I see 'em, five 0 won!

2007-12-13T13:59:00.001-05:00

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I should

2007-11-20T03:45:00.000-05:00

I realized tonight that two words that bounce around in my brain too much are "I" and "Should"

I should make my bed in the morning
I should clean my desk
I should finish editing the 1700
I should develop that roll of film
I should buy and hang adult curtains
I should do laundry
I should clean my bathroom bathmat
I should floss more
I should stop leaving spare change in places other than my spare change mug and old glass milk bottle
I should fix or get rid of my retro ipod
I should stop wasting energy by having both computers on at the same time
I should unpack my bag
I should get on a regular sleep schedule
I should dust
I should fix my car
I should sell my car
I should spend more time outside
I should stop censoring myself
I should learn to spell
I should worry less about money
I should worry more about money
I should vacume the livingroom
I should organize my trunk
I should edit my cousin's wedding video
I should finish my palahniuk book
I should netflix movies that don't suck
I should wear khakis tomorrow
I should work out more
I should talk on the phone more
I should deposit money into my savings
I should print on both sides of the page
I should get gloves
I should buy, fill, and hang picture frames
I should stop eating cheese and crackers right before bed
I should better stay in touch
I should buy a washer and dryer
I should continue to wonder about forks in the road
I should get toothpaste
I should care more, like stephen davis
I should learn to fly
I should go home more often
I should be a better boyfriend
I should go on a brewery tour
I should snowboard more this winter
I should paste and sand the nail holes in the walls
I should buy a convertible
I should read more blogs
I should check the mail
I should continue to love cheddar chex mix
I should read a good book
I should read the good book
I should volunteer
I should rank my top 5 songs
I should rank my top 5 breakfast cereals
I should learn how to make pancakes
I should share my blog with more people
I should be earning more by now
I should travel
I should learn to play drums
I should learn to play base
I should skydive again
I should go 100%
I should buy a good computer chair
I should get an internet connection to my PC
I should learn dreamweaver and illistrator
I should not be working on thanksgiving
I should have visited mr and mrs J more
I should throw away my yellow pages
I should organize the trunk of my car
I should hold better eye contact
I should get a haircut on a more regular basis
I should email matt back
I should send more facebook notes
I should be a better planner
I should not go grocery shopping hungry
I should cook for people more often
I should bite someone short
I should get those environmentally sound lightbulbs
I should return those dvds
I should turn on the TV less
I should stop biting my nails
I should be a better talker
I should be a better listener
I should make up my mind
I should get ride of all those old tee shirts
I should be more like kurt
I should order new checks
I should get a physical
I should get physical
I should be more social
I should seriously cheddar chex mix rules
I should be a professional.
I should get politically informed
I should get high
I should see more plays
I should write more
I should activate my credit card
I should deactivate my old debit card
I should stop cracking my knuckles
I should take more pictures
I should fully embrace going gray
I should take a multivitamin
I should buy a wok
I should eat the food i have at home
I should bring dinner to work
I should stretch
I should try spinning
I should stop hating ironing
I should whiten my teeth
I should make a to do list
I should think more
I should eat thai soon
I should like blond on blond
I should go to bed
I should stop blogging
I should brush my teeth
I should come up with a clever ending
I should reverse the order of these words
Should I?

My Gexistence

2007-11-13T21:51:00.000-05:00

For my second post of the week, I thought I would self Google my name, and see what happens.

So here I go. I'm going to put my name in quotation marks so the results aren't all over the place... damn you Sarah Brightman!

First result - my 501 Blog, ever been there? How twilight zone, a Blog about a search about a Blog about a search about a Blog about a search about a....

Second result - Waxing. James' Blog, specifically regarding the outline for our paper, no surprise there.

Third result - CHART, a video production company in Charleston, SC where I used to freelance and was eventually on the production staff. A little outdated, but makes sense.

Forth and fifth results - Race times from road races I did out west. I suppose this could be useful for those who are serious runners and want to track their times, but I just did them for fun, and never really looked at the clock. Its been a few years, I wonder if these times will stay online forever?

Next result - This site has a newspaper article in which I was quoted. A controversial, and great professor David Marshall got into some hot water after showing some porn in class. What a surprise! I was asked to give an interview by a reporter and she used a quick line. I stand by what I said and support Dr. Marshall and his teaching habits.

Next - A my space page of my great friend Jordon Cox, and by far my favorite result so far. Miss you Jor-Cor.

Next - Another quote from the Dave Marshall controversy, this one just makes me look lazy.
"I was a little relieved because I don't have to do the work," ohh well, can't win them all.

Last, but not least, is a word document which is a schedule for the Carolina Communication's Conference in which a paper I wrote was presented on my behalf (I was on the other side of the Country). True? yes, relevant, no not really, but I suppose any professional publication is good publication.

Overall this process was interesting, some blasts from the past and some duds, but I feel better knowing what's out there.

For 502 I am creating a personal website, and hopefully a year from now it will be the top result when I self Google, but we'll see.

What about you? Any interesting results when you self google?

Please wait while we tally your results....

2007-11-13T16:58:00.000-05:00

Your search for "Trevor's Reaction Blog" yielded the following results:

Displaying 1-10 of 9420

1. History
Who knew? I think the history of search engines is a lot like toothpicks. We use them all the time, and expect them to work for us, but don't really question where they come from or whose hard work went into this genius convenience. But week's reading, the futuristic and draft draft draft version of Halavais' Search Engine Society: Search Engines, Search Divides, Social Search takes us on a journey allllll the way back to those flannel wearing 1990's when the world wide web became to big to remain unsearchable. Why is it important to know about the history of cyber search? To understand how they work, of course, but also to better find what we are looking for, improve upon the current systems, and predict future trends.

2. Academics
Vertical search is discussed in this weeks reading, specifically Google Scholar. I became aware of Google Scholar a short time ago while starting the research process with my partner James. Between now and then I have used the engine about 4 or 5 times, and I would say that I am simultaneously impressed and disappointed. I'm impressed that Google has taken there grade A ease and familiarity into the academic sphere, and the overall user experience I had was good, however I feel the results left something to be desired. This could be because I'm still new to Scholar, however Halavais expresses the importance of search engines' ability to meet the expectations of the user, and in that area I feel there is still much room for improvement.

3. Democracy
We hear it all the time. The rich are getting richer, the busiest blogs are getting busier, and the best way to be popular is....well, to be popular. It makes sense that the higher you are on a search results page, the more visitors you'll get to click on your site, but as we learned earlier in this course, a phenomenon coined The Long Tail has impacted how we thing about diversity and importance. Do current search engines fuel the huge spike at the top of the curve, limiting our exposure to less popular sites? I don't know about you, but if a site isn't on the first 3 pages of Google's results page, I'm not going to see it. Does that bias affect the democratic process? Is it fair? Or is it simply a necessary byproduct of the Internets explosion of popularity?

4. One radio station
I don't drive to much, but whenever I do I listen to the radio. I have 5 presets that I switch between, and I'm never on one more that 15 or 20 minutes. The way I see it, as I'm sure many others do, diversity is good, different genres keep things interesting, and you never know what you'll you hear if you keep an open mind (and ears). Could this also be true of search engines? I use Google as a general search engine exclusively, and most of the time I am pleased with my results. But could the argument be made that I am putting blinders on to other websites and results queries by sticking to Google? Am I essentially listening to one radio station everyday?

5. Spell check
To me, Google is more than just a search engine, its a top notch spell check. Part of my job involves writing and displaying names which are often times nearly impossible to spell right on the first try, and countless times I have opened up a browser, typed those all too familiar 10 characters, and made certain the V comes before the R in Favre or the proper spelling of Bengals' WR Houshmandzadeh.

6. Fact check
Along with spell check, I use search engines as a quick fact check. But that brings up the question, what is truth? For example, you have a hunch that orange juice promotes healthy fingernails, and your Google search reviles websites you find credible which confirm this assumption, does that make it true? In this way it could be argued we have the power to distribute existing knowledge, but also to promote false knowledge. This is a phenomenon we need to be aware of as communication scholars, and as members of society.

7. Speed is King
If you could chose between a search engine that was fast and a search engine that was slow, but provided better results, which would you chose? The Internet age is one of impatience, and if a site is slow to load, often times its as good as not being there at all. Has the demand for speed compromised search engine's quality of results? Will this ever be changed?

8. Speed is not King, Google is King
This week's readings mention Google as the premiere general purpose search engine, will they/could they/should they be trumped? No I'm not suggesting The Donnald get into the search engine game, rather I ask if you can imagine an Internet without the familiar blue, red, yellow, green and white monster? Indeed it would take an Enron style catastrophe to put a dent in Google's empire, but as we all know nothing lasts forever, so I wonder who will be the next king of the search mountain?

9. What about me?
A search is comprised of entering keywords, and hitting enter. So what happens when you enter the most intimate and private keywords (your name) into arguably the most public sphere ever created? Self-googling. <---- Ironic, this link is the first result on Google when you search for "self googling", and is centered around this week's author, social architect Alex Halavais. Is this an invasion of privacy, or a liberating forum for self promotion and expression? My next post will focus more on the idea of self-googling, but any examination of public search tools should at least acknowledge this interesting and possibly controversial subject.

10. Future
What's next? How will search improve? Geographically specific searches are being developed, as well as the expansion over vertical search functions for specific fields, how will these affect our day to day lives? How will the addition of an ever-increasing number of photos and videos on the net be searchable? Could there be an algorithm which systematically scans or crawls frames of video or pixels in a photo, determining their potential relevance to a curious and inquiring user? With more and more of our life being centered around the web and sharing, will we want to limit the power of search, or grow it?

Sponsored Links:
Intro Interactive
Follow along with QU's ICM 501
as we explore the future!!!
http://introinteractive.wordpress.com/

A Thaumaturgical Compendium
Things Alex finds to be magical;
many in fairly superficial ways
http://alex.halavais.net/

2007-11-07T01:00:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T21:43:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T18:35:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T17:57:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T16:39:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T16:37:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T15:30:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T14:12:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T13:17:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T12:07:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T04:01:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T03:24:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T02:15:00.001-05:00

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2007-11-06T01:08:00.001-05:00

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What if you could remember everything?

2007-11-04T23:07:00.000-05:00

One of this weeks articles for class set off an atomic bomb of questions, comparisons, and thoughts in my mind, and dozens of notes along the margins of the print out. Gemmell, J., Bell, G., & Lueder, R. (2006). MyLifeBits: a personal database for everything. Communications of the ACM, 49(1), 89-95. According to their website, "MyLifeBits is a lifetime store of everything." Do you buy it?

On the Record.
The article, which described the theory and practice of recording the human experience as much as possible, I found fascinating. Recording conversations, location, photos and video, contact information, and even bodily activities and performance. I do believe however, that their intended goal, is unrealistic and unattainable. More on that later.

My Mega Pixel Day.
Almost 2 years ago I was living and working in Seattle, and I decided I wanted to document a single, random day through pictures. Soon after I woke up, I took a picture, and about every hour for the rest of the day I did the same. It was a typical day, I with going to gym, breakfast, work, lunch, work, meetings, phone calls, dinner, out with friends to watch March Madness. The pictures alone weren't particularly great, together in a sequence they where intended to paint a broader picture. Here is March 23rd, 2006:

At the time I didn't even know lifelogging existed. But I did know I had a digital camera, and this could be a cool way to create a sort of a time capsule, to be looked back upon in the distant future. Little did I know they would come in handy for my QU Intro class blog :)
So why?
Why do we do it? Why do we have the desire to capture, document, and share? One could make the argument its in our nature. Story telling and communication are hard wired into our psyche, and now we have the tools to capture bits of information at incredible rates, and on the horizon are infinite possibilities.

A Blockbuster Shelf.
Reading this article made me feel like I was walking down the isle of a movie rental store, looking at random titles. Some you've heard of, some maybe not.

Being John Malkovich
If you could be feel what someone else feels, see what they see, taste what they taste, how could you tell the difference between them and you?

The Final Cut
Who would, who should, who could, have access to your recorded memories? What would they find? What about after we die?
The Matrix
If memories can be recorded, can they be imported? "I know Kung Fu"
Memento
"Will I lie to myself to be happy? In your case Teddy... yes I will. " Sometimes we don't want to know the "truth", our versions are much more convenient.

The way I see it, your damned if you do, your damned if you don't.
Why is it unrealistic and unattainable to attempt to record "everything"? Because you'll never be able to record enough, and if you do, your recording too much. Let me explain.
The discus field.
In high school I threw for our track and field team. During some down time at practice one day an upperclassman and I were talking and he asked me, "wouldn't it be cool if humans had the ability to recognize and be able to identify every single blade of grass individually?" This is an extreme example of course, but think about it. How many millions upon millions of things do we encounter everyday, but ignore because they serve no purpose to our day to day lives? We could take an hour walk in the woods and literally see millions of trees, leaves, grass, rocks, dirt, moss and animals, but perhaps one single flower catches our attention, and evokes an emotional response. For that one in a million, do we need to record each and every individual element? Will that ever be possible? (Great irony- I don't remember the upperclassman's name)
Lets think smaller.
A newspaper is on the kitchen table. You walk past and look at a picture on the front page of someone you think looks like your friend. You get a muffin, you walk away.
Your called to jury duty. During the selection process your asked, "Do you know anything about John v Doe?" You say no, you've never heard of it. The prosecutor gets access to your visual history file, and pulls up 9 am last Tuesday. It turns out, moments before you got breakfast you glanced at the daily paper which displayed a headline and feature article on the case. Your called a liar, and sent home. My point is this, not everything we encounter we remember, not by a long shot. Classic example. And if we do record everything we encounter, we're not accurately recording everything we remember. Either way, we've got problems.

Earlier in this course Willow said "when you see the Taj Mahal in moonlight it brings you to your knees." We can take pictures, we can take notes, video and heart beats-per-minute ratings, but I don't think we could ever capture what she felt right then. Not from the outside of our skulls anyway. Until we better understand how the brain works, how it functions, records, and observes, we won't be able to record "everything." And if we ever do figure that all out, The Matrix may not seem so far fetched after all.

Links:
An easy to use mobile blogging site http://www.utterz.com
Jim Gemmell's Site - http://research.microsoft.com/~jgemmell/
Gordon Bell's Site http://research.microsoft.com/~gbell/

Biblio

2007-11-02T21:08:00.000-04:00

The following is an annotated bibliography for the white paper James and I are working on.

Chambers, J. (2005). The Sponsored Avatar: Examining the Present Reality and Future Possibilities of Advertising in Digital Games. Retrieved on October 26, 2007. http://www.digra.org:8080/Plone/dl/db/06278.01541.pdf

Abstract
This paper examines the practice of advertising within the space of digital games. Additionally it anticipates the future development of advertising within the interactive entertainment spaces. A future that holds possibilities as varied as actual game sponsorship, product placement and brand integration within games, or cross promotional opportunities between digital games and other forms of entertainment media. The author seeks neither to neither bury nor praise the practice, but to offer a careful and reasoned examination. Given the similarity between videogames and movies this research synthesis incorporates analysis of advertising placement within those genres with limited processing theory to propose a placement model for digital games. The analysis includes the perspective of advertisers, game publishers and designers, and end user consumers. This work finds that currently there are multiple approaches to in-game advertising, but that it is an accepted practice by end user consumers. An agenda for future approaches is also offered.

Svahn, M. (2005). Futur-proofing advergaming: a systematization for the media buyer. Retrieved on October 26, 2007. http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1109210

Abstract
The idea of using games as carriers for goal-oriented strategically shaped rhetorical messages, i.e. advertising and propaganda, has been much talked about. Those who produce games take an interest in such messages as a way to find new revenue streams and new customers. Media strategists are interested in finding the audiences that are leaving traditional media and turning to games. It could be fruitful for media strategists and game producers to meet, but as the meaning of the term advergaming is becoming diluted, that meeting is becoming difficult. This paper is an attempt to facilitate such a meeting by giving an overview of the planned rhetorical functions of ludic activities. This will hopefully lead to a structure of concepts useful to the scientist as well as to the practicing communications strategy planner.

Chaney, J. (2004). The Effect of Billboards within the Gaming Environment. Retrieved on October 26, 2007. http://www.websm.org/uploadi/editor/Chaney_Lin_2004_Billboards.doc

Abstract
Players from all demographic groups are spending more and more of their leisure time playing multiplayer online games. As such, the gaming environment may be a more suitable vehicle to reach target markets. This study assessed whether advertising in the form of embedded billboards has an impact on the online gamer. Even though they could recall passing the billboards many of the players could not recall the names of either the products or the brands after the gaming session. This was possibly due to the immersive nature of the game with peripheral details not fully registering. The embedded billboards within the game had very limited impact on either the enhancement of the game experience or on product purchase intentions.

Han, S., Cho, M. M, Choi. (2005). Ubitem: A Framework for Interactive Marketing in Location-Based Gaming Environment. Retrieved on October 26, 2007. http://csdl2.computer.org/persagen/DLAbsToc.jsp?resourcePath=/dl/proceedings/&toc=comp/proceedings/icmb/2005/2367/00/2367toc.xml&DOI=10.1109/ICMB.2005.108
Abstract
Mobile game and advertising are evolving rapidly and becoming the key of mobile contents market. More powerful mobile devices have enabled the creation of better and richer mobile games and advertising. This paper proposes a framework, called Ubitem, which addresses many of the issues that are characteristic of mobile gaming and advertising. Ubitem facilitates time and location-sensitive, interactive marketing by enabling users with the location-aware technology capability to collect nearby items such as m-coupons and redeem the items in the close participating stores. We believe that mobile advertising within location-based gaming will most likely enable much richer entertaining experiences as well as the advertisers get superior responses from the users by linking a virtual game play and real-life action.

Wolf, M. (2002). The Medium of the Video Game. Retrieved on November 1, 2007. http://books.google.com/books?id=lKZriBxbcwQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Medium+of+the+Video+Game&sig=KyOMPdvC_3-z58pMR2G35ikPOQ8

Duke, M. (2006). In Game Advertising: Touching the Elusive Consume. Retrieved on October 26th, 2007. http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1178863

Abstract
Consumers are bombarded with more and more advertising, while traditional media such as TV and radio become more and more fragmented, the challenge of reaching the consumer gets harder and harder. Consol and video games are a media that does not suffer from user 'switch off' or channel hopping and if carefully integrated advertisers can link in with games that match a brand and connect to other channels such as billboards, mobile phones and even retail locations. The process of in game advertising is a sophisticated one that offers advertisers a clear segment to advertise to and a water tight mechanism of measurement and return (two elusive items in the fast changing world of advertising). The session will look at In Game Advertising - Touching The Elusive Consumer -- with examples from across the globe.

Shankar, V. Bayus, B. (2002). Networked ETWORK EFFECTS AND COMPETITION:
An Empirical Analysis of the Home Video Game Industry. Retrieved on November 1, 2007. http://public.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/faculty/bayusb/webpage/papers/vgames-e.pdf

Abstract
Building on the Resource-Based View of the firm, we advance the idea that a firm’s customer network can be a strategic asset. We suggest that network effects are a function of network size (i.e., installed customer base) and network strength (i.e., the marginal impact of a unit increase in network size on demand). We empirically study these network effects in the 16-bit home video game industry in which the dominant competitors were Nintendo and Sega. In the spirit of the new empirical IO framework, we estimate a structural econometric model assuming the data are equilibrium outcomes of the best fitting non-cooperative game in price and advertising. After controlling for other effects, we find strong evidence that network effects are asymmetric between the competitors in the home video game industry. Specifically, we find that the firm with a smaller customer network (Nintendo) has higher network strength than the firm with the larger customer base (Sega). Thus, our results provide a possible explanation for this situation in which the firm with a smaller customer network (Nintendo) was able to overtake the sales of a firm with a larger network size (Sega). These empirical results suggest that the ultimate outcome in a competitive market with network effects is more complex than simply accepting that the firm with the largest installed customer base will always be the winner.

The following are sources that may be helpful in our research along with the above mentioned texts.
http://www.abiresearch.com/products/market_research/Video_Game_Hardware_Software_and_Services
http://credibility.stanford.edu/captology/notebook/archives.new/2005/02/recent_developm.html
http://advergamez.blogspot.com/
http://www.dfcint.com/game_report/onlinegames2004toc.pdf
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20060135235.html

Don't Patronize Me, Bro

2007-11-01T16:05:00.000-04:00

How well are the presidential campaigns doing with viral video?

It's pretty simple - Bad.

In my definition viral video finds you, you don't go looking for it. I'm sure candidates are working hard and paying ludicrous amounts of money to try to create an online buzz that will spread like wildfire, but other than the Obama 1984 commercial, I haven't seen any yet.

The thing with "viral video" is, sometimes it just works, and I find attempting to create a phony buzz is patronizing to us, the viewers who make these videos so popular.

It will be interesting, however, to see what develops over the next 12 months.

Blog on Blog

2007-10-30T19:37:00.000-04:00

"Corpspeakers talk to people when they want to speak, not when people want to listen." - Naked Conversations pg 4.

Don't bloggers do the same? The only difference is bloggers want to speak ALL THE TIME.

Deadspin vs ESPN

Can blogging hurt a company? ESPN prides itself on timely, accurate info. One day, I came into work and there was a rumor that Mohamed Ali had died. We went to def con 4. We started preparing shows, getting in contact with reporters and analysts, and waited in standby mode. It turns out, ofcourse, that Mohamed Ali was alive and well playing golf in Arizona somewhere. My point is that a company which encourages or allows it's employees to blog about the inner workings of said company could potentially be a hamper, or a legal and PR nightmare. Imagine if the story broke and was linked directly to ESPN? Our credibility would be tainted forever.

Unlike Microsoft, which people have had negative views of, ESPN is a company the general public like. People love the 'This is SportsCenter' commercials, but in reality, Wally the Green Monster and Big Papi aren't wandering the halls and hanging out by the water cooler... well sometimes they are, but not everyday. Could employee blogging tarnish ESPN's reputation as a hip, young sports haven and reveal it's corporate and professional reality?

I would like an internal ESPN blog, to see what the executives are up to, but I would bet everything I own it would get leaked by a disgruntled employee within a year, if not sooner. Why? We're underpaid, for one thing, and the other is psychological. Naked conversations talks about the psychological effects of collaboration, there's also a psychological affect of revenge, and of getting away with something against the rules.

I was surprised to hear about Sun Micro's blogs. When I was in high school, I worked stocking shelves at a liquor store in the suburbs of Boston, and on a few occasions I delivered to Sun Micro. At the time I noticed the tight security - it was clear they took their business very seriously and were not taking any chances of unauthorized people getting any inside information. Ironic.

Finally, this quote really struck me in our reading.

"You can make something worth talking about or you can become invisible." Naked Conversations.

I think that applies to a lot more than just blogging.

Why my blog sucks

2007-10-30T19:30:00.000-04:00

I'm not interested in gadgets, political playground conversations, and I don't read Japaneses or Chinese. If what was said in out reading this week that "popularity breeds popularity," one could assert that unobserved blogs breed disregarded blogs. (Thompson, C. (2006). Blogs to Riches. New York Magazine, February 20. 26-35.)
If I learned one thing this from this week's readings, its that I don't blog often enough, or with enough passion. I'm interested, but its not my life. If blogging is the sex god of the Information Age, as is suggested in Naked Conversations, I've got an unhealthy sex life. (Scoble, R. & Israel, S. (2006). Naked Conversations. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, pp. 1-62) The question then becomes: Why?

Naked Conversations ends a section by stating "blogging just happens to be fun." Well it depends who you ask. I haven't found my passion for blogging yet, in fact I still sometimes find it irritating. Postings with irregular fonts and formats, no sort of fixed posting schedule, typos and punctuation mistakes (which some see as cute and conversational, I see as unprofessional and immature.) Alas, even as I write this I'm sure this post and every one in this blog has more than one spelling mistakee .)
But beyond the format and content issues, I also have an issue regarding inclusion. I feel like I'm always in search of an introduction. I am linked to blogs with no welcome, and it makes me feel like I'm wandering a cocktail party where I don't know anyone, bouncing around listening to bits of other peoples conversations until I feel awkward enough to up and leave, only to find another conversation to awkwardly intrude myself. This could be because I'm new to the game. It could be because I haven't found my blog topic of choice, or it could be because I haven't interjected and spoken my mind.

I'm no Grant Webster.
Grant and I are very different. I'm northern, he's southern. He's very religious, I'm not. He talks loud, I don't. But despite these differences, and the many others, we became friends a few years ago and keep in touch to this day. Every night, every single night, Grant takes a pen to a notebook and writes for at least an hour, sometimes more. He writes and writes and writes and writes. I asked him about it once and he said "Some people are readers, some are writers." He also said he very rarely goes back and reads this notebooks - he just writes to write.
I started a journal once, ended after about 8 entries. It just wasn't in my nature I suppose. The closest thing I have now is my old emails. They are filed away in chronological and categorical order, and occasionally I'll read some old correspondences and it takes me back to the past. My point is that for some people free writing comes naturally, others it does not. And along time ago I realized I'm the latter.

My iPod headphones broke yesterday, have you heard?
"Nothing great has been and nothing great can be accomplished without passion"-G.W.F. Hegel in Naked Conversations.
What am I passionate about? What am I overtly public about? Is there anything that fits into both categories? If not, should I just blog for the sake of blogging? My headphones broke yesterday. Does that mean their a bad design? No, they lasted over a year and worked fine while I had them. Does that mean there the best design ever? No, I'm sure there are better, maybe even at loser prices and higher quality. But that's how most of my life goes, as expected, on course, on time.
Many days of my life I feel like Groundhog Day, repetitive and predictable. But when I finally buy that ticket and go backpack across New Zealand I'll sure I'll blog...or will I? Does it cheapen the experience, being mentally chained to a keyboard, feeling obligated to brag about your experience to those back home. Or does sharing make it less of your experience? So I went skydiving, who cares? People do it everyday. If I don't think I am a good story teller, why do something mediocre just for the sake of doing it?

So fark them all....
Despite the author's praising of the holy blog, I'm still not drawn in. I'm not even drawn to blogs of those who interest me most (Michel Gondry, Alton Brown, Stephen Colbert). I'm not drawn to read blogs by or about my favorite music artists, I perfectly happy getting there new CD when it comes out, and maybe catching a show or two.
Fark.com is the only blog I read with any regularity. Its simple, entertaining, free, and funny. It also keeps me informed. I read it at work when I'm bored, and can keep my attention for up to an hour. Honestly I don't really notice the advertising on the site, but if it is making someone rich, that's fine with me. Someone out there is working hard on it and deserves to be compensated. I think I would read a blog if it filled a need in my life (like fark cures my boredom), but I can't think of another need which needs fulfillment.

Don't fail me now.
I realize this post contradicts our class assignment entirely. Our ongoing assignment is to create and manage a blog that allows us to express ourselves, create buzz, make contacts and learn new things. I certainly haven't accomplished them all yet, but as we all know failure is one of the best ways to learn, and its never too late to turn things around. While I don't agree with everything that was put forth in this weeks readings, I did find them enlightening, and they have help me come to terms with my talents, deficits, biases and attitudes. This post was written as a reaction to the reading, and my blog experience thus far, a journey that is far from over.

My iPod headphones broke yesterday.

2007-10-30T13:43:00.000-04:00

Let me start of by saying, no, this is not another random post about how Apple sucks. I've never had a problem with the company, and I like their stuff.

The pair that broke was not the original that came with my iPod, those broke long ago. This is a second pair that I got at a Radio Shack.

I'm sad to see them go because they remind me of when I first got them, for longboarding around Seattle. I would plug them in, zip up my track jacket, and hit the streets.

The Go Team's Thunder, Lightning, Strike would drowned out the cars, construction, people.

The grit from the top of my board would be abrasive against my hands and jeans as I walked up steps and steep hills, towards my starting point.
The streets were busy, people coming and going, buses, bikers, the trash piled up on the street.
I remember the the looks I would get.
The close calls.
The wind off the sound.
I remember the time I fell, and the time I stayed out and was late for dinner.
I remember the public art, the alone time.
I remember getting lost, and I remember the freedom.
I remember, the melodies, carving the sidewalk to the beat of the songs.
I could go anywhere, do anything - wow that sounded like the reading rainbow theme for a second.
I remember the time I ran over a packet of McDonalds BBQ sauce and it sprayed all over the place.
I remember how my backpack filled with stuff would throw off my balance at first.
I remember pioneer square, and the pier with it's impossible wooden planks.

I'll miss those headphones.

Down the Rabbit Hole

2007-10-24T23:48:00.001-04:00

For my second blog this week, keeping with the Entertainment and Online Gaming theme, I watched CSI: New York tonight on CBS. We all know the drill. A murder occurs, a team of crime scene investigators scan the crime scene with fancy gadgets collecting clues, which in turn help to solve the case.

This episode however, had an interesting twist. The detective work was done both in real life, and in the MUVE Second Life, and the suspect wasn't caught in the end.

The episode brought up some interesting points - how anonymous are we in online games? What do our avatars say about their creators? What is it like to meet someone face to face after only interacting, or falling in love, online?

To be continued...

During the commercial breaks CBS ran spots promoting CSI viewers to log on and "join the team." The public was invited to participate in the investigation, and help solve the crime by examining crime scenes and using a virtual lab. I think this is a really cool idea. Not because I'm a huge CSI fan or particularly interested in criminal justice, but because never before has a TV show basically invite the viewer into the show. There have been video games based on TV shows before, and there have been online communities which center around shows also, but this is the first time I've heard of the two coming together into one experience.

I read online that the conclusion of this episode will air next spring, it's storyline to be developed between now and then on Second Life. Who knows, maybe a member of our class will have their avatar star on CBS.

A Whole New World

2007-10-23T15:40:00.000-04:00

By the time I got home from work, finished reading a few articles for class, and made my way to my computer, I was getting tired. It was about 3:15 am, and I figured I would spend ten minutes or so checking out what all the hype was about on SecondLife.com

After creating and verifying an account and downloading the necessary software, I noticed something odd - I was no longer tired. In fact, I was really exited. This came as a complete surprise, because until that moment, honestly I couldn't understand the appeal of Second Life, and other multi-user virtual environments (or MUVE) online.

I would ask myself, why would people put so much time and effort into a virtual self? Wouldn't that time and effort be better used improving one's own, real-life self? Are the users so desperate to escape their existing reality that the only place they feel comfortable is in a virtual skin?

But after reading Pine's article "The Experience Economy," and logging into second life myself, I think I am finally starting to see the appeal.

Like so many things in life, it's not simply the intrinsic value in which we find value. Yes Second Life is a computer program, but it's real appeal is the feeling it can give its users. As Pine describes on page 17, "Manufacturers must explicitly design their goods to enhance the user's experience as well - essentially experientializing the goods - even when customers pursue less adventurous activities. Automakers do this when they focus on enhancing the driving experience." In other words, its not just the miles per gallon that sells cars, its the wind in your hair.

With this in mind, I started thinking beyond the concept of walking around a virtual map or dressing up in virtual clothes. Now I'm starting to realize it isn't the medium that's important, its the message, emotions, and connections being made. For the truly engaged user, it is not interacting with a keyboard and screen, but rather other people and environments. The same way a book can take us to another place or a phone can connect us with others far away, MUVE should be looked at as a tool and toy of human desire.

But the barrier between the real world and the virtual is far from crystal clear. I ran into interface and bandwidth issues, and about a half hour in the entire program crashed. I may not have gotten lost in Second Life, but I could finally see how people could.

While my experience within Second Life may limited, I can assure you I'll go back for more. I have a feeling virtual online worlds are still in their infancy, and as an interactive communication scholar, I am exited to see what the future of MUVE have in store.

That, and there is just something so cool about being able to fly.

Pine, B.J., & Gilmore, J.H. (1999). The Experience Economy. Cambridge: Harvard Business School Press, pp. 1-26.

Game On

2007-10-19T19:41:00.000-04:00

White Paper Proposal
Intro to Interactive Communications
Trevor Brightman and James McVey
October, 2007

Our White paper will be written by Trevor Brightman and James McVey, graduate students enrolled in the Interactive Communications program at Quinnipiac University.

Problem We feel advertisers are not effectively utilizing the full potential of in-game advertising. There is a large demographic engaged in on-line, networked video games to whom advertisers could reach with real time, streaming advertisement triggered at specific times, relevant to geography, space and time.

Audience This paper will be directed towards the heads of major advertising agencies that are looking for new and cutting edge ways to reach the large and important male demographic of 18-34 year olds, as well as other non-traditional avid gamers.

Key Ideas:
· Our area of study should focus on the advertiser’s developing audience – the multiplayer environment created by networked game consoles.
· Developments in Internet and compression of audio and video technology should allow for real time advertising in networked console gaming in the very near future.
· It is our goal to become experts on this concept, study it in theory, analyze the benefits and risks, and hopefully see it into a working reality.
· In-game advertising is a growing phenomenon. People are spending more time actively engaged in video games, and advertisers are recognizing new and novel ways to reaching these people.
· Our preliminary research has shown advertisers are projected to increase spending in video game advertising like never before, and we intend to provide insight into a new channel through which to deliver their adverts.

Preliminary research sources

Experts in the area In our preliminary research we have found two companies that are leading the way in the field of in-game advertising, and the heads of which we consider experts in the area.

IGA Worldgroup: CCO Darren Herman and CEO Andrew Sispoidis. We feel these two are experts in the field because according to their website their company, IGA “has run static ad campaigns, real-time advertising and dynamic in-game advertisements.” These individuals are leading the way for new technology that is integrated into games, and thus their work will be helpful in our research and writing.

Massive, INC: CEO Mitch Davis has helped develop a video game advertising network and who believes “you want to reach those guys [18-34 year old males] in prime time, there's only one place to do it, and that's video games." His experience, combined with his focus on the importance of target audiences will help us get a pulse of the industry, and give us insights into where it is headed.

Articles, publications, and websites

Some of our most critical research will come from a thesis published in 2006 at LSU which measured player perceptions of advertising in online games. It is important to our research to identify potential pitfalls of placing non-native ads and information into games, and this article provides hard evidence to help us navigate around such pitfalls. An example of a subject matter in this thesis is brand recall by customers and customers attitudes towards in-game advertising.

The magazine and website for Advertising Age appears to be one of the leading industry publications addressing current trends in the business, and will be used in our research for industry news, trends and stats.

Online, the websites gamautra.com will be used to take advantage of their wide selection of news releases and articles that deal with all aspects of video gaming. The Massive Inc, and IGA Worldgroup websites will also be consulted for their data as it relates to implementing advertising campaigns within video games.

Preliminary schedule

Over the next 8 days, Trevor will be looking at pertinent information on industry websites while James will focus on the industry publication and academic journals. We plan to meet twice before the upcoming 10/30 deadline and have our bibliography completed by 10/29. Trevor will be lead author, and other duties will be assigned as we move along. We have also initiated contact with some of our “industry experts” and hope to be in contact with at least one of them before our presentation.

This Space For Rent

2007-10-16T21:03:00.000-04:00

Advertising is everywhere. It is the driving force behind broadcast TV and radio, it's sprinkled along our highways and websites, and, in some cases, even covers our skin.

But before James and I meeting tomorrow night to discuss our white paper presentation, I wanted to ask my classmates what they thought of the concept of "in-game" video game advertising?

Would you be deterred from buying a game if it had an excessive amount of product placement?

Would you be more willing to live with in-game advertising if it dropped the cost of the game? Or better yet, made games free?

With the changing media environment, advertisers are increasingly willing to try new means to reach their target audience, and it is my belief that video games represent a space with major potential for advertising.

Thoughts?

Brotherly Love

2007-10-09T17:16:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has been to the streets of Philadelphia probably noticed one of it's most unique and artistic charms - the many outdoor murals.

I'm in downtown Philly this week, and walking around I've noticed the dozens of works across neighborhood after neighborhood, and they inspired in me an idea, which in turn inspired this post.

Earlier in this class we discussed mash ups in their various forms, a popular version using Google Maps. It dawned on me today that the sheer size and scope of this city's public art could be creatively integrated into a Google map showing the location and a digital preview for the user to enjoy.

This could benefit new artists by giving inspiration and ideas. It could also making it easier for existing mural artist's, such as David Guinn their fans to enjoy their work. It could benefit tourism by simply showing people where to find that which they may be looking for. And it would just simply be fun to look at.

In my online research I have found other websites, such as this, which have documented murals in the city, but I have be unable to find a clear, visual based map with which to explore.

I ask any of my readers with Google Maps mash up experience if they are interested in creating such a site, and if so to contact me. Aside from the fun of getting outside and taking pictures of some amazing art, I think creating such a mash up would be a rewarding and informative experience that relates to Intro to Interactive Communications and the other class I'm taking this semester, Visual Aesthetics.

Open Doors or Close Minds?

2007-10-09T15:53:00.000-04:00

On-demand Generation

I am an product of my environment, and I am inpatient. Today we live in an on-demand world. We don't wait to hear our favorite song of the week on the radio, we download it and play it on our Ipods. We don't rush home to watch the latest episode of Rock of Love, we Tivo it and watch it at our convenience. Or, if the first 5 minutes don't grab out attention, we delete it and move on to whatever captures our attention next.

What does this do to our relationship with News? Do our centralist attitude and limitless sources open doors to a plethora of information the wealth of which the world has never seen? Or do our futile and picky attitudes hamper our ability to expand our views beyond those which are convenient, attractive and self-assuring?

The Village Green

WZLX in Boston is a classic rock FM station that I would listen to at work back in high school. The bands I would hear would inspire me to download a collection of music ranging from Led Zeppelin to Elton John to The Beatles. Through a variety of sources, I did research of the bands I liked, took recommendations, and downloaded other artists I had never heard. Somewhere along the line I discovered The Kinks (and you should too). Now, their 1968 album " The Village Green Preservation Society" is one of my all time favorite albums.

My point is that although we have discriminatory tastes, they can help us reach places we would otherwise have never found, and that can be a good thing. Perhaps by recognizing these different tastes, while acknowledging our lack of online patience, we could intelligently face the future of online news.

Trails and Tribulations

Earlier in this class we talked about the notion of trails and paths, which allow us to follow one idea to the next, researching and expanding our way to a better understanding of that which interests us (this was also the inspiration for hyperlinks found across the web today).

If there could be a central, neutral hub as a starting point - a user friendly, reliable and dependable website that presents equally different viewpoints on subjects and encourages the reader/user to form their own opinions, instead of conglomerating with someone else. As with me finding The Kinks, I believe the best approach is not to present two, completely different viewpoints in contradiction to each other (classic rock mixed with today's pop for example) but rather to present two or more similar, yet different viewpoints, (70s rock with the British invasion) to allow for a more comfortable, subtle shift for the user.

Is this possible? Maybe. But several problems immediately come to mind.

There is no neutral. What we write about, (and what we don't write about), how we write about it, when and why all affect our ability to be and present ourselves as neutral. People, families, businesses and countries all have agendas that influence how the feel about the world, and how they express themselves. Understanding this is key to understanding that there can never be a truly neutral news provider.
As mentioned above, we are the on-demand generations. We don't like to wait, we don't like to sift, we know what we want and we go for it. If there's a short cut, a way to circumnavigate around something we don't find to be of pressing importance, we'll find it.
Peer pressure. Depending on who you are and who you associate with, asking certain questions and seeking information on a subject may be technically possible, but socially not. Imagine for example a story producer at Fox News raising his or her hand and asking "You know, maybe Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has some good points, should we do a story on the positive things he has done for his country?" Not going to happen.
Group polarization, as described in Sunstein's article, could be argued is inevitable. Is it a result of people being more informed or manipulated? We should also remember that this is nothing new, that this is nothing new - people have been furthering their ideas and agendas for as long as human communication itself.

Full Circle

In undergrad I had two communication professors with different views on journalism.

One felt that journalists stood for truth, justice and the American way. They were stewards of the people, enabling and furthering democracy the way the Founding Fathers of this country envisioned.

The other felt journalism was another tool for generating the all mighty dollar. "The business of creating desirable audiences and leasing them out advertisers," a powerful quote from Dr. Marshall.

Perhaps with the advent of personalized news, and the "power to the people" we can start to move away from the latter and towards the first, but as discussed there are still several hurdles along the way.

This blog was inspired by this week's ICM 501 readings:

Bender, W. (2002). Twenty years of personalization: All about the “Daily Me.” Educause Review, 37(5), 21-29.
Sunstein, C. (2004). Democracy and filtering. Communications of the ACM, 47(12), 57-59.
Bruns, A. (2006) Wikinews: The next generation of alternative online news? Scan: Journal of Media Arts and Culture, 3(1).

Group Think

2007-10-01T23:18:00.000-04:00

There is talk that the Patriots will go 16-0 and Notre Dame's football team could lose every game it plays this season.

No I'm not talking about sports - I'm talking about groups. Specifically groups of people that work together towards a common goal, there by creating a team.

Why is it that some teams work and others fail? There are limitless questions and answers on this subject, and we all reflect back on personal experience as our own guides towards making teams work. There is also resources, experts and literature on teamwork, some of which was our reading assignment for this week. (Verzuh, E. (2005). Building a high-performance project team. / Lipnack, J. & Stamps, J. (1997). Working smart: a web book for virtual teams)

In my first post I spoke about how I have seen and been affected by the goodness in people, and a great example I was fortunate enough to experience a few years ago.

Green 5

In an effort to prolong the inevitable entrance into the corporate world, I entered an Americorps program after college. Americorps*NCCC is a team based service program where 18-24 year olds are organized in groups of about a dozen and work together across the country for 10 months. The teams are numbered and organized by color units - my team was Green 5.

I can honestly say that it was one of the most rewarding and most challenging experiences of my life. Going suddenly from living in my own apartment for 3 years in college, to living, working, eating and sleeping with the same 11 people day after day, week after week and month after month was quite an experience - one I will never forget.

We had our ups and downs, like any team, but by the time we graduated, I had made some of the strongest relationships of my life, and we had accomplished our ultimate goal - that of service.

Computers cant hug

As we move forward towards a truly global economy, one where the world seems to be shrinking by the day, how do we apply our collective knowledge towards effective team building and maintenance over the Internet? Can we? My mother works in HR for a software company, and she just got back from a trip to India where she facilitated team working exercises - is face to fade the only way?

As with anything new, there are hurdles and obstacles. CMC group development brings along too many issues to cover here, so I'll focus on a few. One, how can we account for different experience levels? That is, maybe some members of the team will have no CMC group experience while others are seasoned veterans? Will computer communication become so important in the future that it will require its own specific training? (instead of taking public speaking classes we take computer speaking classes?)

Another issue that comes to my mind is trust. How do you trust someone you've never met? With the lake of eye contact, and physical presence, I would foresee some trust issues being created, especially when teams are still new. In Green 5 sometimes we would settle issues with a bottle of wine, a good talk and a hug, whats the virtual equivalent?

Candice talked about the Chicago Bulls in her blog, a group that had such good teamwork and leadership it was able to dominate in it's own sphere. This inspired an interesting question - which group, if any, will be the first dynasty in the virtual world?

Wikinformation

2007-09-24T23:36:00.000-04:00

And together we,
Will forever be
High Fidelity
Definitely
Switching the melody
Can it be the brothers that you rarely see?
They got together for the better
Whether him or me

-Jurassic 5 off the album
Power in Numbers

I found this weeks reading thrilling. The idea that an online community welcoming user input could amass a collection of information "ten times bigger than Encyclopedia Britannica and roughly the same in accuracy" (Tapscott, D. & Williams, A. (2006). Wikinomics (Intro & cap. 1). New York: Portfolio.) to me, is mind blowing.

But at the same time, it makes perfect sense. How much does it cost to send someone to Togo, do research, write about it and have it published? On the other hand, how much does it cost to have someone living in Togo write about there country in their free time? - It costs nothing, and thats exactly whats going on everyday.

I cant help but think of ants, those ants you see on Animal Planet, all working together, hauling leaves, digging tunnels and achieving together what could never done alone.

Cheesy quote time!

"Many hands make light work"
John Heywood

"Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it"
Dwight Eisenhower

What we are witnessing with this Wiki information generation is phenomenal. It is the decentralization of information control, and with the right amount of motivation, self regulation and input, it could change the way we learn, share and grow in ways we never would have thought possible, even 5 or 10 years ago.

Discussion

Who has edited a Wiki before this semester? Which and why?

Have you ever encountered a glaring error on a Wiki? Did you do anything about it?

What sort of information, if any, should be kept off line?

Is there a point when we could become too dependent on Wiki sources over traditional sources of information?

There is no spoon

2007-09-18T12:43:00.000-04:00

I just thought of a device. It would be small, a few ounces at most, durable, and have a long battery life between charges. It would store my contacts, notes, my music, pictures and be connected to my PC. It could take pictures and video, receive FM radio, and make calls anywhere in the world. This device cost under a hundred dollars, and, here's the shocker, its gray not black.

This week's readings touched on a wide array of topics ranging from the future of education, puppets, computer aided design in architecture, global revolutions and the notoriously elusive black box.

When I was young, my friend Matt had a black box. It sat on top of the TV and he got HBO and Pay-Per-View for free, all day, everyday. Needless to say, it was awesome.

But that's not the type of black box being talked about today (Jenkins, H. (2006). Introduction: “Worship at the alter of convergence”). Today's idea of a black box is a singular, magical hardware device through which this recently created, ever expanding cornucopia of digital pictures, words, thoughts, videos, debates, commerce, literature and expression will be absorbed.

Oh and porn, can't forget about porn.

Personally, I agree with what was recently written in RDMilner's Blog: "Black Box, will it happen? We’re there Jenkins, “black boxes” are all around us if you know where to look."
As far as one, plug-in-and-go device, I see one final, and huge obstacle. I don't want to blog from my couch, and I don't want to watch ABC's Lost at my computer desk, and I'm not the only one. This may seem like a small statement, but I think its ramifications are keeping the singular black box out of the American home.

Browsing the internet is, for the most part, a personal, often private experience. I ask any of you readers, who has felt uncomfortable sitting in a public library a foot or so away from another browser? And who hasn't sneaked a peak at their screen out of curiosity?

Films, radio, and TV shows on the other hand, are often thought of as social group activities, more suitable for public spaces such as cars or living rooms.

Now there are, as always, exceptions. During a recent trip to see friends, we ended up huddled together in a friend's bedroom watching each of our favorite youtube videos. Some sat in chairs, others on the bed, me I sat on the floor. Some connection between the PC and the TV in the living room, whether it be wired or wireless, would certainly have been useful here.

Key to unlocking the Box

Perhaps the key to the black box is not a singular device, but rather a web that connects our boxes together. Synergy between my phone, my computers (home, work, mobile), my TV, my house's climate control and my fridge, could the black box be a wireless hub bringing all these things together?

This idea of a singular black box, in my opinion, will never fully become reality. To quote the Matrix movie, "There is no spoon", and I believe there is no black box. I want a office and a home theater, and I'm not alone.

Random Reactions, Thoughts, Questions

-The ability to affect the world on a global scale was a power once left to kings, religious organizations, and governments. BrophBlog
To what extent is this still true? What about the social rebellion and revolutions before the age of the internet? Has the internet's wide avaliblity brought with it a mob mentality, anonymity of the web allowing us to act in ways we may otherwise not?

How do you make the site visually appealing to draw the user in but at the same time how do you easily present the necessary information. Jadimauro's Weblog This is an interesting point, one we are discussing in ICM 502. Is there a formula to find the balance? Or is the internet and our relationship in constant flux, changing and evolving as we move forward?

Can each individual be his or her own architect? General tone of Negroponte, N. (2003). Soft Architecture Machines (Selection).
In my opinion, yes. A person can design his or her own home. It could be different, funky, and creative. This house, could also be structurally unsound, collapse, and injure or kill someone. Obviously next would come the lawsuits, trials and settlements. Then designing houses will go back to the professionals.

Is Computer Assisted Instruction, using computer interfaces to enhance and enrich our educational system - a cure all? Question raised in Nelson, T. (2003). Computer Lib (Selection).
I think computers are a great tool, but nothing can replace a human to human interaction. Sure a student can dissect a frog on a computer screen. Then the student can learn human anatomy on a computer screen, complete with 3D diagrams, figures and data. This student could study the history of cardiology, the most recent technological advances, and all the latest drugs. But when they are finally scrubbed up and in the O.R., how will they be able to handle the warm blood, smells and sounds of open heart surgery without the years spend easing into it?

Who needs to sit out on the beach and watch the sunrise when you can just stare at your computer screen?

2007-09-11T16:51:00.000-04:00

Are Mash-ups mob art?

A group of persons stimulating one another to excitement and losing ordinary rational control over their activity. Mob as defined on Dictionary.com

Mash ups, an interesting art combining, altering and remixing sound, video, software code and pictures to create a new, indipendant expression or tool. They are often exiting, humorous or thought provoking, and the legal and ethical boundaries have yet to be set in stone. We create them without concern because other people create them, part of a mob mentality. Here are contemporary mash ups I found interesting this week.

Zombies Walk I first heard this song when I downloaded a B-sides album by Sufjan Stevens month ago. Its an interesting mash of one of his songs and a hit song by Kanye West. Then again, I may be bias because it reminds me of riding in my friend Johns boat last summer.

X-men Last Standing Ovation - This just needs to be seen to be understood. Pure hilarity and very well done.

The title of this post is a direct quote from coolgooglemaps.blogspot.com
"Who needs to sit out on the beach and watch the sunrise when you can just stare at your computer screen and track it across the globe. Much much easier that way." This refers to a Mashup that alows you to do just that, track the sunlight as it is cast across the globe. Cool, but better than the real thing?

My last example, Chili Pepers Wet Sand is a video on you tube. While it is seemingly very elementary, is nothing more than a slideshow put to a song, does this qualify as a mash up? It takes seporate elements, fuses them together to make meaning, and a release an expression.

In class on Thursday I would like to discuss what qualifies a mash up, and what are its limitations, if any?

This Guy Might Be On to Something...

2007-09-11T16:17:00.000-04:00

Well, really I should say many of these guys, and girls, must be on to something.

Reading for this week focused on our changing world, ranging from the sudden availability to have wildly unpopular movies sent to your door, to becoming great friends with someone you've never met (face to face at least), to groups of people deciding to combine their efforts to do something hilarious, or tragic.

The first article, (Anderson, C. (2004). The long tail. Wired, 12(10).) discusses a recent economic trend shaping businesses today. What this theory boils down to, to quote on of my favorite bands, The Kinks, is "Give the people what they want." An idea that is as simple as it is obvious, but until recently has been economically impossible, due to spacial limitations of both distance and shelf availability.

The ability to ship to and from anywhere has brought the age of diverse products and titles to our finger tips, and with it comes great opportunity both for personal and financial growth.

This trend leads us to "trust" peer user recommendations over traditional advertising (which too often try to shove "hits" into our DVD players). This beckons an important question however, What then happens when an advertiser poses' as a peer reviewer? Is our informal network of trust violated and thus broken?

It is easier, and cheaper, for companies to market one product rather than dozens or hundreds, (this is why we see so many sequels today), and in their eyes could too much product diversity be a bad thing?

In the next article (Beniger, J. (1986). Control Revolution, Introduction (pp. 1-27). Cambridge: Harvard University Press.) the idea of a Control Revolution is proposed, an event so important, the author calls it an central part of the "Third Wave". The article discusses the shifts of control over the past few hundred years, and how it relates to technology, people, and organization.

I got the notion that the advent of technological breakthroughs changed our world (ie nationalization of consumerism, development of bureaucracies) and in turn our world changed the roll, and direction of technological breakthroughs (the personal computer, the Internet).

Said differently, the independent, home and neighborhood centered lives we used to live changed with the industrial revolution into system when in which we became more centralized, cooperative and dependent of each other to make progress and profits.

With this shift however, we moved towards higher technology, such as telephone networks, cell phones, and PDAs, which ironically allowed us to move back towards independence and self reliance. This new concept of independence, a shift towards personal independence and away from household independence is written about in detail in Rheingold, H. (2002). Shibuya epiphany (pp. 1-28). Smart mobs. NewYork: Perseus. [http://loc8ed.com/library/rheingold-2002.pdf].

Beniger reminds us that as witnesses and participants of this shift, we are obligated to ourselves and to the future to keep written records and observations, as this is dramatic change destined to change the world to come.

The creation of Bureaucracies, as mentioned above, leads us into the next article, (Ronfeldt, D. and Arquilla, J. (2001). Networks, netwars, and the fight for the future. FirstMonday, 6(10).) which deals with the conflict between the past (bureaucracies) and the future (networks).

Today is socially significant in terms of networks for two very real reasons. First, it is the anniversary of the September 11th atacks, an event always in our consciousness, especially in the wake of a new video released by OBL. Second, this is the second day of Gen. Petraeus' Iraq Report, a current example of what Ronfeldt and Arquilla "The Dark Side".

In class on Thursday, after reading Petraeus' reports, I would like to discuss the conection between the war in Iraq and the concept of Netwar described in Networks, netwars and the fight for the future.

Blorganization

2007-09-11T14:04:00.000-04:00

So part of our assignment this week was to visit several blog related websites, set up an aggregator/reader, subscribe to several blogs and write about it.

First though, a confession.

On the first night of class, we were told that if we had an existing blog or knew how to set one up, we could leave early and be on our way, but if not we should stick around and watch a demo. At the time I didn't have a blog or really any idea of how to set one up, but I gathered my things and left anyway.

Why? Faith in my favorite online service company, Google.

See a few months prior I was exploring Google's services, and saw that they had Blogger, Blog Search, and Reader programs. I had faith that night that when it was time to set up my blog, I would simply click the link and follow a few, simple directions.

My assumption was correct.

Google applications simply work for me. I would say it's safe to say I use the search engine everyday (both at home and for work). I love using Gmail (and the chat feature), and I use Google Maps several times a week.

Getting back to this week's assignment, its no surprise I set up Google's Reader as my aggregator.

It was straight forward, user friendly, and took under 10 minutes.

For class I subscribed to the following tech pages:

fark.com/geek - I visit fark.com all the time at work when I'm bored, and the geek page has quick links to news, new products and trends, usually with a witty description.

New York Times Tech Page - Similar to above, with a more professional spin, and the credibility that comes with the NYT.

CNET - I used this site to get reviews on the cell phone I just bought over the internet, but it is also good for computer and electronic news, trends, and product reviews.

Intro Interactive Blog - Could there be a blog more relevant to class? I think not. Having this subscription will allow me to stay current with any changes or discussion in ICM501.

I can see how using a Reader to consolidate updated posts can be a time saver, but I can also see how easy it can be to fall behind. I set up my reader less that 48 hours ago, and already the amount of new posts in my "in box" is in the triple digits.

I think it will be a useful tool for quick reference, but I must admit I already feel somewhat overwhelmed with information. Perhaps this will pass with time as I move towards using my reader less like an email inbox and more like the front page of a newspaper - that is, something to glance over and select what interests me.

Until then, I think my online habits will be a combination of actively seeking out new blogs, and browsing those of which I am subscribed.

What is a Blog?

2007-09-09T15:17:00.000-04:00

Being new to blogging, I've been doing some research about what they are, and where they are going.

This is a site I found interesting, with an analytical look at the numbers, studies and theories surrounding blogs.

Back with a full post in the next 48 hours.

Giants, Paper, and the Old Man by the Pond

2007-09-04T15:31:00.000-04:00

A common saying made its way into my mind while reading Licklider, Bush and Engelbart’s writings of a half century ago, which I learned later was used by Issac Newton over three centuries ago.

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

These articles put into perspective how phenomenal the tools we have at our disposal today, so often taken for granted, truly are. These writings show us how minds of yesteryear were the driving force behind the information age revolution, whether intentionally or not.

For me these articles serve to provide a background of the thought and work that has gone into computerization of the education and research fields, entertainment, communication technology and tools we now use in everyday life.

In today's context, these articles ask more questions then they answer. And what is interesting, almost funny, is what I will call the paper gap.

Each article this week in one way or another mentions paper, its benefits, limits and roll in human thinking and computer processing.

"An information-storage mechanism in the writing machine permits you to sweep the reading stylus over the characters much faster than the writer can type; the writer will catch up with you when you stop to think about what word or string of words should be duplicated next... This writing machine would permit you to use a new process of compositing text. For instance, trial drafts could rapidly be composed from re-arranged exerpts of old drafts, together with new words or passages which you stop to type in." Engelbart Augmenting Human Intellect, 1962.

"The printer draws a set of closely spaced lines across the paper one after another. As it moves, its potential is varied in accordance with a varying current received over wires from a distant station... Thus, when the whole picture has been covered, a replica appears at the receiving end" Bush, As We May Think, 1945.

"The first thing to face is that we shall not store all the technical and scientific papers in computer memory. We may store the parts that can be summarized most succinctly - the quantitative parts and the reference citations - but not the whole. Books are among the most beautifully engineered, and human-engineered, components in existence and they will continue to be functionally important within the context of man-computer symbiosis." Licklider, Man-Computer Symbiosis, 1960.

What these authors may find hard to believe, if they were to visit one of our Thursday night discussions, is that we are moving closer and closer to a paper free environment. Incoming students are encouraged to by a laptop computer for research, note taking and composition writing. The entirety of our semesters reading material can be found beyond the glass of a computer monitor on the internet. And there exists no physical text book has been assigned or will be used by our 501 class.

These writers, these giants, were brainstorming solutions for problems of there world, a world that was built on ink and paper. A world that has now taken a back seat to the world of the keyboard and mouse.

Ironically however, in order to best absorb and retain the assigned reading, my study routine involves printing, stapling and marking with a pen, paper.

As I mentioned earlier, these articles create more questions than answers, one which came to me this morning while running near my house. Among all the discussion of which goals and ends computers and machines can help us achieve and meet, there remains processes and methodologies that will remain purely human.

I ran by an old man, sitting by a pond playing a violin. He had no goal. He had no assigned task. The only purpose, the only reason he was there, was to be there, to enjoy the sun, water, and fickle last days of summer. Computers may help us calculate, visualize, communicate, and reach conclusions, but there is more to life than achieving concrete results.

There are human experiences where the journey is the destination, the task is the reward, and this computers may never understand, and perhaps never should.

A handshake

2007-09-04T15:14:00.000-04:00

My full name is Trevor James Brightman, and I would next put my age, but as that is guaranteed to change, I’ll just say I was born in January of 83, and you can figure it out.

I was born and raised in Lexington, Mass by my hero, my mother.

I suppose she is a major reason I’m entering grad school this fall, see she was a teenager when she had me, who hadn’t yet graduated high school, and I have seen first hand the importance of hard work, organization, and of course education.

I have also seen first hand the best in people, and the power of good will, cooperation and just plain kindness, but more on that in a later post.

Why a MS in Interactive Communication? Because it is the future, and its already here. I’m exited about the changing communication environment, and want to be a part of it, and that starts with preparation, study, and discussion.

The bad news - This is my first blog, so bare with me.

The good news - This is my first blog, and I think it will be a challenging and enlightining experience, and really isn’t that the best kind?