Video Games...

Week 4; Post 1
What sort of computer games do you find most engaging? Why? 
Espionage and Stealth, why, because it is more than mindless killing then. I will admit that when I play and cannot find a way to do it inconspicuously I do an all out kill run, but thats not the point. When you are attempting to find a way other than killing the enemy its suddenly opens up a whole new world of suspense and thrill, the enemy could find you at any moment!! Also, with stealth It's different, it's not just running around, seeing how fast you can get from A to B, it how well you can do it without getting caught, "Perhaps that's why "stealth" games have become so popular in recent years. These action titles force players to rely on guile and smarts rather than constant killing, and they've created something remarkable: a new style of play—and possibly even a different moral vision." (Thompson, 2004)

What does it say about you?
I believe that preferring NOT to kill in video games not only displays unaggressive tendencies but demonstrates patience. In research by the American Psychological Association it has been determined that personality traits effect how people react and perceive video games.


Why does computer game violence, mostly, not affect the players? Is there a level at which it does effect changes in people?
"Playing violent video games can make some adolescents more hostile, particularly those who are less agreeable, less conscientious and easily angered. But for others, it may offer opportunities to learn new skills and improve social networking."(American Psychology Association 2010) 
Not only does video games have positives for the average 'everyday people' but they are more frequently being used for disables people to "improve visual/spatial skills" and "as a health aid to help manage diabetes or pain and as a tool to complement psychotherapy"(American Psychology Association 2010). However, like previously stated this is not the case for everyone. It is proven that being subjected to extreme violence within some adolescents is a direct factor in the cause of aggression. Patrick Markey, PhD, has determined that certain personality traits can indicate who will be effected by violence in games more than others. “Previous research has shown us that personality traits like psychoticism and aggressiveness intensify the negative effects of violent video games and we wanted to find out why” said Markey 2010. Although this research is incomplete and not completely viable it is a good example. 

Thompson, C 2004. Hide and Go Sneak, viewed 18 August 2011,  <http://www.slate.com/id/2103628/>


Violence in Video Games My Increase Aggression in Some But Not Others, Says New Research, 2010, viewed 18 August 2011,
<http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/06/violent-video-games.aspx>


Markey, M & Markey, N 2010, 'Vulnerability to violent Video Games: A Review And Integration of Personality Research', Review Of General Psychology, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 82-91

Tutorial Tasks Week 3

Week 3; Post 2

What was Stephen Stockwell's first article in an academic journal? What year?  

The Brisbane Model: Considering A Unique Experiment, 1995

Provide a full citation.

Stockwell, S 1995, 'The Brisbane Model: Considering A Unique Experiment', 

Urban Policy and Research, Vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 89-96, viewed 9th August 2011, via Taylor and Francis online.

What database did you use?

Taylor and Francis Online

In which comic did Governor Slugwell appear?

Flaming Carrot Comics

Which Issues? 

7, 10, 11

Give their full citation for the earliest. 

Burden, B 1985, "When the Shoes Aren't Worth the Shine", Flaming Carrot Comics, Vol. 7, pp. 3-31, viewed 9th August 2011, via Underground and Independent Comics.

Where did you find this information? What database did you use?

I found this information in the 'Underground and Independent Comics' database, under the characters section, listed by name in alphabetical order.

What is the latest medical thinking on the dangers of mobile phones? 

"A close examination of the protocols and results from all case-control and cohort studies, pooled- and meta-analyses on head tumour risk for mobile phone users was carried out, and for each study the elements necessary for evaluating its reliability were identified....Results: Blind protocols, free from errors, bias, and financial conditioning factors, give positive results that reveal a cause-effect relationship between long-term mobile phone use or latency and statistically significant increase of ipsilateral head tumour risk, with biological plausibility." (Levis, A et al., 2011)

Provide a full citation.

Levis, A., Minicuci, N., Ricci, P., Gennaro, V., & Garbisa, S. (2011). Mobile phones and head tumours. The discrepancies in cause-effect relationships in the epidemiological studies - how do they arise?. Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 1059. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

In Bladerunner, what is Leon's reaction when Holden asks him about his mother? Quote the 1982 draft script and provide a full reference.

"HOLDEN

Describe in single words. Only the good things that come into your mind. About your mother.

LEON

My...

Leon looks shocked, surprised. But the needles in the computer barely move. Holden goes for the inside of his coat. But big Leon is faster. His laser burns a hole the size of a nickel through Holden's stomach. Unlike a bullet, a laser causes no impact. It goes through Holden's shoulder and comes out of his back, clean as a whistle. Like a rag doll he falls back into the seat. Big slow Leon is already walking away, but he stops, turns, and with a little smile of satisfaction fires through the back of the seat.
As Leon walks out of the room the Voight-Kampff begins to blink, faint but steady."

Blade Runner (1982): Draft script. Screenplay by: Fancher, Hampton, 1938-; Peoples, David Webb, 1940-; Kibbee, Roland, 1914-1984.Electronic Edition by Alexander Street Press, L.L. C., 2009.Copyright © 1982.

What does Paul Soukup say Walter Ong saw as the main paradox in 20th century communication? 

"Its science and ways of knowing rest on “the use of diagrams and . . . the maneuvering of objects in space,” but it has developed communication forms that “specialize not in sight but in sound”"

Cite your source.

Soukup, A (2005). Looking Is Not Enough: Reflections on Walter J. Ong and Media Ecology, Proceedings of the Media Ecology Association, Vol. 6, p. 6, viewed 9th August 2011

The rise and fall of myspace

Week 3; Post 1

"It once promised to redefine music, politics, dating, and pop culture. Rupert Murdoch fell in love with it. Then everything fell apart" (Gillette, 2011)

MySpace was one of the world’s largest social networks, with about 125 million users.

Myspace was once the place to be on the internet, where millions of people connected every day. Artists and celebrity figures relied on its popularity to support their rise to fame. Artists such as 'My Chemical Romance' and Lilly Allen used it's vast network of connections and fans to grow a name in the music industry.

At it's peak, In december 2008, myspace attracted 75.9 million uniques users a month.

Myspace was originally inspired by, it's predecessor of sorts, 'freindster'. It provided users with the flexibility to customise and personalise their page and share their activities with the rest of the world.

However ultimately myspace's main and only source of revenue would be it's undoing, advertising. At it's peak the site brought in an average of $470 million soley from advertising.

Towards the end of myspace's rein, users could barely stand the sight of the pathetic and parasitic adverts that had found their way onto the site. With this major flaw in the network, owners News Corp made a desperate attempt to sell the site for a measly $100 million, meaning a $480 million loss from their initial purchase price. Ultimately, mismanagement, flawed mergers, hunger for money and poor strategies and implementation caused the accelerated collapse of the once great, popular and highly priced network. 

Finally myspace was basically forgotten, it's remnants scattered throughout cyberspace as memories and discontinued accounts, shadowed by the current giant of the social internet, Facebook. Now the question remains, what will Facebook do to screw-up?

Gillette, F 2011. The Rise and Inglorious Fall of Myspace, viewed 9th August 2011, <http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_27/b4235053917570.htm>

MySpace, viewed 9th August 2011, <http://www.crunchbase.com/company/myspace>

Innovative Web Help App

Again but slower...
http://againbutslower.com/

This is a really good website to help spread out the information that wikipedia generally gives to you in a block of information. It takes away all the unnecessary information and links and pretty much just turns a couple of paragraphs into an easy to read set of dot points. although the website doesn't look all that good and the simplified text that they produce is not very appealing it does the job and gives you what you want without the use of proper English.

Although it is great I think that it is a bit risky, generally because it could leave out some information that is vital to the topic.
Additionally, because they are leaving out certain bits of text it is not as coherent as the actual website. however to combat this they have provided two windows, one of the actual wikipedia page and another of the simplified version, so that people can make sure that they are being fed the correct information.

Overall this is a really good website that helps heaps at gathering information that would otherwise be hard to find amongst all of wikipedia's thick text.

VIDEO OF COMMUNICATION!

The Macbook Wheel...

This is the revolutionary mock of the apple brand, and some of the mistakes they have made in the past. It mainly focuses on the difficulty some people have adjusting to the different ways that apple functions.

Lecture Summary Week 2

Week 2; Post 2
The origins of communication....
Over time communication has evolved into a more efficient and streamlined avenue for the transmission of information. It has progressed from oral, to written to printed after a matter of centuries. Finally communication reached a cornerstone, electricity.
From there it has progressed rapidly, advancing to telegraph, telephone, Phonograph, SMS, MMS, then to sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
Other forms of communication cannot be forgotten also, with cinema and television being extremely powerful sources of influence through the correct rate of exploitation of particular information.
Cinema, over the years has formed it's own language consisting of shot sized, sound effects and video effects to transmit a message (story).
Over the years, with the increase in levels of alternative methods of communications, certain theories have been expressed as to the function of technology in society.
For example in the 1970's a range of theories we released showing that the media had the power to influence the public opinion greatly on crime and certain events by talking about it less or more, or the way they talked about it.
Over the years, theories on the nature of culture has emerged also, with most perceptions resting largely on culture as a product of art and communication technologies.

Communication in Use...

Week 2; Post 1
Tutorial Task; Part 1
When communicating, to friends, family or people within my professional life I use a range of platforms that I feel is most appropriate to each situation. Facebook; wall posts, messages, live chat., Twitter, SMS, MMS, e-mail, forums, Blogger, telephone. I use all of these technologies at some point to ensure that the message that I transmit is perceived correctly by the recipient. 
How long have you been using these communication technologies?
I have been using communication technologies since the day I could talk, the telephone. Mainly it was to family, however as the years progressed and my social life became more active It was necessary to adopt other forms of communication, such as SMS and MMS. Then, once old enough and I was exposed to the World Wide Web, I took facebook, twitter and forums on board to keep in touch with people that, under older circumstances, I would have lost touch with.

What influenced you to start using these particular technologies?  How did you find out about them?  I started using communication technologies since I could talk mainly because it was a requirement. Because my family lived away from other members of the family (granny and cousins), talking on the phone was the only way of communication, unless we made the commute to visit. I was introduced to the telephone it was a part of everyday life, everyone used it, therefore I did.

Is privacy an issue for you when using new technologies?  What do you think of companies like Facebook and Google who collect information about their users?   (How do you deal with issues around privacy?) I think that there are certain levels of privacy that we need to be concerned about when sharing information. Obviously we are all aware that giving out our bank details to dodgy websites is a big no no. I am only concerned about levels of privacy when websites and applications require more information that I think is necessary without the correct level of justification. 

Do you have friends whom you know only from the Internet and have never met in person?   Is this different to people that you know in person?  Describe the difference.
I have friends online that I have never met in person, mainly friends of friends or long lost family. its only different in that I don't really speak to them, only have them as friends.