Thursday, May 31, 2007

last bloggg.

My last blog for this course :[

New communucation technologies has been my favourite subject this semester. I have found everyhthing to be very relevant and helpful, not too hard and interesting as well.

This was my first time for having my own blog-spot. At first the idea of recording a blog each week did not sound to tempting to me. But... It is a lot more simpler than I thought it would be and has actually taught me a lot. I got the most out of doing the photoshop exercises. Before then I had never used photoshop and after using it i have decided that I want the program on my own computer.

As well as photoshop, I also found the microsoft word and excel exercises to be very helpful. If it isnt already obvious, i am very computer illeterate so by doing these exercises I have learnt some very valuable computing skills.

In erlation to the essay we wrote and posted as a blog, i found it to be a good assessment task as it was a broad topic which allowed for many different writing ideas. I am happy with what I wrote as I actually believed and cared about everything I was writing. I hope you found it to be ok.

This morning we had our exam and ive got to say, I dont think i went that great. I studies the revision sheet that was posted online.. but unfortuantely that was all i studied so there were many questions on the exam that I was unsure of.

Overall, I have enjoyed this subject and found it to be the most useful to me out of all the subjests i have taken for this semester.

Thank you for everything :]

Sophie.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Microsoft Excel Task.

Hey There.

Well this weeks task was a little less confusing than the microsoft word task... but i still failed to completely finish it.

In all honesty, I am not at all familiar with Microsoft Excel. I used it once in all of year 12 for a Maths Assignment and found it very frustrating. However, today's task has made me understand the program a lot more.

The first few execises where we had to create the table were very simple, I had no troubles at all. However, when we were required to insert codes I had a few troubles. It worked on the first set of columns with the correst answer... but every column underneath produced the same answer as well. This confused me as I am 90% certain I did what the instructions said but it wasn't working out for me... so, I had to put the answers in myself without any codes.

Making it into a graph was also a fairly simple task for me, I have made graphs before on Excel so it was nothing new to me.

I ran into trouble when I started doing the advanced exercise. Actually, at first I found the instructions really easy to follow. However, I ran into trouble when I got to this instruction:

'A new toolbar should now appear on your screen (it should be grey and without any buttons). Drag it to the top of the screen (or the bottom) and sit it alongside some of the other Toolbars'

Nothing was appearing grey and I wasnt sure where to drag the new toolbar. I attempted to move onto the next instruction exceot I was pretty much lost witht the rest of them too. I did go to the help menu to try and fix the problem but only found myself more lost.

Although I didn't completely finish this weeks task, I can say that my knowledge on Microsoft Excel has been expanded, so I'm happy!

Thanks for another week :]
sophie.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Hey there.

Well I attempted all of the exercises...

I found the first few exercises really simple. It was nothing new to me as i have used all of the tools used in the exercises many times. The first advanced exercise wasn't too bad. It was alittle confusing but nothing i couldnt figure out. However, when i got to the last advanced exercise (mail merging) I statrted having a few problems. I didnt fully complete the task as I ended up completely lost and couldt find any solutions. I created a list of three different contacts with no troubles at all but i becam ecompletely confused when trying to insert them. I could not find the tool to click on to do the task so i improvised and just wrote it in myself. After that I saw no hope in me finishing it.

Despite my confusuion I learnt some new tasks that I never knew existed within Microsoft Word. I can see how they would be very useful in the workplace and in going about applying for a job position.

Considering how important computers are these days and how essential they are to almost all aspects of the work force, I found this task very relevant and hope that I can learn more, specifically on Microsoft Word.

Thanks,
Sophie
ESSAY

The media plays a pivotal role in global communications. Over the past century, there has been a phenomenal development in technology. Not only does new technology generate billions of dollars yearly and accompany all aspects of the global workforce, it is the drive of success behind the growth of the media industry. In today’s world fame and fortune rule the social hierarchy. It is a well-documented fact that the media has thrust everyday people, with or without performance talent, into the social limelight. Whilst this has a somewhat beneficial effect on the economy, it can also have a detrimental effect on ordinary youth. It is common for celebrities to often use their fame in order to enhance their profit through varying media outlets. A perfect example of this can be seen in the widespread success of rapper ’50 Cent’. Almost unknown outside his hometown of Southside Jamaica, 50 Cent, formerly known as Curtis Jackson, is currently one of the most well-known and commercially successful rappers of the decade. He rose to fame after achieving multi-platinum success with his two latest albums, selling around 22 million copies worldwide. (African American Registry, 2005, http://www.aaregistry.com/) The success of 50 Cent is generated through his shocking representations of violence, women and drugs; all depicted in varying media outlets.

In 2005, 50 Cent launched Bulletproof, a video game, which promotes violence and vengeance. It depicts the survival on the streets of young black men from low socio-economic backgrounds and their involvement in crime, revenge and police corruption. The aim of the game revolves around 50 Cent’s search for revenge, hunting down the hit men that attempted to murder him. (Microsoft Games, 2007, http://www.xbox.com/) Before this game was even released into Australia the Classification Board refused classification on the basis that the game was too violent to accommodate the MA15+ classification. The board came to this conclusion based on the following factors:

Many violent seqeunces are rendered in slow-motion with some zooming in on the action and the moment of death
Some of the sequences also include blood spray on the screen
Some victims scream, moan or beg before they are killed; and
A victim who is injured can be shot and killed as they crawl away.

Despite this, Bulletproof was realeased in Australia in April 2006. (Leuveren, 2006, http://www.refusedclassification.com/) Subseqeuntly, this product has invited millions of consumers to glorify violence and vengeance. Teens that spend more time watching violent depictions in the ‘real’ life of ‘gangsta’ artists are more likely to practice these behavious in real life, according to the American Journal of Public Health. (Kirchheimer, 2003, pg. 01) However, according to 50 Cent, Bulletproof is educational, in that it teaches young children how gang life really is. On the other hand, many political leaders contradict 50 Cent, saying the game is ‘violent, outrageous and with no message.’ (Kirchheimer, 2003, pg. 01)While 50 Cent profits from this media endorsement, adolecents paticularly, are being misleaded by the the portrayl of a grim, angry and violent black society, they are also invited to believe that gun warfare is an acceptable solution. Bulletproof is in no way educational or representative of gang life. Its unrealistic portrayl has no relevance to today’s youth. While 50 Cent uses a video game to negatively rpresent violence in gangs, he uses his music to negatively represent women.

Music is one of today’s most popular media purchases. Not only is it cheap to buy, it can easily be stolen off the internet, due to the advancement in computer technology. 50 Cent blatantly exploits women through his lyrics and video clips. His lyrics glorify the sexual power he has over women:

‘Got the magic stick, I’m the love doctor... Get on top then get to bouncing round like a low rider... After you work up a sweat you can play with the stick. I’m trying to explain baby the best way I can I melt in your mouth girl, not in your hand. I take you to the candy shop. I’ll let you lick a lollypop. Go’head girl, don’t you stop.’ (Sing365: 2006: http://www.sing365.com/)

These lyrics were taken from his top charting song in Australia ‘Candy Shop’. Australian youth are profiting a man who exerts his sexual power as over women. Not only is this degrading it is inviting Australian youth to take up the idea that men can view women as sexual objects and if you are so lucky to take a woman to your ‘candy shop’ you have sexual power. Dr. Steven Martino, who recently led a US published study in relation to rap music commented that, ‘These lyrics depict men as sexually insatiable, women as sexual objects, and sexual intercourse as inconsequential...’ (Unknown, 2006, pg. 01) 50 Cent also negatively impacts youths through his movie, Get Rich or Die Trying.

Movies are also another popular and prevalent media past time among adoloecents. In 2003, 50 Cent told Rolling Stone magazine that, ‘Consistency is the key to all success. If you can consistently sell crack without the cops comin', you gonna be successful.’ (Wells, 2006, pg. 07) Consequently, 50 Cent positions youths to take up the idea that drug dealing is acceptable if it contributes to personal success. This idea is reinforced through his movie Get Rich or Die Trying, a semi-auto biographical film produced in 2005. (Smith, 2003, pg.01) The film depicts and emphasises his life on the streets as a drug dealer. It relives 50 Cent following in the footsteps of his drug dealing mum who was murdered when he was only eight years old. The plot continues with 50 Cent at age twelve on the streets selling crack. According to this film, he dropped out of school in year ten and was already a street icon, a ghetto celebrity feared throughout Queens, in control of a crack house and the main drug-selling strip. At eighteen, 50 Cent was making $5,000 a day selling crack and heroin, which kept him in constant trouble with the law and led him to his eventual rise to fame. (Unknown, 2005, http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/) Get Rich or Die Trying has no relevance to today’s youth, other than entertainment. 50 Cent has used a popular media endorsement to portray a life of success through crime.

Ultimately, it can be seen that 50 Cent is a deplorable role model for youths. He has used his status to produce the media endorsements of a video game, music and a movie to wrongly depict violence, women and drug abuse. His international status is dangerous in terms of his many negative connotations. His video game endorsement is far from educational, his music is epitomised by exploitative lyrics and he depicts drug dealing as a key element to success. Whilst his youth fan base is huge, his media products have no relevance. He represents an unknown culture and way of life. It is worrying to know that adolescents particularly, are profiting a man who sells media endorsements that manifest violence, denegration of women and substance abuse.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Internet:
African American Registry. (2005). Theatre/The Arts. URL: http://www.aaregistry.com/ Accessed: 08/05/07
Leuveren, L. (2006) 50 Cent: Bulletproof. URL: www.refusedclassification.com Accessed: 08/05/07
Microsoft Games. (2007). Xbox, 50 Cent Bulletproof. URL: http://www.xbox.com Accessed: 05/05/07
Sing365. (2006). 50 Cent Lyrics. URL: www.sing365.com Accessed: 05/05/07
Unknown. (2005). Get Rich or Die Tryin. URL: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com Accessed: 10/05/07

Articles:
Kirchheimer, S. (2003). Does Rap Put Teens at Risk? WebMd Inc, USA. Accessed: 07/05/07
Smith, V. (2003). Rolling Stone. The Life of a Hunted Man. The Free Radical, Toronto, Canada. Accessed: 08/05/07
Unknown. (2006). Daily Mail. Rap Music Blamed for Teen Pregnancy. Associated Newspapers LTD. London, UK. Accessed: 07/05/07
Wells, G. (2006). ‘The Answer within - The Role of the Church in the Black Community: A Community Development Response to the Violence in Toronto’. Renison College, University if Waterloo. Accessed: 05/05/07
hey :]

well i checked out both www.activeworlds.com and http://www.imvu.com to check out the differences between 3D and IM socialising.

I am a regular user of MSN and find it convienient, easy and quick. It is definitely my prefernce over 3D world chat rooms.

Whilst both types of chat rooms are there to serve the same purpose there are a number of differences.

3D chat rooms, activeworld.com specifically, to create their own world and character. It offers a varity of visual aspects that add an extra dimension to the chosn environment. The defining difference is that 3D world chat rooms commonly involve avatars. Avatars are internet users representations of themselves. Users are able to custimize their own avatars, the avatars gestures, and the position and orientation of their avatars.

On the other hand, IM socialising does not solely serve the purpose of a created environmnet. It is a type of communications service that enables you to create a private chat room with another individual. Typically, the instant messaging system alerts you whenever somebody on your private list is online. You can then initiate a chat session with that particular individual. Many IM programs offers users the optin of visiting 3D world and playing 3D games with other poeple on thei rcontact list. However, its main purpose is just quick correspondence and less emphasis on the visual side of things, unlike 3D chatrooms.

In my opinion, it is not the communicating that is vastly different with 3D chat rooms compared to IM correspondence, it is the environmnent that it is done in. Therefore, communication is not altered depending on the program, rather the visual aspect. At the end of the day, i feel it comes down to user preference.

That is all for now...
Sophie

Thursday, April 19, 2007

week 7. 20.04.07

NEWS-WORTHY: I think this photo is an ideal representation of the theme 'news-worthy' as it symbolises drought, a topic that is very current in Australian news. To achieve this effect I used the tool artistic and used poster edges.

POPULAR: I chose this photo as a representation of the theme 'popular' as ipods are such a current trend and are extremely popular. To achieve this effect i used the brush strokes tool and used sprayed edges.

GAMES: I chose this photo represents the theme 'games' because it is under the games toolbar on a computer desktop and the fact that card games are always popular. To achieve this effect I went to the artistic tool and clicked on plastic wrap.


AUSTRALIAN: I used a phot of a BBQ to represent the theme of 'Australian'. I chose this photo because BBQ's are a large part of Australian culture. All i did to get this effect was click on the blur tool.



COMMUNICATION: Mobiles are one of the primary forms of communication, which why i beleive it is the perfect representation of the communication theme. I used the artistic tool and the neon effect in order to achieve this image.




FRIENDS: This is a photo of myself and my best friend, thus representing the theme of 'friends'. To create the effect i used the distort tool and diffused glow. I also enhanced the grain effect on it.





CELEBRITY: This picture represent the theme celebrity obviously because it is a celebrity walking the red carpet. To get this effect I used the pixalating tool and crystallised it.






Sunday, April 15, 2007

UNIVERSITY LIFE: When i think of university life i think of studying, discussion and group work. Thus, this photo is what i believe clearly indicates the theme of 'university life'.
UNCONVENTIONAL: this photo is an accurate representation of theme 'unconventional'. Normally the groom ornament is fixed next to the bride ornament. This photo clearly defies normal wedding convention in realtion to the cake.

SUMMER: this photo was taken on a family holiday. It involves sand, water, sun, clear blue sky and boats. All of these things are commonly linked with the theme of 'summer'.


NEWS: the news is apart of everyday life. People are constantly being fed news through the television, radio, magazines and especially the newspaper. This photo is an obvious representation of the theme 'news'. It is informative, never the same and probably one of the most commonly read commodities worldwide.


HIGH TECH: This photo clearly resembles the theme of 'high tech'. It is a new zealand satellite in outer space. The technology being developed and used in space is advanced in its ability to serve humans with whether forcasts and further research in realtion to planets etc.




FRIENDS: i think that this photo is a good representation of the theme 'friends' as it was taken at our school formal and is myself with a couple of my closest friends from school. It is a photo that i will always look back on with good memories. It clearly shows that we are freinds.










Thursday, March 22, 2007

week 4 post

Hey.
Well unfortunately i missed this mornings lecture. I was told that it was actually quite interesting and I heard another film was played. I also heard it was hard to follow like the other ones that have previoulsy been shown. Well i guess there isnt anything i can really comment on in relation to the lecture. I plan on printing it out once it is posted on the net and thouroughly reading through it.

Despite missing out on this mornings lecture, I have been here for the majority of the day working on my marketing asessment, didnt really get anywhere.

Although this won't be my actual essay topic, I am going to look at the evolution of Apple computers in this tutorial.

Three Academic Articles that relate to this topic:

1) Spatial evolution of the computer industry in the USA - A case of Japanese cities (Beardsell M.; Henderson V) http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/els/00142921/1999/00000043/00000002/art00064

2) Life and Evolution in Computers (Melanie Mitchell, Biophysics Group- Los Alamos National Library) http://web.cecs.pdx.edu/~mm/life-and-evolution.pdf

3) Computers and Growth (Dale W. Jorgenson, Kevin Stiroh- Department of Economics, Harvard University)http://econweb.fas.harvard.edu/faculty/jorgenson/papers/198.pdf

These three academic articles provide a thourough understanding in the general evolution of Computers. The Second article primarily focuses on the general progression of computer technology. It further focuses on the idea of computer self- reproduction. A theory that is calculated in mathematical terms and suggests the possibility of computer reproduction through one computer printing out an exact copy of itself. The first exmaines distribution changes from 1977 to 1992 and how cities move through the distribution. It then goes on to further examine industrialisation and employement which largely encompasses the progression of computers. The thrid article looks at computer progression from an economic perspective. It discusses the change in computer prices and investment trends. Overall, these three scholar articles provide a substancial amount of credible information from different perspectives in relation to computer evolution. They would be very helpful in relation to the essay we must submit.

2a. SCAVENGER HUNT:
1)The worls heaviest pumpkin weighs 1385 pounds
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/kids/2004/01/pumpkin.html

2)

3) the length of a girrafes tounge is 18 inches (46 cm)
http://www.trianglemetrozoo.com/giraffeapril.htm

4) the study of the broadest range of categories of existence, which also asks questions about the existence of particular kinds of objects, such as numbers or moral facts.

5) David Cronenberg's first feature was Stereo
www.imbd.com

6) The original 'Hacker's Manifesto' was written in January 8th 1986
http://www.phrack.org/archives/7/P07-03

7) They start with 555 because there are no seven digit phone numbers that start with 555 so it is use for safety purpose.
http://www.freefilmschool.org/ffs/06more/6-2-100.shtml

8) The cheapest flight form crete to rhodes is $229.14
www.expedia.com

9)

10) Black Assasin.

2b.
A search engine is software that enables users to search the Internet using keywords. eg. Google, Yahoo. They rank the links found in order of which ones match the most key words used. Because the interenet is available to almost anyone, anybody can post their own webpages, about anything, whether it be legit or not. Therefore it is logical to pick those that are ranked with the most credibility. My favourite search engine is google as it is easy to use and offers links i find easy to use, such as image searches, google earth and web definitions. A current news story about a search engine involves web entrepreneurs trying to topple Google's reign in the world of online search by using people - not computers - to rank search results according to merit. Users group similar links together for sharing with the web community. A concept proving to be quite popular and more in touch with humans.

Thanks for reading.
Sophie

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Hey,

Today has been a busy day. This morning’s lecture was alright, I can't say I was paying too much attention. Alpha Ville was interesting, although it was hard to follow. It was good to see how technology was used back in the day and I’m pleased to see it has evolved tremendously. It was also interesting to see how greatly computers specifically have evolved over just a few decades. The development from the first computer to what is used today, like the Apple computer, is amazing. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay for the whole lecture; I had to leave after an hour through to do something for marketing. Not fun.

So far, I am enjoying this subject overall- the workload isn't stressful, yet, and I’m learning new things.

The tutorials have been beneficial for me so far. I have always been terrible when it comes to anything in relation to technology, computers specifically, so I am really glad I took this elective. Blogging is a first time thing for me and to my surprise I have actually successfully made two so far, and have friend links.

Today involved a mass 4 hour break for me. So I guess my day really hasn’t been busy. I’m just tired from boredom. I managed to fill most of the time with uni work, which I guess made time pass quickly.

I am really grateful now to be sitting in air-conditioning, part of why I also like this tutorial.

Thanks for reading,
Sophie :]

Thursday, March 8, 2007

09.03.07

Hey there.

My name is sophie. I am 17 years old and live on the Gold Coast. At present I am doing a Bachelor of Communication at Griffith uni. This is my first year and so far i am fairly enjoying it. This semester I am studing effective writing, new communication technologies, marketing and philosophy.

Aside from uni I work at Sean Scott Photography in Burleigh. It sells amazing photography (on canvas), clothes, surf DVD's and plenty of Havaianas. My job is extremely cruisy and i love it.

Eventually I want to work as either a freelance journalist, a buyer, or a magazine editor. I am really interested in fashion so I would love to work my way into that particular industry.

I graduated highschool in 2006 at Varsity College. So far, 2006 has been my best year yet. Apart from the continuously stressful workload, I shared a graduation, a formal and schoolies with those closest to me.

I absolutely love the beach and love the fact that i live in Palm Beach. I argue that Body boarding and surfing are as good as each other, although body boarding is easier.
Nothing beats eating subway whilst watching a movie on a cold/rainy day!
And nothing beats coronas and a BBQ with mates on a hot day at the beach!

I Also love the cheap food at IKEA, shopping, InStyle magazine, photography, Friends- the T.V show and in real life and The Matrix- best movie of all time (apart from the third sequel)

I am not keen on teeny-bopper punk music in surf movies or in general, humidity, turnips and arrogance. Other than that it's all good.

In reference to this subject, I am hoping that it will broaden my computer skills as I am hopeless when it comes to technology. So far, the two lectures i have been to have been ok, not too captivating but interesting enough. I really enjoyed La Jetee, the short film we watched this morning. I liked the fact that it used a lot of imagery to help convey the story.

I look forward to more tutorials. And I truly hope you don't find this too boring to read.

cheers,
Sophie