Media on the Rocks, with a Twist.

Blogging about Bloggin(Required post #12)

scottyjm — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:06:48 +0000

I’ll start out by saying that it feels strange that my blogging experience has come to an end. I didn’t put every bit of what was in my head, every second of the day, on my blog. However, when I wrote, I did put thought into what I was writing and feel as though I gave of myself to my occasional classmate readers. In the beginning of the process, I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t really like the idea of blogging. As I wrote, when asked about my perceptions about blogging, I said that I believed that bloggers were generally middle class college educated individuals who believed themselves to be of the intellectual and artisan communities. I believed that they wore black square-rimmed glasses, drove Prius’s, and paid too much money for their name brand morning coffee. Now, I have a different outlook.

I have seen though reading and commenting on the required blog-posts of my classmates and reading many un-required ones by Trevor, that blogging often can give you an interesting and candid look at what someone thinks about. Now, like any medium, someone can be dry and stay away from true self expression, but bloggers can also reveal their hopes, dreams, and aspirations through the blog. I no longer look at the blog as an outlet for individuals who want to hear themselves talk. Having dealt with it, I now feel that most people encounter interesting things about life and simply want to share them with others. The blog is anybody’s way of making sure that their joy is enjoyed as well.

Now, I can’t say that I blogged with anywhere near the energy that someone like Perez Hilton does, but I will say that most of the ideas that I explored in my blog post delved somewhat deeply into the way that I think. I believe that if someone wanted to get to know me better, they could learn a lot from my blog. I don’t know if I will continue to blog. If I do, it will probably not be about the academic topics that we have explored. They were interesting but everything has to go sometime. I would probably make my blog about one of my favorite topics: dance. I hope to dispel any myths about blogging for my friends and others considering I was such a skeptic of it for now, I can truly say that the blog is truly a gift to anyone who utilizes it.

Podcasting(Required blog post number_)

scottyjm — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:27:52 +0000

So i’ll just get right into it. I am having a few problems with the whole podcasting/recording experience. Overall, the idea of expressing myself through a personal narrative is something that I was excited to do from the beginning. Also, having recently experienced a very nerve-racking ordeal with technology, I felt that I had the perfect subject matter to complete the assignment. I felt originally, because the event had taken place a week and one half prior to receiving the rubric, that the series of events would be fresh enough in my mind to present with emotion. I find that a week and a half may actually been too long to truly capture all that I was feeling and that the situation wasn’t fresh enough in my mind, complete with feelings and early reflection, to engage the listener like a good pod caster should. I am trying to relive, in my mind, what went on in the story that I would like to tell. This may seem like too much emphasis is on the story, however, if most listeners are anything like me, they can hear the difference between a good story-teller and someone reading a story off of a printed sheet of paper.

I feel like, in retrospect, the situation was so uncomfortable to me that I want someone to feel, as a listener what I felt during it. I want them to grit their teeth in expectation as they near the places in the story where I am soon to crash and burn and cringe when I finally reach those places. I want them to reflect with a sigh, on how the situation could have been better handled and ultimately laugh at the hilarity of it all. These auditory landmarks are only available to the listener, however, if I as the story teller am able to present them clearly and believably. One thing that I have encountered as a problem is where the story and the recording itself meet. When you hesitate at all, in the recording, it is obvious that you aren’t passionate about your story. That was an observation using the audio recorder on my computer. I can’t imagine how much more naked the environment will be using the Morance Recorder. It will be empty audio space, my story, and I. You have to put every bit of emotion into the story, with the exception of the music, using voice inflection and tone. I realized, after recording, how monotone I sound. I generally speak with lots of voice inflection, but I made a foolish attempt to sound more like a narrator. My next goal, outside of finishing my recording for Tuesday, is to make my voice engaging and enjoyable for my listener.

Storytelling…Once upon a time(Required post # 10)

scottyjm — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:52:25 +0000

The most captivating part of the This American Life Broadcast was the Cuervo Man section. This section began with Ira Glass and some theoretical discussion on the issue of Plan B. Ira, then introduces the character(Cuervo Man), giving his educational background, his vocational background, and the transition from the first to the subsequent second. Then, Ira, as the genius storyteller that he is, sets the stage and begins spinning a tale about his encounter with the colorful character. He, also, uses actual audio footage of his interview with Cuervo Man. It ends with a somewhat somber outlook on the situation in Cuervo Man’s life and that of Ira. This makes for wonderful storytelling. The way Ira leads you through each situation, attaching his own emotions to each situation he recalls, is amazingly engaging. The audio section and use of music ads to the scene. It is so entertaining that id rather hear him than even see what happened, which is saying a lot. The way it is presented allows you to use your imagination but still have some guidance and great visual/verbal representations.

The sound and music in the story come during sections with somewhat more action than usual or when a great visual is being explained. the audio takes the listener into the experience.The different segments each illustrate Ira’s point at the beginning of the pod cast that life for most people ends up much different than they thought it would be. I felt engaged throughout the entire podcast. There wasn’t one spot that i didn’t feel included in. Ira Glass heeded all of his advice in the podcast. I think that hearing Glass’s explanation will ehlp me to make my podcast as enjoyable and personable as possible.

IPod/Pod casting(required post#9)

scottyjm — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:04:08 +0000

Steve Levy’s book about The perfect Thing discusses, in great detail, the technological innovation that is the IPod. This piece of technology gave rise to the practice of Podcasting. Podcasting is the recording and uploading of a sound recording to the ITunes website. These pod casts are not characteristically done by multi-million dollar companies, specializing in entertainment. The podcasts are done by everyday people that feel that they have something to say about a specific topic. Some of the podcasts are simple one time acts done by individuals who simply wanted to try out the practice. Other podcasts are continued and act as series of informative recordings. These are usually done by individuals who are highly educated about a specific issue that they feel passionate about. Podcasts can be long or short and can hold any type of information from scholarly science procedure to instructions on fly-fishing.

A question of radio totally being replaced by podcast has arisen. This notion is not a possible one because of a few things. The listeners of radio often enjoy the live “interactive” feel that they have with their dj, when they listen. Due to the fact that the Pod cast is pre-recorded, the live aspect cannot be emulated. Also, podcasts are of varied interests and cannot compete with the constant flow of credible information that radio can provide (NPR, etc.). Thirdly, in the event of an emergency, a natural disaster that is, where do people turn? They turn to a portable radio when there is no power. An uploaded and not-up-to-date digital audio file about what the weather could be like, is no good when there is no power for a computer to be used for downloading. The radio, though not as modern as the shiny-new podcast, is an american staple and one that will definitely survive regardless of the popularity increase of the aforementioned.

BK’s Viral Chicken(Required post #8)

scottyjm — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:04 +0000

I decided to analyze the subservient chicken advertisement because I found it to be the most interesting and the most interactive. I say this because, while the other advertisements were interactive, I found this advertisement to boast the most ability to control it. The name of the advertisement itself (subservient chicken) promises the potential user that they will be given some sort of power when viewing the ad. The advertisement is very interactive because you have the ability to actually “influence” it. I use quotation marks because, knowing the back-story of the advertisement’s making, you have no direct effect on the chicken. However, unlike most advertisements, you are free to tell the chicken to do almost anything you can think of and he will most likely do it. Now, when getting technical, the ad is not interactive in the purest possible form, in my opinion. Manovich however, would say that the advertisement is interactive because he claims that human interaction would not be an interactive advertisement. I, on the other hand, disagree because of the simple fact that interactivity requires the ability to influence. You, as an advertisement consumer, cannot influence a program but you could influence a human being. The limits of the advertisement are that when you type in a word or phrase that has not been pre-recorded and archived, the chicken will not and cannot comply. If you tell the chicken to do something sexually provocative, he will approach the screen and shake his finger at you. In this was, the advertisement cannot be totally interactive due to these limits. The interactivity highlights the Burger King corporation in almost a subliminal way. Burger King’s slogan is “Have it your way.” This claim is supported by the advertisement’s ability to make anyone feel that they can have the chicken entertain them, “their way.” This advertisement is highly alluring because of the entertainment factor as well as that of control. I feel that no argument is necessary in stating that the majority of people in this world enjoy control. Some people enjoy controlling small things, while others crave absolute power. This advertisement allows the user to use their imagination to find a command, be somewhat astounded when the command is carried out, and feel a sense of pride in their control. The audience is anyone. The advertisement made me feel somewhat empowered and make me think about a crispy chicken sandwich from Burger King.

 
Recently, subservient chicken celebrated its fifth birthday. Barbarian group blogged about it.

http://www.barbariangroup.com/portfolio/burger_king_subservient_chicken

Bar-Barians

scottyjm — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:03:50 +0000

Now the internet has undoubtedly connected different groups of people all aroud the world. However, I found something interesting about an online group that i have been following for some time now, regarding that fact.

The cleverly named “Bar-Barians” are a group of five men who specialize in elite bodyweight/calisthenics.

They have a group in New York that train together for fitness as well a competition. Different groups have arisen and go to local parks to compete doing strength challenges and tricks(one armed chins) against each other. The pull-up bar and parallel bars are the main apparatus used. The technology side of the affair is the interesting part. Recently, The Bar-Barians released specific qualifications to become ranked in their ranking-system. Some of the ranks include Bar-Baron, Bar-Elite, and Bar-Core. The idea has sparked interest and many people are sending in videos of themselves attempting to complete the requirements set forth by the team. The team even posted on their blog that they would personally send a pair of the workout gloves that the team uses to the next person who could complete the challenge. This idea of being able to be ranked in a system without even personally meeting the members of that group is astounding to me. It also begs the question, how will this practice carry over into other activities requiring ranking.

Bar-Barians site: http://www.bar-barians.com/

Men are from Mars…(Required Post #7)

scottyjm — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:24:30 +0000

Advertising is so intuitive. It is not about who can create a commercial short with the biggest explosion or the most vividly interesting color scheme or the most intelligent-sounding individuals. The true key to advertising a product as to “knock sales out of the ball park” is to understand what people want, firstly. Secondly, it is imperative to understand how people want to receive their desires. The Malcom Gladwell article makes blatantly clear the truth that men and women look at things differently; even the clothes that they wear. The main theme in the article is the observation that Levi’s Dockers were one of the most successful products in the history of clothing retail because the individuals who advertised it understood men and the way that they process information, mainly. In the 1980′s it was majorly unheard of for a grown man to show any in his fashion sense/choices. not wanting to appear weak, men didnt spend time considering which purchases would be most aesthetically pleasing or which combinations of clothes would be most admired. With the introduction of Dockers, men could look presentable without appearing to have made any effort to do so. I would conjecture to say that almost all men, at one time or another, considered what type of clothes would make them look most dashing, but some false sense of masculinity kept that area of conversation from being addressed between males. The advertisers for Levi understood this and so they created a series of advertisement that seemed to whisper in the ear of the American male, “Hey, I know that you can’t talk about your clothes, but i have something new that will make you the king of your domain; don’t worry, I promise it’s good.”

Today, Diesel understands, as well, that they need to advertise to a specific group of people to earn the most profit. Diesel, unlike Levi, is advertising to a crowd that accepts the importance of interesting personal fashion. They offer jeans, accessories, and are even teaming up with Fiat to make a Diesel-style automobile.

Diesel advertises, in many ways, to a very specific group dynamic. They use very provocative advertisements to attract the rebellious youth of America. They use a somewhat dry et creative sense of humor to advertise their denim. One example is their “Global Warming Ready” campaign.

The two different types of advertising took two different approaches. However, they both knew how to do one thing: sell to their intended audience.

Ad Analysis(Post#6)

scottyjm — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:13:44 +0000

I chose to analyze the “Absolut Man” advertisement. I feel like there is very much information to be picked up by the viewer, both consciously and subconsciously; as any good advertisement should provide. The advertisement itself, however, brings up issues that will ultimately cause quiet dissention between the sexes.

At face value, this article looks like a strange scene; not one that you are typical to find in everyday life. This factor is what originally catches the attention of the viewer: a scene of a man in pieces, on the floor, with a female standing over him. As the viewer continues to examine the picture, he/she will observe that the limbs strewn about the floor and such are of different origin. The head bearing glasses doesn’t seem to math with the deeply tanned torso or the one arm holding an electric guitar. Seemingly mismatched, this is the deeper meaning of the picture.

The reason that the limbs are of different origin are because they represent different personalities, found in men, that women usually enjoy and look for. The viewer will see legs clothed in what appears to be a wedding tuxedo, one arm with an electric guitar, one arm with a bouquet of flowers, a torso that is tanned and obviously in shape, as well as a smiling face complete with modern glasses. The legs represent commitment and marital drive(stability). The guitar arm represents artistry/creativity and somewhat of a sense of spontaneity. The hand with the flowers represents compassion/sincerity/romance/etc. The torso represents physical attractiveness/sex-appeal. Finally, the head, complete with smile and glasses represents kindness/affirmation and intelligence. With all of this representation, the pieces must ultimately lead to a complete idea.

Subsequently, the pieces of the puzzle lead to the complete idea that in an absolute world (one where everyone gets what they want), a woman could have a man with all of these traits and none of the bad ones that come with being a human being. The finally piece of the puzzle, once the viewer realizes what he/she is reading is the fact that he/she will realize that absolute is spelled like “absolut” and they will be more likely to buy a bottle of the Vodka because of the nostalgic feeling that it gave her or him. The only possible negative outcome of this is the fact that a thinking man will realize how shallow this idea is and will subconsciously boycott the brand because of their insensitivity. This could further lead to brief but unexamined feelings of irritation toward women for seems like participation in that insensitivity.

http://18.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kp798haTVB1qziwjbo1_500.jpg

On revising and such matters…(Post #5)

scottyjm — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:13:59 +0000

Now, firstly, I must make a comment on the subject of scruples in writing. I very much believe that I am not the only reader who sometimes “jumps the gun” in making assumptions about writing due to the writer’s “credentials.” I first read the Murray article and was thoroughly impressed with the credentials that the introduction highlighted. I expected that I would glean an incalculable number of helpful tips to improve my writing through. I was sadly mistaken. While this article was brilliantly written and it is obvious that the author is extremely knowledgeable and cualified to write this article, I felt like I got a “twelve-step process” approach to the subject, from the piece. I am not an accomplished writer so I had no basis for this claim, however, I always felt deep-down while writing that someday I would learn “secret insights” about revising and the writing process that would defy the “a,b,c” format that I had been forced to use. I hoped that when I got older and more experienced with writing that the revising process would prove to be something more artistic than the grudge-work Murray presents it as. I am not sure why I held this hope/belief to be a truth. This article was not what I expected, ultimately killing that unsupported notion of mine. Murray’s approach is a structured process that seems to be the epitome of most of the unheeded points of my High-school English education. I have come to the realization that revision is a hard and dirty process that must be utilized and undertaken. There are no easy solutions or shortcuts.

Mr. Murray himself

I read the credentials in the introduction of Zinsser’s article and because they didn’t appear to be as great as Murray’s, I didn’t expect to glean very much from him. I was totally surprised to find that this was one the most helpful articles that I have ever read about writing. The article addresses a problem that I have encountered with many individuals, including myself. Many people choose to bombard their writing with the most complex vocabulary that they can muster, often using words from a thesaurus that they only know the adjacent definition for. However, Zinsser claims “the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.” His commentary on how using simple language is important to keeping a reader, was very beneficial and surprisingly honest. “The reader is someone with an attention span of about 30 seconds…” This truly put the subject into context.

William Zinsser-An honest man

So what does this mean for my paper, now? Having read the articles, I have a few thoughts. Overall, I plan on revising to create probably two more drafts of my paper, if at all possible. More specifically, I plan to look through my work, during the revision to make sure that I am not using extraneous vocabulary in any amount. I plan to read the paper, the night before it is due because that is as long as I can put away the piece of work for fair evaluation, and make sure I have a definitive voice in the essay. I believe that these three things combined with the other hundred changes I expect to happen, will make my paper as successful as it can possibly be.

The difficulty with writing about new media

scottyjm — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 02:05:38 +0000

I’ll just get right into it. There is one factor about writing about new media that has plagued me the most during the construction of this paper. It is the fact that my topic is extremely new and while there is plenty of actual examples of subject matter(see below link), there is almost no writing about the actual media itself. Many people enjoy the form of media, but either no one has thought critically about the form of media, or, no one has taken the time to publish their deeply pensive thoughts. It seems that even the blogs aren’t addressing Mashups in a critical way. It is like everyone assumes that it is just part of everyday life without any need to examine the phenomenon.

My thesis proposes the claim that the Mashup, while appearing to be a simple musical feat created for personal enjoyment, is actually being used as a tool to connect people of different races/social groups. I believe that it can easily be proved with logic and a one on one discussion. However, writing academically is not about this type of persuasion. It requires someone of some importance in the past having said something similar to the claim being made so that they can, in turn be used as a stepping stone. Their word vouches for the claim of the author. With new media, people are so busy enjoying it, that few people take the time to make a claim so that a student, like me, trying to create an academic essay can say “So and so said this twenty years ago, so what I am saying is true.” I can’t piggy back off of someone if no one is available.

Another problem with writing about new media is the fact that it indefinitely will be old someday and with the way that the digital age has made innovations even easier to create, it isn’t usually long until a new media is an old media. What I write about in my essay will not be of any purpose to future generations except possibly to be used to study historically. “What the early two-thousand generation thought new media was.”

http://www.djearworm.com/