Working with flash is probably one of the most challenging things I have ever had to do. This project was really difficult for me because I had all these great ideas in my head of everything I wanted to do but when it came down to actually trying to do them, I found that it was very hard for me to get the program to do what I wanted it to do.
I think the hardest part for me was the coding/scripting. It was really confusing and frustrating in the sense that just to do a simple task there was so much you had to consider. If there was just one thing wrong with your coding, it threw the whole thing off.
It was also really hard to break down my ideas. When we first received the assignment, I had a totally awesome vision of what I wanted to do but realized that it would be impractical to attempt it, considering that there was not enough time and I hardly had the basics down.
I found that it didn't necessarily have to be an elaborate project to get the idea across. Something simple and straightforward worked just as well. I feel really good that I was able to overcome the obstructions I faced though - although it may not be the best flash video out there, I was at least able to learn the basics of the program. I also feel good about creating something from a quote - it is a lot more difficult than I imagined it would be but in the end I am happy with the results.
I am not exactly sure whether I'll use flash again but I know that if I do, I at least have a better understanding of the program and how it works, and have the basics down. I'm not sure if I'll read Jameson again - to be honest, I found it quite dry, even though his ideas were brilliant. I think that's what's awesome about this project though - the fact that we were able to take something dry and boring and create something interesting and interactive.
I think that in a post-paper world, these projects could have a lot of widespread use since they make it easy to convey a complex idea in an engaging format which is very useful in many aspects of today's society, from politics to education. However, I think only a few people will be gurus at it and will dedicate their time to creating projects like these because it takes a lot of patience which is something most people don't have.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Friday, December 7, 2007
Blog Nine: The Falling Times
I think that The Falling Times does a really good job of creating a visual represenation of the news. However, you have to actually click on the images and read the articles to get the full story. You can't actually "read" the news by just looking at the pictures. I think it's really interesting though because the images, at least for me, intrigue me and get me to actually read the stories/news which I usually tend to ignore.
I don't think you can really convey "news" by using only visual iconography, at least not fully. It's more of an artistic expression. The artists feel that content should be reduced to images and headlines to represent a "universal language." This doesn't really give you the whole story though - just one person's version of it.
I think it is scholarly multimedia though because it is taking one medium and presenting it in a different way, showing a whole new aspect of it.
I don't think you can really convey "news" by using only visual iconography, at least not fully. It's more of an artistic expression. The artists feel that content should be reduced to images and headlines to represent a "universal language." This doesn't really give you the whole story though - just one person's version of it.
I think it is scholarly multimedia though because it is taking one medium and presenting it in a different way, showing a whole new aspect of it.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Blog Eight: Content of the Form
What struck me most about A Little Atomic Bomb was how the narrator's voice was slow and rhythmic, like someone who had been through war and was now weary of it. I think it fit well with what the poem was about.
What also stuck out was the graphics and the text- they fit the voice. The motion wasn't too quick - it flows. There are some parts where its faster than others, much like the speech patterns of the narrator. I also noticed that the images were somewhat grainy - to represent something historical. The text was like handwriting, and the images were like silhouettes.
What Barry Says, on the other hand, moved through a lot quicker. The voice as well as the motion were faster than the previous clip. The colors used mostly are red, black, and white - also representing something historical but the motion of the graphics as well as the text represented a more futuristic theme. It seems a lot like something you might see on the news, especially with the music in the background.
Overall, the content and the form fit really well for both clips.
What also stuck out was the graphics and the text- they fit the voice. The motion wasn't too quick - it flows. There are some parts where its faster than others, much like the speech patterns of the narrator. I also noticed that the images were somewhat grainy - to represent something historical. The text was like handwriting, and the images were like silhouettes.
What Barry Says, on the other hand, moved through a lot quicker. The voice as well as the motion were faster than the previous clip. The colors used mostly are red, black, and white - also representing something historical but the motion of the graphics as well as the text represented a more futuristic theme. It seems a lot like something you might see on the news, especially with the music in the background.
Overall, the content and the form fit really well for both clips.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Random Thought: Virtual Worlds and Identity
So I was browsing around the internet and came across this:
Avatar Identity Theft Prompts Review of Gaia and Virtual World Rules.
The entire thing is basically an overview of this one incident where a young teenage girl had her Gaia account hacked, losing her "identity."
When Clementine realizes she has been hacked she bursts into tears. "I feel like I just witnessed my own murder," she remarks to her mother.
Clementine, dejected, unenthusiastically searches all of the areas of the site she once frequented, feeling a shadow of her former self. When she looks in her account at the marketplace (like an eBay exchange) she realizes that while she was banned someone had traded her possessions for $134,508 in Gaian gold. Her identity lost, her valuable possessions stolen and sold, for the first time she now knows what it feels like to be the victim of a serious crime.
It goes into depth - talking about all the steps her and her mother took to try and recover her account, and because of the connections they had, they were able to recover her account and virtual possessions.
This incident brought to light a lot of issues concerning social networking sites and virtual worlds, mostly about how even though in the terms of service teens are warned against giving out their personal information, they can easily be manipulated into doing so by an authority figure.
The CEOs talked about the steps they are taking to address the issue and the extra efforts they make to ensure that their users are happy with their service. "Gaia actively checks every name and password embedded in a message and double checks to assure a password is not being shared. Gaia has also launched a more comprehensive and mandatory education campaign for all new users, introducing them to examples of potential dangerous activity in a game-like interactive format."
Legal experts on virtual worlds also gave their opinion on the case and the following issue: "It's undetermined, then, if a virtual world host is responsible for compensating/reimbursing users when third parties steal their virtual booty. Even more questionable is what responsibility virtual worlds might have for mental duress caused by members' losses."
The article also goes into depth about the "presentation of self." I thought this was very interesting - how teenagers and others take their virtual selves really seriously, and how such an incident can have a great impact on them in real life.
With technology expanding and these virtual sites growing, it seems as if there is no such thing as "real" life anymore. The virtual is becoming reality. That isn't necessarily a bad thing but it makes me wonder, what happens when we can't step away from that?
It's like the virtual worlds are starting to own us, rather than just being a simple form of entertainment. Even though I think technology is great, I think there comes a point in time when we need to learn to set boundaries. But, that's the thing, the boundaries are being redefined. What we once considered "fantasy" or "fake" is now, in a sense, becoming real.
I think it'll be very interesting to see where this takes us, 10 or 20 years down the line. Will we lose ourselves, or simply just recreate new identities?
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Avatar Identity Theft Prompts Review of Gaia and Virtual World Rules.
The entire thing is basically an overview of this one incident where a young teenage girl had her Gaia account hacked, losing her "identity."
When Clementine realizes she has been hacked she bursts into tears. "I feel like I just witnessed my own murder," she remarks to her mother.
Clementine, dejected, unenthusiastically searches all of the areas of the site she once frequented, feeling a shadow of her former self. When she looks in her account at the marketplace (like an eBay exchange) she realizes that while she was banned someone had traded her possessions for $134,508 in Gaian gold. Her identity lost, her valuable possessions stolen and sold, for the first time she now knows what it feels like to be the victim of a serious crime.
It goes into depth - talking about all the steps her and her mother took to try and recover her account, and because of the connections they had, they were able to recover her account and virtual possessions.
This incident brought to light a lot of issues concerning social networking sites and virtual worlds, mostly about how even though in the terms of service teens are warned against giving out their personal information, they can easily be manipulated into doing so by an authority figure.
The CEOs talked about the steps they are taking to address the issue and the extra efforts they make to ensure that their users are happy with their service. "Gaia actively checks every name and password embedded in a message and double checks to assure a password is not being shared. Gaia has also launched a more comprehensive and mandatory education campaign for all new users, introducing them to examples of potential dangerous activity in a game-like interactive format."
Legal experts on virtual worlds also gave their opinion on the case and the following issue: "It's undetermined, then, if a virtual world host is responsible for compensating/reimbursing users when third parties steal their virtual booty. Even more questionable is what responsibility virtual worlds might have for mental duress caused by members' losses."
The article also goes into depth about the "presentation of self." I thought this was very interesting - how teenagers and others take their virtual selves really seriously, and how such an incident can have a great impact on them in real life.
With technology expanding and these virtual sites growing, it seems as if there is no such thing as "real" life anymore. The virtual is becoming reality. That isn't necessarily a bad thing but it makes me wonder, what happens when we can't step away from that?
It's like the virtual worlds are starting to own us, rather than just being a simple form of entertainment. Even though I think technology is great, I think there comes a point in time when we need to learn to set boundaries. But, that's the thing, the boundaries are being redefined. What we once considered "fantasy" or "fake" is now, in a sense, becoming real.
I think it'll be very interesting to see where this takes us, 10 or 20 years down the line. Will we lose ourselves, or simply just recreate new identities?
I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Blog Seven: Interface
Joseph Cornell's: Navigating the Imagination is an excellent example of interactivity and interface.
I really liked this site because it was very engaging. I really liked the audio clips and flipping through the journals. My favorite part was the Crystal Cages - where you can create your own metaphoric tower of words.
I think overall it works really well because it requires you to participate by clicking around, listening, and watching all the different features on the website. It's also pretty easy and fun to figure out.
I really liked this site because it was very engaging. I really liked the audio clips and flipping through the journals. My favorite part was the Crystal Cages - where you can create your own metaphoric tower of words.
I think overall it works really well because it requires you to participate by clicking around, listening, and watching all the different features on the website. It's also pretty easy and fun to figure out.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Blog Six: YouTube Debates
Does YouTube offer a space for public debate in the manner suggested by this week's reading? Why or why not?
YouTube is a new cultural phenomenon that has a lot of potential in engaging civic participation. I think that it is a medium through which public debate is possible because it is accessible to pretty much everyone and offers a way through which to communicate with one another on varying issues.
Anyone can make a video and post it, allowing others to view and comment on it. Its popularity also makes it possible to spread messages around. This is why even politicians use it in their campaigning - they realize how incredibly important mass media is in reaching their audiences. It's pretty much an online forum for people to engage in discussion and debates. This social engagement is a vehicle for democracy in the sense that it is a "wonderful new tool for use by the mass citizenry that will promote an open flow of information and exchange of ideas."
In a sense, it is almost like McLuhan's ideal of the "global village" - it can be used for the benefit of "increasing mankind's collective and individual experiences of the world." It allows us to "hear, see, and know the world, and, moreover, helps us connect ourselves to geographically distant communities and bodies."
This instant interconnection is essential in strengthening democracy in that it provides regular people with the ability to participate in it. It has a lot of power to shape civic engagement. As our culture continues to advance technologically, it is only natural that our methods of discussion evolve as well. YouTube is an example of how this is true.
YouTube is a new cultural phenomenon that has a lot of potential in engaging civic participation. I think that it is a medium through which public debate is possible because it is accessible to pretty much everyone and offers a way through which to communicate with one another on varying issues.
Anyone can make a video and post it, allowing others to view and comment on it. Its popularity also makes it possible to spread messages around. This is why even politicians use it in their campaigning - they realize how incredibly important mass media is in reaching their audiences. It's pretty much an online forum for people to engage in discussion and debates. This social engagement is a vehicle for democracy in the sense that it is a "wonderful new tool for use by the mass citizenry that will promote an open flow of information and exchange of ideas."
In a sense, it is almost like McLuhan's ideal of the "global village" - it can be used for the benefit of "increasing mankind's collective and individual experiences of the world." It allows us to "hear, see, and know the world, and, moreover, helps us connect ourselves to geographically distant communities and bodies."
This instant interconnection is essential in strengthening democracy in that it provides regular people with the ability to participate in it. It has a lot of power to shape civic engagement. As our culture continues to advance technologically, it is only natural that our methods of discussion evolve as well. YouTube is an example of how this is true.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Blog Five: Appeals
360degrees.org is a collaborative site which addresses issues regarding the American prison system and uses a variety of methods to appeal to the audience.
1) what is the argument being made?
The main argument I saw the website was trying to present is that our prison systems are faulty and need to be fixed. Basically, that it is impractical to use them as correctional facilities because they are not perfect themselves.
2) what rhetorical appeal(s) is (are) used to make the argument? We talked about the appeal to reason, emotion and morality.
The website uses all forms of rhetorical appeals - ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos and logos are used in the "Stories" section of the website. The personal narratives provide an appeal based on their characters, and also on emotion. Listening to the people speak makes you really connect with them and their situation, and you can see how it is really personal.
Other sections of the site appeal to the pathos - or logic and reason. The "Dynamic Data" and "Timeline" provide a lot of facts and statistics that make everything more concrete.
3) what's interesting about the form of the project as it relates to the argument?
I really like how the site is interactive. The layout is really intriguing and makes you want to explore every single aspect of it - and it really offers so many perspectives. The images and audio also make it really interesting, especially the Prison Diaries. They aid in presenting the argument in a clear yet abstract style that really make you engage in everything the site has to offer and gain a better understanding of the prison systems.
1) what is the argument being made?
The main argument I saw the website was trying to present is that our prison systems are faulty and need to be fixed. Basically, that it is impractical to use them as correctional facilities because they are not perfect themselves.
2) what rhetorical appeal(s) is (are) used to make the argument? We talked about the appeal to reason, emotion and morality.
The website uses all forms of rhetorical appeals - ethos, pathos, and logos.
Ethos and logos are used in the "Stories" section of the website. The personal narratives provide an appeal based on their characters, and also on emotion. Listening to the people speak makes you really connect with them and their situation, and you can see how it is really personal.
Other sections of the site appeal to the pathos - or logic and reason. The "Dynamic Data" and "Timeline" provide a lot of facts and statistics that make everything more concrete.
3) what's interesting about the form of the project as it relates to the argument?
I really like how the site is interactive. The layout is really intriguing and makes you want to explore every single aspect of it - and it really offers so many perspectives. The images and audio also make it really interesting, especially the Prison Diaries. They aid in presenting the argument in a clear yet abstract style that really make you engage in everything the site has to offer and gain a better understanding of the prison systems.
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