Lec 6 Response & Tutorial 6 internet hunt

The lecture today gave us some insight into the video gaming world. Video games are not just games but are a cultural form. There are various aspects to it and research being carried out as to why they are fun and how they correlate to our everyday lives. The study of video games led to two different aspects which included narratology which are the stories and literacy ideals as opposed to ludology which refers to the game play elements. An interesting video presentation from a lady in the industry gave some further insight on the profession and the direction that gaming is going. Making people happy and rewarding them while playing the game is something that stood out. No different from what people want in their real world lives. An ongoing issue in the gaming world would have to be young kids playing violent games. There is a line and some companies cross that line. I don't feel a need for those types of games in our society.

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER:

1. What is the weight of the world’s biggest machine? How much did it cost to build?

The worlds largest machine on land is the Liebherr T 282B: Largest Earth-hauling Truck
Found through yahoo.com:

Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/40463_worlds-largest-machines-ever-built#ixzz1C1Ap8f00

2. Find a live webcam in Antarctica. Can you find a place to stay in Antarctica?

I found the live webcam at : http://www.antarctica.gov.au/webcams/casey
Found through alltheweb.com

I found a place to stay in Antarctica through on alltheweb.com at:

http://www.antarcticconnection.com/antarctic/travel/?gclid=CJXp3JfB1KYCFQT0bwodKiuFIQ

3. When and what was the first example of global digital communication?
The history of digital communcation can be seen after searching yahoo for the website:
http://kennethlalcantara.webs.com/historyofcommunication.htm
The first example of this global digital communication would have been the abacus
in ancient times, followed by the beacon and then morse code. These days it is the modem,
radio, TV the internet which form the basis for how we communicate globally.
 
4. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?
I found virgin blue airlines the cheapest way to travel. It was even cheaper than a train.

I found a ticket for $69 through expedia.com.au at the search engine hotbot.com

5. Who is Douglas Engelbart? What is he know for?
Through ask.com I found this page: //www.biographybase.com/biography/Engelbart_Douglas.html

From that I found that he is an American inventor, of Norwegian descent. He is best known for inventing the computer mouse, and is a pioneer of human-computer interaction, including GUIs, hypertext, and networked computers.
 

6. What is the quickest, most reliable way to contact Stephen Conroy?  (who is this guy?)
He is the minister for broadband, communication and the digital economy. He can be contacted by phone on (02) 9408 0190 or by email at senator.conroy@aph.gov.au. He is with the Australian labor party.

7. What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1990?

From Billboards No.1 hit history the No.1 song from Jan 20-Feb 9 1990 was:

Michael Bolton - How am I suppose to live without you.

Found via yahoo from : popculturemadness.com

8. How would you define the term 'ontology'? In your own words, what does it really mean?
From altavista I got onto answers.com who suggested ontology was: The philosophical study of existence and the nature of being. Read more: http://www.answers.com/topic/ontology#ixzz1C1IKwS40

I would define the term ontology as the study of where are we? and why are we here? Very deep issue that everyone in the world is trying to figure out. I believe Steven Hawking has come closest to knowing after watching some of his doco's. 

9. What type of camera is used to make ‘Google Street View’?Through hotbot.com I found that the camera is a Dodeca 2360, a softball-size camera that records from nearly a dozen different angles at 30 frames per second. Later, photos can be extracted and stitched together to form pictures with a resolution of 2400 by 1200 pixel—a frame.

10. Name three computer operating systems (not for phones) that are NOT Apple OS or MS-Windows operating systems?
    a)  who created it and when?    b)  how can you get a copy of the operating system to use on your computer?

From a9.com I was put onto:  http://www.computerhope.com/os.htm to find this.

1.AmigaOS used on the commodore. Made by commodore in 1985. Which is no longer contact http://www.amiga.com/ to enquire to purchase.

2.Debian Linux. From developed GNU. made in 1983 by Stallman. GNU.org to purchase.

3.Solaris mSolaris is a Unix operating system developed by Sun Microsystems. It superseded their earlier SunOS in 1992. Its made by Oracle Solaris. cybersource.com.au you can download it.

Lecture 8 - Jason Nelson

Birds still warm from flying - a cube creation from Jason Nelson
I have never been a huge art buff. And looking at this first piece is no different. Very confused with what it is I should be getting out of it. Ive never seen anything like this. A 3D interactive cube with random sayings and moving scenes of things I cant quite make out. For some reason I am feeling a political theme is there. Makes me think how quickly time is passing by. Uses short repetitive movie clips. I could not complete the cube, to be honest it gave me a bit of a headache just trying. The music was quite spooky aswell.

Wittenoom
Another very strange melancholy piece. Shows us a rural town that has been poisoned by asbestos from an industrial boom. Makes me feel that I never want to step foot in that town. Sad again spooky setting that paints a grim picture of the devastation that went on there. Allows you to scross through various note cards to find stories of doom and gloom. Good use of light and pictures throughout. It is in its own way very creative and interactive. Very well done even though its not my cup of tea. Give me something with bright colors and some positive vibes.

Conversation
Another abstract piece. Out of the three I liked this one the most. Very creative and allowed me to control a conversation by moving robots up and down to create conversations from sound bites. Good use of imagery and digital effects. At first quite confusing to the eye but started to get the hang of this creation. I am starting to understand this abstract form a little better. He obviously has a vivid imagination for the strange. His use of media and themes reminds me of the twilight zone tv series that I use to watch as a kid which would freak me out. I feel this type of poetry is meant to be interpreted by the individual. Its like trying to solve an emotional puzzle with each of his works.

Lecture 9 & Tutorial 9 - Media Ecology

An Inventory of my Invisible Media Environment

Im sure that for most of my day I dont even take notice of the constant media environment that surrounds my world. I would have to say that a large percentage of what filters through is from marketing and advertising people trying to get me to buy what ever products they are selling. This is sent through to me via a few different media sources, but mostly from TV, radio and through using my computer. Other media vices I have in my life include my mobile phone that I use on a daily basis to make and receive calls and to text message which involves pictures and text form. I also read the newspaper, mostly on weekends to keep up with the latest world news. I also use online searches on my computer to track whatever info I wish. In general I would say I spend at least 3 to 4 hours in front of the TV each day. Watching sporting and cooking shows as well as local and international news broadcasts take up most of that time. I will listen to the radio, mostly on my drive back and forth from Uni and work. My internet use because im at Uni is also very high both at home and at Uni. I also use the Skype service to connect with friends on occasion. Its amazing that you can see and talk via webcam to people all over the world. I have also noticed some phone towers placed in certain locations, pretending to be trees but it is highly noticable because they stick out like sore thumbs as the one today in the slide did. Nobody is foolled there. Its just hiding the dangers. Trying to change peoples perceptions of the invisible environment to blend in.

Lec 7 & Tutorial 7

Today's lecture focused on democracy and us as citizens participating in that democracy. It links back to our online democracy. We covered a little bit of the history of hackers and censorship and how governments are trying to stop what content we can see online. Definitely a power move to try and take what control they can of our online society. The card they used was that children will be saved from the bad things that can be seen on the Internet. I think it should be up to the parents to filter this if they choose to do so. Governments should not be able to tell us as citizens what we can and cant look at online. Companies are already tracking what we do online, like AT&T and the various internet service providers so cant we have just a little freedom in what we can do. Its only the first step to what will lead to total government control in how we live our lives via the internet. The internet is seen as a public space, but is it really? Maybe more like controlled space that we just don't know is the case.



I found somewhere to sign an epetition:
http://www.saveeumundi.org/2009/08/sign-the-e-petition-now
Its to prevent overhead transmission lines from going up in Eumundi.

I responded to Andrew Bolt, who blogs for the herald sun.
it was about his article Gillard must resign saying I agree with giving her the boot. 
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/

I found a site that you can follow obama on an hourly basis.
http://www.americans-away-from-home.com/node/582
A post from 9:30 am says:President Obama and Vice President Biden get the Presidential Daily Briefing in the Oval Office. (Not sure if its 100% recent and accurate)
Also he can be followed on twitter at: BarackObama@twitter

My federal rep is:
Federal Electorate: FADDEN
Member: Stuart ROBERT
Party: LNQ
found at: http://apps.aec.gov.au/eSearch/LocalitySearchResults.aspx?filter=Fadden&filterby=Electorate&divid=159

My local member for Southport is: Peter Lawlor who gave his last speech on:
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
Insert (Speech by Hon.Peter Lawlor MEMBER FOR SOUTHPORT Hansard)

Tutorial 5 - Create a Video - Pasta & Sauce by Trent!

I made this movie through windows movie maker. All the photos I took myself. The sound clip is a non protected file from Yahoo Music Juke Box on my computer. Its called "Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (Scherzo)". For my video post I have created a master class pasta and sauce dish from my kitchen. Sit back and enjoy!

Tutorial 4 & Lec 4 Response - Bebo Terms of Service Blog

BEBO


Bebo describes itself as a social media network where people can exchange material. They say that they reserve the right to make any changes to the Terms of Service at any time and will notify members of these changes. They also reserve the right to take any material off your page that they don't like and does not fit in with their terms and conditions. They state that they have no ownership of your material at any time however they do say that once you have put your info online that they along with their agents (WHO ARE THESE AGENTS?, NO MENTION OF THAT) have a limited license to that material to FROM BEBO.COM: use, modify, publicly perform, publicly display, reproduce, and distribute such materials. Does not really sound like I have complete ownership of my bebo page. Their sympathy card states that without this license they would not be able to provide the bebo service. Again it states that all members info is to be stored in the United States, even if do not live in the USA, your material is headed that way to Bebo or its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries or service providers maintain facilities. Like many other social network sites, they dont allow anything that may offend its members, such as: FROM Bebo.com: publish, distribute and/ or disseminate any harmful, obscene, indecent, unlawful, libelous, profane, defamatory, infringing, inappropriate, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable material or information. It clearly states in a seperate Privacy Policy link that it will deliver your information to advertising companies. Lets be honest here, the people that sign up to these sites never read the terms and conditions and will sign up to anything if their friends or work collegues are already involved and happy with it. People instinctively want to be social accepted so these sites work on that aspect and draw people in. Terms and conditions will always suit the people writing them up. People should beware. 

Our task to search the terms and conditions of a social media site linked into what the lecture was about today. Internet privacy and OPEN ACCESS. Social media sites will have you believe that your info is yours and safe but is it really? I don't think so. Even with all the terms and conditions these sites put up, its impossible to the average computer user to know their rights let alone act on those rights. Even if the user wants to do something about it, like sue, they have no chance with the money and power these online companies have. Who knows where our info is going. The safest thing to do if you need to join up to one of these sites is to limit the amount of personal info you put on your site. This way I feel your pretty safe from an online ambush. The  Governance and politics that go hand in hand with this new social media were also highlighted. 

Tutorial 3 - Reading & Napster Post

Reading From Course Content Session 1.3 - Response

"Studying Internet Studies Through the Ages"

This piece goes into the history of how people communicate online. If only the author knew then what he knew now. He would be leading the forbes list of the rich tech savvy folk. Social networks were not the money hungry power game that they are built up to today, spanning all corners of the world. They were seen more as an exciting new field where people would share ideas and write mainly stand alone applications for smaller groups. Nobody dared dream of revolutionising pop culture or making billions of dollars with their work. The internet allowed the world to communicate from the comfort of home. Some did not see this vision coming, but for those in the field that did, they made sure the world would never be the same. Through this new communication outlet multiple facets of society changed. The social network and business networks also gained huge strides. With this new era in internet technology, many fields must constantly change and adapt. Institutions such as schools and universities must move with the times and maintain the current fields of study, incorporating the latest technology and trends.

The Old Online Community of Napster

Napster is a music file sharing site. It allows people to freely share MP3 music files with each other. It was created by a University student as in the same vein as facebook. At its peak the site had 25 million users which at the time was an enormous following. A press release from: (http://web.archive.org/web/20080413104420/http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?id=249) states that Napster's file sharing application fell 65% among home users in 14 leading wired countries, from 6.3 billion minutes in Feb 2001 to 2.2 million in June 2001. The reason that the site faded away, although it still exists today was because the law came done on the site for copyright violations. This sent its reputation into disarray. Also the internet was bombarded with new file sharing alternatives such as Bodetella and Audiogalaxy. As we have seen with all great ideas on the internet. There will soon be copies. And in most cases, better copies so people wont take long to jump on the latest craze. There were no royalties being given to the people making and distributing the music and thus they sued Napster and won. From business weeks account of Napster's high and low notes (http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_33/b3694003.htm), the company was started and ended in the space of 1 and a half years. Although Napster was forced to shut down, it was allowed to remain in use as long as it was run in a legitimate sense. The site has never been the same since this occurred.