Final Essay

Citizen Journalism: The way of the future?

On July 7th 2005, one of the biggest cities in the world stood still; history was made when London became another victim to a violent act of terrorism. The explosions from underneath the city were first thought of as power surges, but it was the photo taken by a citizen who was experiencing the attack which informed the word that the city of London was now a part of history and was under attack by terrorists.

In an age where technology is forever becoming more advanced the audience is becoming involved in telling the story rather than just receiving it (Ferrare & Lyon 2005). Society has evolved into an era of citizen journalism. Richard Sambrook of the BBC News Network said “when major events occur, the public can offer us as much new information as we are able broadcast to them; from now on, the news coverage is a partnership” (Sambrook 2005, p.1).

This essay with explore the term citizen journalism and what the term represents through focusing on the positive and negative effect it has had on newsgathering, the ethics of citizen journalism and what impact is has had on journalistic practices.

Shayne Bowman and Chris Willis authors of the 2003 report "We Media: How Audiences are Shaping the Future of News and Information" define the concept of citizen journalism as everyday members of the public “playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and disseminating new information” (Bowman & Willis 2003, p.7). Audiences which are equipped with constant web connections, web publishing tools and increasingly powerful mobile devices have the ability to become an active participant in the creation and distribution of news and information (Bowman & Willis 2003).

When America came under attack in the 9/11 terrorist attacks it generated the highest level of traffic to traditional news sites in the history of the web (Bowman & Willis 2003). The network sites were not technologically advanced enough to handle the demand of viewers seeking information. Ultimately consumers turned to email, blogs and forums to gather information or rather experience a commentary of what was happening during the 9/11 events, thus the era of citizen journalism was born (Bowman & Willis 2003).

Citizen journalism has become a social and cultural documentary practice among diverse publics (Allan & Thorsen 2009). The interactive nature of the web, allows the citizen to engage more deeply into the newsgathering process (Friend & Singer 2007). Various news organisation, have established open-source and distributed-reporting projects which are online collaborations between the readers and the reporters (Friend & Singer 2007). Open-source reporting is the process a reporter takes when they announce a topic under investigation and invite readers to contribute to the investigation.

Ethically projects such as open-source reporting often conjure up questions regarding the art of journalistic practice including accuracy, independence, minimising harm and verification (Friend & Singer 2007). There are several differing views when it comes to the concept of citizen journalism and whether the notion is in fact ethical. Ms Jan Schaffer explains that citizen journalists often do not like being referred to as journalists, that they are not embracing the journalistic culture but rather going against it (Schaffer 2005). iReport.com is a web-based program established by CNN which relies entirely on stories submitted by ordinary members of the public. The launch of iReport.com in 2006 was reported as a remarkably popular tool for information and alternative news and was credited for having made important contributions to the breaking of news (Allan & Thorsen 2009).

iReport.com and the CNN received constant praise until a fabricated story was uploaded involving the CEO of Apple suffering a heart attack which forced the stock price of Apple to spiral to a 17 month first time low. The posting of this totally fabricated story on iReport.com caused citizen journalism to become the concept of intense scrutiny and the credibility of iReport.com was shaken (Allan & Thorsen 2009).

Through the advancements in technology and the introduction of the internet, the tools for researching and reporting have altered thus affecting the process of newsgathering. Through the introduction of network sites such as iReport.com the role of the journalist as gatekeeper and informer of accurate information became more difficult. The most crucial role of a journalist when producing effective news content is to interpret, filter and add context to the information been produced (Ward 2002). The traditional goal of a journalist is to be objective. Citizen journalists traditionally are involved within the topic they are writing about which raises the question of whether a citizen journalist can be impartial to a topic.

With the advancement of citizen journalism the process of newsgathering by professional journalists has changed. John Herbert states that “anyone can put anything on the internet” (Herbert 2000, p.2). It has become crucial for a journalists researching on the internet to confirm that they are receiving their news from a reliable source. However, whilst many may argue that the internet is not a legitimate source for information, the fact still remains that the internet provides information from various news sources, with multiple perspectives told in a wide variety of different ways. As society becomes more technologically advanced and citizens become more reliant on the internet as a news source, viewers will be able to recognise the reliable, credible content of the sources that are available online.

During a time of crisis, people feel compelled to document events as they unfold by taking photos. While there is much scepticism over the introduction and increased popularity of citizen journalism, the fact still remains that participants of the citizen journalism culture have been the first to inform the world to events taking place. BBC reported the events of the London bombings through information arriving from the public. More than 1,000 photos, 20 pieces of amateur video, 4,000 text messages and over 20,000 emails were received within six hours of the attacks on London (Sambrook 2005).

In conclusion citizen journalism is a concept that will gain more popularity as society becomes become technologically evolved. While there are facts to support both sides of the ethical debate over citizen journalism, the line between reporter and receiver as dissolved and as Richard Sambrook of the BBC News Network said the news coverage is now a partnership (Sambrook 2005).

Reference List

Allan, S & Thorsen, E 2009. Citizen Journalism: Global Perspectives, Peter Lang Publishing Inc, New York

Bowman, S & Willis, C, 2003, ‘We Media: How audiences are shaping the future of news and information’ The Media Centre, viewed 20 October 2010 via http://www.hypergene.net/wemedia/download/we_media.pdf

Friend, C & Singger, J 2007. Online Journalism Ethics: Traditions and Transitions, M.E.Sharpe Inc, New York

Herbert, J 2000. Journalism in the Digital Age: Theory and Practice for Broadcast, Print and On-line Media, Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd, Oxford

Sambrook, R 2005, Citizen Journalism and the BBC, viewed 30 September 2010, via www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitem.aspx?id=100542

Schaffer, J 2005, Citizens Media: Has it Reached a Tipping Point?, viewed 30 September 2010, via www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsitemprint.aspx?id=100565

Ward, M 2002. Journalism Online, Elsevier Science Ltd, London

Bibliography

Bainbridge, J Goc, N & Tynan L 2008. Media and Journalism: New Approaches to Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press, New York

Dunleavy, D 2005, Camera Phones Prevail: Citizen Shutterbugs and the London Bombings, viewed 20 October 2010, via www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0507/dunleavy.html

Ferrara, L & Lyon, S 2005, With Citizens’ Visual News Coverage Standards Don’t Change, viewed 30 September 2010, via www.nieman.harvard.edu/reportsiteemprint.aspx?id=100561

Foust, J 2005. Online Journalism: Principles and Practices of News for the Web, Holcomb Hathaway, Arizona

Goodbye New Comm Tech Blog

Well it is an end of an era, goodbye to a chapter, so long and farewell!!

As I write my final entry I look back on the journey that has been my New Communications Technology Blog - and what a journey it has been.

To be totally and completely honest, the only reason I enrolled in New Comm Tech was because I didn't have a choice. For a Bachelor of Communication it was a pre-requisite. To be even more honest, if I didn't HAVE to choose it, I probably wouldn't have.

Now, this isn't saying I didn't like the course or I didn't find it beneficial, I am really just not that interested in technology. However, I did learn a great deal of useful information and I now look a aspects of technology and the Internet in a different light, for example Facebook.

The social networking world is becoming bigger and bigger as the years go on, and when I (eventually) finish university, I suspect I will need a a vast understanding of the Social Media world, which I now have.

The only element of the course which I honestly really didn't like was the concept of Culture Jamming. I do not think that we should be encouraged to write fabricated information. I think, being a journalism major, it totally goes against the ethics that I learn in my other classes. I understand why we are made aware of it, however I do not think we should HAVE to participate in the culture.

I would like to thank Jules and Kaya - you are both great and very helpful (and extremely patient)

Week 6 - Media, New Media, Social Media

The internet is a tool that has come to be an intricate element to the function of day to day life in today's society. The internet first began as an educational tool and has transformed into the multifunctional device it is today. We have now moved into an era of Web 2.0.

The bursting of the dot.com bubble in 2001 marked a turning point for the web and the new era of the Web world began. The concept of Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that provide interactive information sharing on the World Wide Web. The term first began during a brainstorming concept between Tim O'Reilly and MediaLive International. After the crash of the Web, O’Reilly together with his ‘high tech’ friends believed that the web was still more important as ever, thus the Web.20 was born.

In an online article by Exforsys Inc entitled Advantages and Disadvantages of Web 2.0 defined Web 2.0 in a very simplistic manner, “Web 2.0 is a system in which online users become participants rather than mere viewers” (http://www.exforsys.com/tutorials/web-2.0/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-web-2.0.html).

Web 2.0 allows for information to be accessed and personalised to meet the needs of the individual user. Web 2.0 allows for mass population to communicate with each other. The advantage of this is that information has the ability to flow freely and ideas can be expressed without the fear of repression. Exforsys Inc describes the internet through Web 2.0 as a true democratic system, a digital democracy. Society has the ability to access information from more than one source, thus becoming a more informed society. An example of this is the reading of newspapers all around the world. You have the ability to read several newspapers which comprises of different information and different views.

The internet is no longer available on a ‘read-only’ basis, it now provides user-generated content in a virtual community.

Examples of Web 2.0 include social-networking sites, blogs, video-sharing sites, web applications and mashups.

http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html

Culture Jamming - Media Release

SURFERS SAYS GOODBYE TO THE SCHOOLIES

CELEBRATIONS

School leavers of 2010 have been shocked with the announcement that the Schoolies Festival in Surfers Paradise has been cancelled this year.

The Queensland Government confirmed yesterday that the Schoolies celebration will no longer be permitted within the Surfers Paradise precinct.

Premier Anna Bligh released a statement confirming the cancellation. “Surfers Paradise will no longer be the base for a under 18’s party,” Ms Bligh said.

The cancellation of the Surfers Paradise celebration came after the Bligh Government introduced a new initiative to reduce alcohol-related violence in the Fortitude Valley area. The $4.2 million plan increases the presence of police and new banning powers mean ‘troublemakers’ will be prevented by a court order from entering the precinct.

Queensland Police Union president Ian Leavers, has pointed out that the government is asking existing police patrols to work overtime, rather than employing new officers. Due to this, there are not enough numbers to patrol both areas, with Surfers Paradise coming second best to the Valley.

Bligh has warned to graduates of 2010 and their guardians that any underage teens found under the influence will be escorted from Surfers Paradise at the expense of the guardian.

“Australian tax dollars will not be spent towards this plan,” Miss Bligh announced.

Week 9 - My Assignment

For my Essay I will be focusing on Question 6:


"Increasingly mobile devices are an aid to the gathering and reporting of information, both by professional journalists and “citizen journalists”. Outline the advantages and disadvantages of this sort of news gathering. How might it impact on journalistic practices and news values and ethics?"

I have chosen this question and I plan to major in journalism next year and I think I would gain using knowledge from researching and answering this question.


Luckily, I am actually quite good at writing an essay. Now I'm not saying I am a "hot-shot-essay-writer" by any means, but if I was to choose between sitting for an exam and writing a 10,000 word essay, the essay would win with flying colours. You see writing an essay gives you the chance further your knowledge and continue to research until you have the correct answer. Where sitting for an exam (when your memory resembles that of a fish aka my memory) if you do not know the answer to a question you are basically screwed and have to place all of your chances on luck.

When first begining my research I came across from interesting information in relation to the London Bombings. On the day the busy city of London stood still, it was the images sent by citizens who were affected by the attack that first indicated it was in fact, an act of terrorism.

BBC New's Website said ".. when major events occur, the public can offer us as much information as we are able to broadcast to them. From now on, new coverage is a partnership".

I am going to use the London bombings for the angle of my essay. Through focusing the on the advantages and disadvantages of citizen journalism and focusing on the ethical side, I will hopefully be able to decide whether citizens journalists are a help or a hazard to culture of journalism.

Week 8 - Tute Task and TuteSpark

What is Cyberfunk????


Cyberfunk is a form of science fiction. It is based on the innerspace; what is happening now and portrays how the world may end up through the combination of human nature and technology and how the relationship between the two will come to be represented.


The term 'cyberfunk' was coined from the novel Cyberfunk written by Bruce Bethke in 1982. The term cyber was derived from the term cybernetics. Cybernetics is a control theory, the study of, for example, the interaction between human and machine.


Fashion of the Future: Is That Your Dress Ringing?

London Designers Create Cell Phone Dress and Other High-Tech High-Fashion Hybrids

Fashionistas of the future might be as practical as they are posh.

If fashion designers at the London-basedCuteCircuit have their way, a dress that doubles as a cell phone will hit the market next year.

The M-dress, which is CuteCircuit's latest high-tech, high-fashion hybrid, lets the wearer take calls by just lifting her wrist to her ear. The SIM card plugs into the label and the antenna is sewn into the dress' hem.

Francesca Rosella, who co-founded Cute Circuit with Ryan Genz, said the concept stemmed from her own experience.

"How many times when I have my mobile phone in my purse I can't reach it in time to answer the call?" she asked. "We thought, 'Why don't we just make a dress that is a mobile phone?'"

When the dress rings, she said, you just lift up your hand toward your ear. A sensor detects the motion and answers the call. When you're done with the call, you just lower your hand and the connection closes.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/fashion-future-dress-ringing/story?id=11448779


http://www.kheper.net/topics/cyberpunk/what_is_cyberpunk.htmhttp://www.cyberpunkreview.com/what-is-cyberpunk/http://www.hatii.arts.gla.ac.uk/MultimediaStudentProjects/00-01/0003637k/project/html/condef.htm

Week 7 - Lecture

My week using Mozilla Firefox

Mozilla Firefox - Created by thousands of people around the world working together to build a better Internet.

I spent the last week using Firefox to access the internet on my laptop. Luckily, my laptop already had Firefox downloaded so it was ready to use. At first, it was just hard getting out of the habit of clicking internet explorer when accessing the net. I found Firefox to be a user-friendly. I use a wireless system at home and I found Firefox would load much faster than explorer and at times when access was denied to the net through explorer, Firefox would still upload. The layout of Mozilla is simplistic which makes it easier to use. One other beneficial aspect to Firefox was the fact that it saved the last website you were on, which is really good when you need to come back to a site.

Mozilla Firefox was an experimental branch of the Mozilla project created by Dave Hyatt and Blake Ross. The first release of Firefox, Firefox 1.0 was released on November 9, 2004. This was following by Firebox 1.5 later released in November 29 2005. Version 2.0 released on October 24 2006, Firebox 3.0 on June 17 2008. Version 3.5 was released and June 30, 2009 and the Version 3.6 (which we have today) was released on January 21, 2010.

While researching the differences between using Mozilla Firefox and the ever-so-popular Internet Explorer I found a website (http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-reasons-why-firefox-is-safer-than-internet-explorer/) which outlined a few reasons as to why Mozilla is a safer program to use. Updates on Mozilla are releases immediately, not on a monthly schedule, and clock in at fewer than 10 MB. Users are notified automatically and prompted to install the update with a single click. The update process doesn’t take more than a minute on a modern computer. Since Firefox is open source, anyone can look at the source code, anyone can spot a problem and contribute a fix.

If you are interested in other ways that Firefox is a safer alternative, the website attached outlines numerous reasons.

WEEK 7

1. What is creative commons and how could this licensing framework be relevant to your own experience at university?

Launched in 2003, Creative Commons is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of reasonable copyright. It does this by making licenses and tools freely available to share, reuses, repurpose and remix. Creative Commons does not mean that a person is giving up their rights to the license, it just allows a more liberal use of the material. Creative commons is not an alternative to copyright it works alongside copyright.

A Creative Commons license allows a user to choose how others use their work. By using a Creative Commons license a user keeps their copyright but it allows others to copy and distribute your work provided the user gives credit and uses the material on the conditions the user specifies. For online work you can select a license that generate “Some Rights Reserve” or a “No Rights Reserved” button and statement for your published work.

http://creativecommons.org.au/content/whatiscc1.pdf

http://wiki.creativecommons.org/images/6/62/Creativecommons-informational-flyer_eng.pdf

2. Find 3 examples of works created by creative commons and embed them in your blog.

Film "Big Buck Bunny", was one of a short computer animated film that both the final product and production data, including animation data, characters and textures are released under the Creative common Attribution License.

Blogger.com – this website that I am currently writing on exists because of Creative Common Licenses.

Photo sharing social media site Flickr encourages the use of the Creative Commons licensing framework. The work a user uploads onto Flickr is listed under a catergory of which the user decideds. The catergories are as follows:

Attribution means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work - and derivative works based upon it - but only if they give you credit.

Noncommercial means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work - and derivative works based upon it - but for noncommercial purposes only.

No Derivative Works means:
You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.

Share Alike means:
You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/

3. Find an academic article which discusses creative commons using a database or online journal. Provide a link to and a summary of the article.

http://proquest.umi.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/pqdweb?index=2&did=1878390111&SrchMode=1&sid=7&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=
309&VName=PQD&TS=1283836310&clientId=13713

4. Have a look at Portable Apps (a pc based application) – provide a brief description of what it is and how you think this is useful.

A portable app is a computer software program that can be accessed and run independently without the use and support of a pre-installed file or program. Portable apps are commonly used by removable devices ie. USB, floppy disk, CD. Portable apps can be used on any computer of which it is compatible.

I personal think portable apps are one of the best things ever invented. I even have a USB on my key ring as I depend on mine so regularly. Working between the home computer, my laptop, work computer and university computers and I am constantly saving and moving my assignments. I love the fact that I don't have to worry that it won't be compatible or I won't be able to access my documents.

WEEK 6

In this week's lecture we discussed the evolution of Web.2.0. During this discussion the question arose of who owns the content you put on the internet. Personally I have never thought about it before and to be perfectly honest I never really cared. My entire life is plastered on Facebook. My page is saturated with photos, events, comments and discussions for the world to see. Even though my page is set to private, after diving into the concept of privacy on the internet I have quickly learnt that my information really isn't that private.

In 2009 online suspicion arose when Facebook updated its terms and deleted a provision which stated that “users could remove their content at any time at which time the license would expire”. It also added a new section that explained that Facebook would retain user's content and licenses after an account was terminated. The change to the terms went unnoticed until a blog columnist shone light on the changes and interpreted them to mean “anything you upload to Facebook can be used by Facebook in any way they deem fit, forever, no matter what you do later.”

As you can imagine this post attracted a great deal of attention, being as Facebook is widely used by millions around the world. It drew the question of who actually owns the information a person uploads on these social-networking websites. Even when Mark Zuckerberg released on his blog “that people own their information and control who they share it with has remained constant” it still makes you wonder who can access your information.

The Terms of Service of Facebook state:-

You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.

So basically, anything you upload, write, comment or now even delete is the property of Facebook. So basically my entire existence is owned by the Mulit-million dollar corporation - GREAT (insert sarcasim here)!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/technology/internet/17facebook.html

http://www.facebook.com/policy.php


Who has the right to use your creations?

Week 4 - Big Screen to Small Screen

Where and when did usable online video start? (provide some refs. and an example if possible)

This question caused some difficulty in answering correctly as the term usable can vary. On the website dembot.com by Andrew Baron, a Decade in the History of Online Video, Baron states that there were online videos on the internet before a feasible audience was there to receive them. Online videos were really born during the 2004 US election when audiences were becoming equipped with a faster dial-up system accessible means to receive the receive the online videos.

While this was the first instance where online videos could be accessed by the mass population, those that new where and how to find online videos and were equipped with the adequate programs could access online videos years before the rest of us.

http://dembot.com/post/310798115/a-decade-in-history-of-online-video

In the lecture we heard about technological innovations that were used by the studios to lure audiences. (mostly to combat the popularity of TV)
What recent innovations are being used to lure us to the movies? What are they luring us from?

Going to the movies used to be classified as a big night out. It was used for first dates, for catch up with friends, for entertaining kids on those long school holidays. However with the introduction of movies online, pay tv and the ever-so-popular pirated DVDs from Bali or Thailand, the movies are copping a thrashing. However, the movie theatre is coming back. The recent introduction of 3D movies, Imax, Gold Class and loyalty cards, people are still coming back to the movies. People are encouraged to see the film at the theatre to gain the full experience of the movie and the special effects.

Are short films still being made? Why? Who pays for them to be made?

The enthusiasim towards the Tropfest Short Film Festivals proves that the short film culture is still alive. Tropfest was founded by award-winning actor/director John Polson in 1993. Tropfest is renowned as being a stepping stone for aspiring short film directors to get their work noticed.

The term viral is thrown about adhoc but what does it mean in film/movie arena? Give some examples.

The term 'viral' is something the moves quickly with a exponential growth rate. Whether is be a video clip, a picture, a computer virus, it moves quickly through the internet. Viral marketing is a popular tool. Using pre-existing networks to market a product,

Online video distribution isn't limited to the short film format. We are now starting to see television styled shows made solely for internet release (webisodes). Find an example of this style of content and discuss how viewing television content in this way can positively and negatively affect the viewer's experience.

Webisodes, like all things, have their positives and their negatives. The positive side to webisodes is the convenience, the when-ever-where-ever factor. You can pause, fast forward, rewind and record and you are not bombarded with long-winded commercial breaks. On the negative side however, the fact that websidoes exist merely on the low budget the quality is disadvantaged from that if you were to watch a television episode. One example I found of a webisode was Man in the Box.

Week 5 - Culture Jamming

Culture Jamming is defined as an "organised social activist effort that aims to counter the bombardment of consumption, oriented messages in the mass media" (Cardillc, 2006, p116). Culture Jamming is an act of social and political activism; it is the manipulation and fabrication of mainstream institutions.

Culture Jamming is said to have been coined in 1984 by Negativland, a performance/activist group (Cardillc, 2006). Culture Jammers want to evoke reaction through behavioural and political change. They strive to achieve social change by achieving reaction. This is done by corporate sabotage, media hoaxing, trademark infringement and billboard liberation (Cardillc, 2006).

Memes are the basic tool that is used for culture jammers to transmit their message. A meme is a cultural idea, symbol or practice which is transmitted through writing, speech, gestures and rituals (Harold, 2004). Effective jamming is the use of an easily recognisable and already establishing meme, manipulating it and making society view it in a different manner.

One very memorable and historically recognisable instance of culture jamming is Orson Welle’s “War of the Worlds”.

Reference List

Carducci, V 2006 "Culture Jamming - A Sociological Perpective" New School for Social Research, vol 6(1), pp. 116 -138, viewed 23 August 2010, http://joc.sagepub.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/content/6/1/116.full.pdf+html

Harold, C 2004 'Pranking rhetoric "Culture Jamming" as Media activism' Critical Studies in Media Communication, vol 23, no3, pp. 189-211, viewed 23 August 2010, http://www.informaworld.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/smpp/section?content=a713696057&fulltext=713240928

Week 5 - Ireport.

This week in New Communications Technologies we have been introduced to the world of 'Culture Jamming'. We have been instructed that as a group, inject a fabricated story into the world of the mass media and see how far our story can go.

We are begining with producing a fabricated article using quotes taken from other already produced new stories. We will follow this up by producing a mash-up video clip to be uploaded with the article.

This will be followed by a Facebook Group opposing the article. We will suggest others to join the facebook group and hopefully we will gain quite a few followers and gain some media attention.

Week 3 - Non-Electronic Commmunication Devices

digital: electronics responding to discrete values of input voltage and producing discrete output voltage levels as in logic circuit

analogue: a description of a continuously variable signal or a circuit or device designed to handle such signals.

communication: exchange of information, thoughts, messages by speech, signals, symbols, writing or behaviour representation.

electronic: of, concerned with, using or operated by devices which electrons are conducted through a semi conducter, free space of gas


3 non-electronic digital devices:-

Typewriter

The typewriter was first introduced in 1870 and was an undispensable tool until the incorporation of the word processor. This device uses a set of keys, which when pressed transcribes the character onto the paper.

Smoke Signals

Smoke signals are one of the earliest forms of communication. They are basically a visual telegraph. Native Americans use smoke signals as a means of communication to portray messages while they are away from their families. The common communication message portrayed from smoke signals is that of distress and the need for help.

http://www.ehow.com/way_5681743_smoke-signals-method-communication.html

Morse Code

Morse code is the transmission of information using clicks, on-off tones and lights that is heard and understood by someone who specialises in understanding Morse Code. Each letter has an individual squence of dots and dashes. Before electronic communication, morse code was used by many ships to communicate with eachother their location.

WEEK 4 - SHORT FILMS

Short Film - Kiwi

Pixar has managed to do it again; creating another successful animated short film. Kiwi, appears to one of the more simple short films created by Pixar however is just as effective. This short film captivates the Kiwi, a flight-less bird trying to fly and the determination this bird has to reach the goal.

Short Film - Mankind Is No Island



I loved this short film. Mankind Is No Island was shot completely on a mobile phone. The film was based on the photos and footage shot on the streets of New York and Sydney. The director used pictures of words to tell a story. This concept, combined with effective music established a very effective movie and portrayed the message that the director was trying to. The director was capturing the less fortunate in both cities and portrayed that even though the two cities were half a world away from each other the characteristics were very alike. This short film won the 2008 Tropfest Short Film Competition. I think this movie was effective because it was such an emotionally charged clip, but displayed in such a simple way.

Short Film - Marry Me



The short film Marry Me, was entered in the Tropfest Short Film Competition. Marry Me is the timeless tail of girl liking boy, boy liking his toys and girl feeling rejected. This short film is a simple but effective piece. The film appears as if it would be have cost effective in production. It appears as if it was shot in the same location, with one video camera. Though the piece portrayed the intended story effectively, I personally found the movie to be a little dull and was dragged on. The same story could have been portrayed in a much shorter timeframe and still would be been successful.

WEEK 3 - TREASURE HUNT

"Just Google it". This phrase would have to be one of the most common that comes from my mouth and after participating in this Treasure Hunt I have come to the realisation that Google is my very best friend. I have taken Google for granted all these years and have never truly appreciated how much it does for me, and how much easier is makes my life! Let us all hope that we will never live in a world without Google!


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

The world's biggest machine is the Large Hadron Collider. It weights 38,000 tones and costs UK34 million per year.

http://www.neatorama.com/2008/09/12/10-things-about-the-large-hadron-collider-you-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask/

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/40463_worlds-largest-machines-ever-built

2. What is the quickest and most reliable way to contact Ozzy Osbourne?

The quickest and most reliable way to contact Ozzy Osbourne is via Fan Mail.

http://www.contactvip.com/?c=ozzy%20osbourne%20contact&gclid=CLmtqpiztaMCFRe5bwodSAhSaw

3. When and what was the first example of global digital communication?

The first example of global digital communication was the Line telegraphy in 1837.

http://vig.pearsoned.co.uk/catalog/uploads/Glover_Digital%20Comms_C01%20reduced%20file%20size.pdf

4. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?

We the constant battle between the airlines for the cheapest rate, the cheapest way to travel is by plane, however the cheapest airline changes week to week. I found the following link through bing.com which searches the net and airline companies for you and finds the cheapest flights available to you on your selected day of travel.

http://www.cheapflights.com.au/

5. Who is Hatsune Miku? What company does she belong to? What is her birthday?

Hatsune Miku is the virtual idol for the company Volcaloid. Her birthday is 31 August.

http://gendou.com/t/24363

6. Find a live webcam in Antarctica.

On the Australian Government Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts website (I accessed through Bling), the Australian Antarctic Division has several links to webcams in Antarctica. Below is a link to the webcam at Mawson Station.

http://www.antarctica.gov.au/webcams/mawson

Find a place to stay in Antarctica.

There are several accommodation options in Antarctica either aboard ship or on land. Attached in the web address for an accommodation website.

http://www.addictedtotravel.com/accommodation/default.aspx?regionid=12

7. What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1980?

Call Me by Blondie hit the top of the Australian Pop Charts in 1980.

http://www.famousinterview.ca/top_40.htm#1980

8. How would you define the term 'nano technology'? In your own words, what does it really mean?

Nanotechnology is the engineering of functional systems at the molecular scale. It is a manufacturing process which requires refined equipment because of its size.

http://www.crnano.org/whatis.htm

9. What type of camera is used to make ‘Google Street View’?

The camera used for the Google Street View (aka one of the biggest time-wasters I have found, ask my boss) is called the Immersive Media Camera. This is a picture of the camera:-

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/office-voyeurism/the-google-maps-street-view-camera-264972.php

10. Translate these questions into Klingon.

Now, you might think I have been living under a rock my entire life, but I honestly had no idea what Klingon was. I honestly thought it was a made up word. However, after some in depth research I realised it was the language spoken in Star Trek (now I understand why I had no idea what it was). Below is a link I found to translate English in Klingon. I found this site by using bing.com.

http://forums.startrekonline.com/showthread.php?t=9025

However, to actually use the translator you need to become a member. I'm not exactly a sci-fi fan, but if you are please use the link to the translator.

Week 2 - So Far From Home

Week 1 - Introduction to New Communication Technologies

Week 1 of Semester 2 started out similar to Week 1 of Semester 1; confusion, a disability with time management and expectations and revelations about the courses I enrolled myself in.

Lecture 1 for New Communications Technologies marked the beginning of Semester 2 for me. During the lecture we were instructed that we needed to begin a blog. Now, you wouldn't exactly call me a computer professional; I am more the learn-the-need-to-know-skills about computers; however as I write this I have successfully begun drafting my first ever blog. The first challenge for our first commencing Tute Spark was to create our own blog site and email the information off. I can safely say this task is now complete.

I am studying New Communications, however how can we distinguish the difference of what defines new and old communications. We live in a society where technology is forever evolving. The constant advancements in technology in turn effect the most efficient and valuable way in which society communicates. Ten years ago social networking was nothing more than an idea, now social networking is the way in which the 21st century communicates. Families would have to wait weeks to receive a letter from their children traveling the world, however through advancements in technology we can now have access to programs that allow us to see people on the other side of the world.

New communications become old when a new device is created and designed in a more efficient way and provides the same outcome. Thus, every new communication will eventually become identified as an old communication.