Lecture:
The lecture there was a group discussion about the weekly topic “Are games a waste of time”. Everyone in the class all had personal opinions on the topic, some agreeing with the statement and others disagreeing. Selected students in the class shared stories of their personal experiences with gaming and gave reasons to whether they agreed with the lecture topic.
The second half of the lecture consisted of a power point presentation by other lecturer Adam. Points were raised in conversation and some cyber lingo was discussed. The difference between ‘Narratology and Ludology’ and the workings of the virtual reality world were explained in detail. Overall the lecture was interesting and valuable information was gained.
Tutorial:
The tutorial task today was harder than expected. To be honest computers aren’t really my forte and I struggled with the task. However I did find it beneficial finding headers and footers!
The next few tutorials were explained and I am looking forward to using other things on the computer and exploring Photoshop and movie making. I find that sort of thing really interesting and am really looking forward to learning how to use it and applying it.
Readings:
The reading for this week was the book ‘Trigger Happy’. The book is based in the aesthetics of video games, and the connection that gamers have to games in their lives. Steven Poole says, "Videogames can only continue to thrive and evolve into a truly revolutionary entertainment medium as long as they concentrate on what they do best: build us ever more coherent constructions of ever more aesthetically wondrous worlds." The gaming industry has come along way since the start of video games and the virtual reality world. Now the gaming world has a product and a game that suits every individuals needs whether it be better graphics or more advanced games for the better gamers among us there is a need in the market for this technology and it’s only going to grow with the future.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Topic 7- Cronenberg: Cinema and technology
Lecture:
In the lecture on wednesday the movie eXistenZ was watched, the movie starring Jude Law and Jennifer Jason lee as the two main characters. The basic gist of the movie is about how the power of a simple virtual reality game can be extremely mind altering even to the point where the line is crossed into what’s reality and what’s in the game. The characters in the game have different personalities and therefore the characters are forced to do things and say things that their normal selves would not do. The movie ends with a last segment of a character asking “Are we still in the game?” This then leaves the audience with an ending of asking the questions themselves.
Overall the movie was interesting and I enjoyed seeing something that asked something different of your mind to grasp.
THERE WAS NO TUTORIAL IN WEEK 7
Readings:
The reading this week was writen by the lecturers Stepen and Adam. It involved the 'exploration of the connection of war and the development of War simulators.' It went into detail explaining how the soliders in the current war have been trained for whats to come by virtual reality simulators and how this image is far from what is real and what can and should be explected. The article then persisted to make the connection between military games and what actually goes on.
Questions by students were then asked 'Why is the media and consumers interested in war so much?' and 'Have we been conditioned or desensitised to war so much that we can see it as a genuine form of entertainment?'
In the lecture on wednesday the movie eXistenZ was watched, the movie starring Jude Law and Jennifer Jason lee as the two main characters. The basic gist of the movie is about how the power of a simple virtual reality game can be extremely mind altering even to the point where the line is crossed into what’s reality and what’s in the game. The characters in the game have different personalities and therefore the characters are forced to do things and say things that their normal selves would not do. The movie ends with a last segment of a character asking “Are we still in the game?” This then leaves the audience with an ending of asking the questions themselves.
Overall the movie was interesting and I enjoyed seeing something that asked something different of your mind to grasp.
THERE WAS NO TUTORIAL IN WEEK 7
Readings:
The reading this week was writen by the lecturers Stepen and Adam. It involved the 'exploration of the connection of war and the development of War simulators.' It went into detail explaining how the soliders in the current war have been trained for whats to come by virtual reality simulators and how this image is far from what is real and what can and should be explected. The article then persisted to make the connection between military games and what actually goes on.
Questions by students were then asked 'Why is the media and consumers interested in war so much?' and 'Have we been conditioned or desensitised to war so much that we can see it as a genuine form of entertainment?'
Monday, April 14, 2008
Topic 6- A Brief History and Internet
Lecture:
In the lecture on Wednesday, Lecturer Stephen Stockwell discussed the history of the computer and internet. The topics ranged from the birth of the computer and its origin to the becoming of the internet and its creators and even investors. Points on 'Crypting' within WW1, the Germans using secret coding systems to pass on messages and information to others within their Morse coding system. The subject then moved forward in time to people/creators of computer software adding to the evolution of the computer. People from Charles Babbage to Bill Gates were mention along with their contributions to the cyber world. The discussion then moved to the cyber world and what now is on offer as present users. Things like Skype, msn messenger; Facebook and MySpace were also discussed. Other topics like Apple in comparison to the PC and the history of both were talked about along with IBM and Microsoft.
Tutorial:
In the tutorial today the exam and essay tasks were discussed and tutor Chris gave some good information on both with some valuable hints. The Griffith data base and library system was explained and gone through in detail in reference to our assignment and exam information. We used the data bases to research each of our assignments individually. I have chosen the Apple IPod to research and do my assignment about. The IPod has come so far since its beginning in 2000. The advancements in the technology have taken only weeks or months in comparison to other technology which can take up to years to improve. I find the evolution of the IPod interesting and am looking forward to learning more through the research of this assignment.
Readings:
The reading this week ‘What’s New Media’ was about the evolution of technology. The piece explains that there is not really that much development of new technology only the evolution of the old. Things like telephones, the television, cd’s, DVD’s etc. are all the same old technologies but with new advancements. The piece goes into large detail explaining the evolution of these technologies such as the internet and others and also goes through the key to understanding these advancements in these technologies. These products are molded to society and become more advanced as we do.
In the lecture on Wednesday, Lecturer Stephen Stockwell discussed the history of the computer and internet. The topics ranged from the birth of the computer and its origin to the becoming of the internet and its creators and even investors. Points on 'Crypting' within WW1, the Germans using secret coding systems to pass on messages and information to others within their Morse coding system. The subject then moved forward in time to people/creators of computer software adding to the evolution of the computer. People from Charles Babbage to Bill Gates were mention along with their contributions to the cyber world. The discussion then moved to the cyber world and what now is on offer as present users. Things like Skype, msn messenger; Facebook and MySpace were also discussed. Other topics like Apple in comparison to the PC and the history of both were talked about along with IBM and Microsoft.
Tutorial:
In the tutorial today the exam and essay tasks were discussed and tutor Chris gave some good information on both with some valuable hints. The Griffith data base and library system was explained and gone through in detail in reference to our assignment and exam information. We used the data bases to research each of our assignments individually. I have chosen the Apple IPod to research and do my assignment about. The IPod has come so far since its beginning in 2000. The advancements in the technology have taken only weeks or months in comparison to other technology which can take up to years to improve. I find the evolution of the IPod interesting and am looking forward to learning more through the research of this assignment.
Readings:
The reading this week ‘What’s New Media’ was about the evolution of technology. The piece explains that there is not really that much development of new technology only the evolution of the old. Things like telephones, the television, cd’s, DVD’s etc. are all the same old technologies but with new advancements. The piece goes into large detail explaining the evolution of these technologies such as the internet and others and also goes through the key to understanding these advancements in these technologies. These products are molded to society and become more advanced as we do.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Topic 5- "Why I hate Wikipedia"
Lecture:
The main topic of discussion for the lecture held on Wednesday was ‘Wikipedia’ and the truth involved. Wikipedia, an internet source is best known for being able to be edited by any user on the internet on any topic. Lecturer Stephen Stockwell raised the issue of how much is true on the Wikipedia website and how much can be trusted from the ever growing website.
The lecture notes raised points about the movie “The Matrix” and where and how do you draw the line between the real world and the virtual reality world. It raised points about the 19th and 20th century and how it is becoming an ever blurred line between what’s real and what’s not.
Tutorial:
The tutorial started off this week with the discussion of the lecture and how much truth there is on Wikipedia. The class decided that Wikipedia has its pros and cons, it is a simple source of information that can be read but as an academic source it is not reliable and probably shouldn’t be used as a source at an university level.
The second half of the tutorial consisted of completing the tutorial task and discussing with the tutor our topics for the essay and our basic structure and view on the topic.
The main topic of discussion for the lecture held on Wednesday was ‘Wikipedia’ and the truth involved. Wikipedia, an internet source is best known for being able to be edited by any user on the internet on any topic. Lecturer Stephen Stockwell raised the issue of how much is true on the Wikipedia website and how much can be trusted from the ever growing website.
The lecture notes raised points about the movie “The Matrix” and where and how do you draw the line between the real world and the virtual reality world. It raised points about the 19th and 20th century and how it is becoming an ever blurred line between what’s real and what’s not.
Tutorial:
The tutorial started off this week with the discussion of the lecture and how much truth there is on Wikipedia. The class decided that Wikipedia has its pros and cons, it is a simple source of information that can be read but as an academic source it is not reliable and probably shouldn’t be used as a source at an university level.
The second half of the tutorial consisted of completing the tutorial task and discussing with the tutor our topics for the essay and our basic structure and view on the topic.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Topic 4- Old Communication Technologies and Theories
Topic 4-
Lecture:
The lecture by Stephen Stockwell started off this week with a brief discussion on the film ‘Alphaville’ watched before the holidays. The lecture hall raised thought about the themes and the presentation of the film in comparison to today’s society. The second half of the lecture was talking about old communication technologies and theories. The discussion of old communication technologies like the telephone and morse code where bought to attention along with radio and others. Communication studies ranging from the 1920’s and culture studies ranging from Walter Benjamin’s theories to Fraser- Subaltern counter publics. Lecturer Stephen Stockwell went through each topic individually raising a discussion on each technology among the group.
Tutorial:
The tutorial today consisted of going through the essay topics and explaining the assignment. The essay draft was explained by the tutor Chris and questions and a general discussion of the assignment was had by the class.
The reading ‘ The work of Art in the age of mechanical reproduction’ was also a topic of conversation within the lecture and the tutorial. The class decided that it was one that needed to be read more than once to understand the true meaning and theories of the piece written by the late Walter Benjamin.
The tutorial task of completing the ten questions that were posted on the portal took up the majority of the tute with everyone searching the web for the answers before the end of the lesson.
The last part of the tutorial consisted of the tutor coming around to each indivudal and looking over the blogs done over the past 4 weeks of semester and giving positive feedback to everyone.
Lecture:
The lecture by Stephen Stockwell started off this week with a brief discussion on the film ‘Alphaville’ watched before the holidays. The lecture hall raised thought about the themes and the presentation of the film in comparison to today’s society. The second half of the lecture was talking about old communication technologies and theories. The discussion of old communication technologies like the telephone and morse code where bought to attention along with radio and others. Communication studies ranging from the 1920’s and culture studies ranging from Walter Benjamin’s theories to Fraser- Subaltern counter publics. Lecturer Stephen Stockwell went through each topic individually raising a discussion on each technology among the group.
Tutorial:
The tutorial today consisted of going through the essay topics and explaining the assignment. The essay draft was explained by the tutor Chris and questions and a general discussion of the assignment was had by the class.
The reading ‘ The work of Art in the age of mechanical reproduction’ was also a topic of conversation within the lecture and the tutorial. The class decided that it was one that needed to be read more than once to understand the true meaning and theories of the piece written by the late Walter Benjamin.
The tutorial task of completing the ten questions that were posted on the portal took up the majority of the tute with everyone searching the web for the answers before the end of the lesson.
The last part of the tutorial consisted of the tutor coming around to each indivudal and looking over the blogs done over the past 4 weeks of semester and giving positive feedback to everyone.
Tutorial Questions
1) Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus?
Onel de Guzman, an ex-student of Manila's Computer CollegeSource: http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vbmV3cy56ZG5ldC5jby51ay9pdG1hbmFnZW1lbnQvMCwxMDAwMDAwMzA4LDIwODA5MzUsMDAuaHRt
2) Who invented the paper clip?
The modern paper clip was patented on November 9, 1899 to William D. Middlebrook of Waterbury, Connecticut.
Source: http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/paperclip.htm
3) How did the Ebola virus get its name?
The virus gets its name from a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it was first recognized.
Source: http://ebola.emedtv.com/ebola-virus/from-what-place-did-the-ebola-virus-get-its-name.html
4) What country had the largest recorded earthquake?
The Great Chilean Earthquake
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Chilean_Earthquake
5) In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte?
1024 gigabytes in a terabyte
Source:http://www.sonoma.edu/users/c/carusor/web219/hardware_terms.htm
6) Who is the creator of email?
Ray Tomlinson in the early 1970’sSource: http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmxpdmluZ2ludGVybmV0LmNvbS9lL2VpLmh0bQ==
7) What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it?
The "Storm" worm computer virus/botnet/trojan horse/malware extravaganza got its name from its first method of transmission -- an e-mail attachment with the subject line: "230 dead as storm batters Europe." Slammer infected 75,000 computers in 10 minutes.”
Source:http://www.hothardware.com/News/What_Is_The_Storm_Worm_For/
8) If you wanted to contact the prime minister of Australia directly, what is the most efficient way?
Parliament House
Suite MG 8Parliament HouseCanberra ACT 2600
Tel: (02) 6277 7700
Fax: (02) 6273 4100
Source: http://www.alp.org.au/people/qld/rudd_kevin.php
9) Which Brisbane-based punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of?
Black AssassinsSource: http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vbWljcm9oLndvcmRwcmVzcy5jb20v
10) What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words?
People of the second generation sharing online information from the web between one another and world wide.
Reading:
The reading for the week, The work of Art in the age of mechanical reproduction’, by Walter Benjamin, sent a wave of confusion among the class and lecture hall. The concept and theories of the late Walter Benjamin are hard to grasp and need to be definitely read more than once to be able to understand and relate to his work. The script has been transcribed over the years and even the UCLA School of Theatre, Film and television’s version is no easier to understand. With over 25 pages of written script it is clear that there is a huge amount of work and research that has gone into the piece that needs to be appreciated and can only be after reading the piece more than once.
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