heading: Creative Commons and Free Libre Open Source software/ programs. He then followed with a slide with three keywords: Community, Collaboration and Choice. Which are basically the staples of Open Source and Creative Commons.

Delving first into Creative Commons and revealing its history, Adam introduced Lawrence Lessig, the founder of Creative Commons (CC) - who in 2002, instigated a new form of copyright, but one that issued "Some rights reserved" as opposed to Copyrights "All rights reserved". This allowed the internet community more freedom in using other peoples material, providing a license which allowed the world to use a work of a separate author, without fear of prosecution. At this point, Adam played two videos: Wanna Work Together - produced by the Creative Common team and another which outlined the purpose and benefits of Creative Commons.

Then Adam moved onto Free/ Libre, Open Source Software (nicknamed FLOSS for short) and began with the notion of Source Code - the key ingredient, or instructions behind any program. Using a quote (Raymond 2001) "Historically software was free...anyone could contribute share and reuse source code..." which focused our attention on the principles of Free Software. Devised by Lawrence Lessig, the Principles of Free Software, to say briefly include: the freedom to run the program fo any purpose; the freedom to study how the program works and to add to it; the freedom to distribute copies in order to assist your neighbor and the freedom to improve the program and redistribute it for community benefit.

Finishing up, Adam defined and compared Open Source with Propriety Software, using examples such as Mozilla, VLC and Linux for the former and Microsoft Office, Mac OS, Internet Explorer for the latter. He suggested that we all give an Open Source program a try for at least 10 days - however seeing that I thoroughly use a number of Open Source programs, I'm going to argue: I've already done it.

Junk Mail

This is a picture of the amount of junk mail that's accumulated around my mail box in a single day. A single day. The guy who deliveres the bulk of it has skin as brown and as tough as leather. He ambles past, fish-hook postured, exhaling in little huffs - his bag hangs half-open, carrying the remainder of his load of brochures. He never smiles. Never says hello. He keeps his head down and eye's the ground.

Lecture 6 Summary

Declaring that it would be the last time he graced us with his presence, Josh, the lecturer from the Gold Coast had a number of things to say on the Big and Small screen. And here we go: Beginning with the whiteboard, Josh wrote the title "Consumption & Production" and then separately created a split-graph with the appropriate headings: 'Big Screen' and 'Small Screen'. His idea for this lecture was to educate us on our understanding of the 'screens' the 'monitors' that we encounter and view from, day by day, and in which category they should fall into. The Cinema, the common household Television and the PC, he considered 'Big Screen' as they are mostly 'Shared' screens; but Fixed Media Players (like LCD monitors in cars), Personal media Players (like iPods and portable DVD players) and Mobile's are 'Small Screens' and therefore are considered 'Private'.

Posing the question, "Why is it that '3G Mobile' entertainment is lacking TV content" someone shouted from beyond view: "The Episodes are simply too big!" Which segued into a discussion on the efficiency and evolution of 3G carriers and the entertainment they choose to distribute.

Lightening the lecture up, we turned to YouTube. Josh introduced to us the notion of the 'Fan film' and screened an Australian's rendition of Danny Boyle's zombie "28 Days Later" film. Mediocre i must say. The Fan Edit was next, introducing film's like "Star Wars: The Phantom Edit" - an example of a motion picture re-edited by an unsatisfied fan and subsequently the more comedic "Mash-Up" a 're-cutting' or 're-genre' of an existing film, it's trailer remade to suggest a different generic category.

Video 1 (Tutorial Task)

A slideshow/ video created from my travel snaps when climbing a mountain in the Isle of Skye. (We really did have trouble getting down before the sun set.)