Final Exam Part 2- Something Weird and Unexpected: My Life With Media

Media is something I have always looked at rather negatively, but in many ways that has changed, but in more ways it hasn't. Although majority of that negativity comes from my anger toward newer technology and how the media supports it, but that is a whole other blog in itself. Now, to the subject at hand: My life with media.

                                          This is me as Jekyll/Hyde in The Musical Jekyll & Hyde

                                                   Image taken by: Becky Forand 

When given the task to look into my everyday life from an arial point of view, in order to observed the media I interact with, it was rather eye-opening. I don't think many people even realize how often during a day or even a week we interact with media, it's rather amazing, but at the same time rather sad.

Majority of people start from the beginning, well, that's not me. I start in the middle. Most of my morning activities are boring and, well, uninteresting so allow me to fast forward to about two or three in the afternoon, where I sit in Perry Barn. I sit in the black swivel chair, my eyes red from starring at the large computer screen, trying to complete some sort of assignment that is due the next day. As I do this I have next to me my own computer with my itunes open playing "My Homework Playlist." It is rare that I actually pay attention to what is playing, but whenever a certain song comes on I can't help tapping my foot or even bring out my air-banjo, the song I speak of is The Cave, by Mumford and Sons. The very stop-like rhythm is impossible to ignore, and in fact is energetic and helps me. "Music should never be harmless." (Media and Culture, 80)

Now, usually, depending on my mood I listen to my homework playlist, but if for some reason I'm just not feeling any of my music, I always check out Pandora radio. I've actually come to love Pandora, after talking about it a few times in my blog it has really become a big staple when I want to listen to something fresh and new. "Radio affects most people intimately, person-to-person, offering a would of unspoken communication between writer-speaker and listener. That is the immediate aspect of radio. A private experience." (Media and Culture, 126) Recently, I have been using Pandora as a gateway to Christmas music because I don't have any on my itunes. I even use Pandora when I'm not doing homework, more often than my itunes, just because there is more variety and surprise when it comes to Pandora, I think that's why I enjoy it. 

Frank Sinatra is the man!




After a few good hours lock inside the barn it is always nice to come back to the dorm and just do absolutely nothing except watch some good ol' television, now don't get excited I don't actually turn my T.V or anything. I simply opening my laptop and type in the beautiful word, many know as: Netflix. I have to say that Netflix changed my life in many ways, good and bad, since I have been at school. The bad being I spend all my spare time in front of my computer. The good being I get to watch awesome television shows and movie at the click of a mouse. Who wouldn't want that? "When you have an event that transcends popular culture, the only place you can aggregate these audiences is network television." (Media and Culture, 171)

                                              Image courtesy from: www.ripten.com




Now, normally, if I were to watch a movie I would go to Netflix, but recently I have not done so. I have looked elsewhere, which of course usually means the content is illegal, but we won't get into that. The main thing is, The Social Network was one hell of a movie. I say that in a positive manner of course. I just didn't see anything not to like about the movie, it was well written, well directer, and well acted. The story was great and suspenseful and had curves in unexpected ways. It made the creation of facebook interesting and enjoyable, it wasn't just a geek sitting in his room writing program trying to find a way to make friends without really meeting anyone. It was much, much more than that and I think it is something to admire. "The movie is not only a supreme expression of mechanism, but paradoxically it offers as product the most magical of consumer commodities, namely dreams." (Media and Culture, 213)

                                              Image courtesy from: soshable.com



Usually, after I watch a T.V show or movie I always check out my facebook and play around with that for a while and eventually in some way or another I walk my way over onto youtube and, well, I sit and watch videos. My recently love as been all the videos of Inside the Actors Studio with James Lipton. Aside from that I usually just pounce around random video after random video and then every once in great while something amazing happens. At this particular time I was with three good friend of mine two by the names of Taylor Silvestri and Megan Rottman, the other by the name of Jessie Adubato. We just so happen to stumble upon on one of the greatest things on this earth: The Many Adventures Of Winnie the Pooh. Yes, four very studious and smart college students sat down together Saturday night and watched Winnie the Pooh. And it was awesome, nostalgic, and an all around good time. That, my friends, is the power of the internet. "When search first started, if you searched for something and found it, it was a miracle. Now, if you don't get exactly what you want in the first three results, something is wrong." (Media and Culture, 51)




Being at school and doing work majority of the time it is hard to find a moment in your spare time where you actually want to read. I mean, we students do so much reading why on God's earth would we want to read more when we don't have to? This has been a dilemma of mine since I came to Champlain and I'm sure it has happened to everyone, but I constantly try and force myself to read for enjoyment. For the past sixth months I have been in the process of reading this one book called "The Magicians" written by Lev Grossman. From what I have read it is a well-written and interesting story, it is said to be "Harry Potter for grown ups," which intrigued me to read it in the first place, but I have this other problem. I keep buying books I want to read, its actually come to the point where I refuse to walk into a bookstore just for the soul fact that I'll buy another book that I won't have time to read until I graduate. I do have to say, that in the summer my movie and television obsessions get lowered due to the fact that summer the one time of the year I can read book after book. "A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever." (Media and Culture, 318)

                       The three newest books to my collection. Image courtesy: goodreads.com, bookpage.com, aidanmoher.com 





Like the whole book situation, magazines and newspapers are rarely looked at in my life. I understand the importance of newspapers and I respect them, but I just can't seem to find the part inside me that enjoys reading bad news. It just doesn't sit well in my stomach. Magazines are, in fact, a different story, but I still rarely read. The last magazine I read was Rolling Stone's October 14th issue, where Matt Taibbi torn the Tea Party a new one. "Beauty can't amuse you, but brainwork- reading, writing, thinking- can." (Media & Culture, 283)

                                               Image courtesy justjared.buzznet.com



"There seems to be a fear that video games are somehow nudging out other art forms, and that we're encouraging a generation of screen-glazed androids with no social skills, poetical sensitivity or entrepreneurial ambition."(Media and Culture, 40) Now, like I said majority of the time I watch television or movies after a hard days work. I guess it all depends on my mood that night because sometimes I'll whip out The Sims 3 for my computer, and I'll go to town on that for a few good hours which ends up only feeling like ten minutes. It's that type of game. It sucks you right in and hours go bye and you have no idea until finally you peel your bloodshot eyes away from the screen and realize it's four in the morning and you have class at nine. And that is exactly the moment I close the gigantic portal of multimedia access and finally go to bed and do it all over again.

And here we are, at the close and I must say, it's been fun. The day has come to an end and yet time still moves forward. So, I guess there really isn't a definitive ending to anything is there? When one thing is ending another is starting, I guess that's beauty of it. Well, like Tigger says, "T.T.F.N! Ta-ta for now!"

Final Exam Part I: Super Sexy Champlain in 60 Seconds

A. What specific contributions did YOU make to your team's production of your video?
     I wrote the script, acted, and directed the piece. As well as coming up with times and places the group could get together and work on the project. I was pretty much the project leader. 


B. What grade do you feel YOU earned for your work and participation in your team's video?
     A-A+

C. What was the hardest aspect of making your video?
     Getting everyone to show up and film the project. 

D. Other than finishing the VIDEO, what was the most rewarding aspect of making your video?
     I would have to sat the most rewarding aspect would've had to been actually getting together and filming the video. Once we got started we were able to have some fun. 

Tea + Party= Bullshit (Meditation 4)

Image from http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/210904


"A loose definition of the Tea Party might be millions of pissed-off white people sent chasing after Mexicans on Medicaid by the banks that advertise on Fox and CNBC."

Over past few months I have been hearing a ton about the whole "Tea Party" issue and what it sounds like to me is a bunch of ignorant people getting together and making inaccurate statements about political topics, and blaming all their issues on the government. Now, I could be completely wrong in that statement, but this is the type of "reality" Matt Taibbi creates in his article "The Truth About The Tea Party", in the October 14th issue of Rolling Stone.

While reading the article you can almost feel how angry and annoyed Matt Taibbi is and I don't blame him. I mean, the people he talks to within the article are extremely contradictory. An example of this would be about three pages in when Taibbi refers to a conversation he had with an elderly couple it went like this:

""I'm anti-spending and anti-government," crows David as scooter-bound Janice looks on. "The welfare state is out of control."

"OK," I say. "And what do you do for a living?"

"Me?" he says proudly. "Oh, I'm a property appraiser. Have been my whole life."

I frown. "Are either of you on Medicare?"

Silence: Then Janice, a nice enough woman, it seems, slowly raises her hand offering a faint smile, as if to say, You got me!

"Let me get this straight," I say to David. "You've been picking up a check from the government for decades, as a tax assessor, and your wife is on Medicare. How can you complain about the welfare state?"

"Well," he says, "there's a lot of people on welfare who don't deserve it. Too many people living off the government."

"But, " I protest, "you live off the government. And have been your whole life!"

"Yeah," he says, "but I don't make very much.""

You get the idea. As I kept reading it suddenly became clear to me that I was only getting one side of this argument, Taibbi's. Which is fine, it's just I would like hear both sides of the story. I mean, Taibbi's all about stacking the cards the way he wants them so the Tea Party followers are the ones that look like complete incompetent idiots. "...They are all furious at the implication that race is a factor in their political views - despite the fact that they blame the financial crisis on poor black homeowners...."

Its amazing to me how subjective this article is. Taibbi just says how he feels, whether that means completely insulting these people or not. He obviously feels that they are all idiots, he certainly loves calling them names and insulting them harshly, my favorite example is at the beginning of page four, "...they're shockingly willing to believe that appalling horseshit fantasy about how white people in the age of Obama are some kind of oppressed minority. That my not be racism, but it is incredibly, earth-shatteringly stupid. "

Here is a very "subjective" youtube video about the Tea Party:

Image taken from examiner.com

This video really sums up everything the Tea Party followers believe, at least the uneducated followers. Now, when I say uneducated I don't mean that they are completely uneducated people, they are just not educated in this subject. Which, is why they are the perfect prey for news and media. But, the truth is they could find people to look stupid anywhere. Tea Party followers could do the same thing to us because believe it or not there are Republican and Democratic party followers who know less about the world and government than these people do. We, as people, tend to make the mistake of believing everything we hear, even if it is from an unreliable source, which then forms crazy party followers, who don't truly understand anything and then somehow come to the conclusion that the president is the new Hitler and, or, the Anti-Christ.

So, how do you fix this? I am not really sure, I guess it's unfixable, there will always be people who will talk without really knowing anything.

Magazine Analysis: Rolling Stone

Image taken from foliomag.com

Thesis:

Rolling Stone is a multimedia magazine that basis its content about music, movies, politics, and culture. It began in 1967 by Jann Wenner, who is still the editor.

Five Facts:

Rolling Stone features an article about "The Truth About The Tea Party"

Triune Brain:

Limbic: Rolling Stone has advertisement on, if not, every other page. They use pictures in their political cartoons, which make us laugh.

Neocortex: The magazine is in print and the articles are often about interesting political subjects that require you to use your neocortex.

8 Trends:

Epistemological Shift: Rolling Stone sometimes places images next to their articles making there a constant shift from word to image.

Technological Shift: The magazine is in print, but can also be found online.

Aesthetic Shift: Rolling Stone has its own website, twitter, facebook, and blogger making it a convergent media.

Discursive Shift: Rolling Stone is a subjective magazine, they are not afraid announce their own opinions.

7 Principles:

Production Techniques: The words used, images, cartoons, topics and videos (at their web site).



Own Meaning: They encourage readers to create their own meaning about the topics they discuss.

Emotional Transfer: Their is and emotional transfer with some of the politic topics talked about, such as the Tea Party.

29 Persuasive Techniques:

Humor: used often in cartoons or advertisement.

Beautiful People: Beautiful people are easy to find in the advertisement, but in some cases they have beautiful people in their article pictures as well.

Symbols: In the pictures/cartoons.

The Shark Vs. The Jewels (Meditation 3)

Image taken from fluid.pbworks.com & mawdizzle.com

As I sit here trying to find a way to being this blog, I listen to a plethora of James Taylor songs. I am not listening to them on my Ipod, but on an online website called Grooveshark. Grooveshark is an online music search engine, the "Google of music." Grooveshark allows users to search, stream, and upload music for free, which then can be played immediately or added to a playlist.

I have been toying around with Grooveshark for a few days, but I have occasionally switched to give its opponent, Pandora, a shot. Pandora is an automated music recommendation and Internet radio service created by the Music Genome Project. Users enter a song or artist that they enjoy, and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. Now, I have continually thought about which service is better and I have come up with an answer: It's neither.

Allow me to explain.

Yes, Grooveshark is easier to use and yes, the music is consistent. With Grooveshark you don't have to worry about hearing music you don't like, you can just listen to what you want, for as long as you want with no interruption. This is where Pandora hits its biggest flaw, there is advertisement every two or three songs. But, maybe this is because its the radio? Of course thats why! Pandora is an internet radio service, and just like any other radio station there are going to be commercials and advertisement. We seem to think just because Pandora and Grooveshark both play music that they are the same thing, when in reality they are not at all.

Grooveshark is a site designed for the user to do all the work and come up with their own playlist of songs they want to hear. While, Pandora is actually doing some work by trying to match and figure out which type of music you like to listen to. I understand why people do not like Pandora, but at least give it credit. I, for one, enjoy Grooveshark a lot more, but I think thats only because I do not necessarily like radio. I have nothing personally against Pandora, I actually think its a very interesting and creative idea. I just feel that this "feud" between Pandora and Grooveshark needs to end because in reality there really is no need for it.

Take a look at this very limbic James Taylor song,

and be sure to take in the beautiful pictures as well.

Halfway Home: A Midterm Reflection

image taken from wvs.topleftpixel.com

1. After studying 21st century media for eight week in this class, what have you learned?

So far I've learned quite a lot about media in general, like the fact that Google is indeed trying to take over the word. On top of this, I've also learned how to use the power tools, in which I can analyze media. Although, I feel the most important thing I've learned is how to blog. Blogging is a useful skill in today's rising technological world, and being able to have this skill is beneficial.

2. What is the most important thing you have learned about yourself as a critical reader, a writer, and a thinker in this class so far?

I truly enjoy analyzing media. I enjoy knowing how media is trying to persuade me and I find it very interesting. Along with this, I feel like my online writing skills have improved and my writing has, in a way, become free. I am no longer constricted by what the teacher wants me to say, I can now say what I want to say.

3. What's one thing you would do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?

I would probably take your advise and tape the power tools to m eyelids. I have trouble remembering the seven principles.

4. What's one thing you would like me (Dr. W) to do differently this first half of the semester if you were to take this class again?

To be honest, I wouldn't change anything. I feel that everything we have done and discussed has been extremely beneficial.

5. Please comment on the usefulness of the power tools, our course blog, your personal blog, our in-class quizzes, our films, and our book as a learning tool.

Everything that we do is useful, the quizzes help make the power tools stick, the blogs are fun, but useful for the class. The films are interesting and even the book isn't so bad.

Here is a very interesting music video we watch in class:

Camp Champ Radio Spot: The Awesome Squad of Super Sexy Radio Voices

The Awesome Squad of Super Sexy Radio Voices

The Super Sexy Team Members:

Cameron Torres
Skyler Veselis
Jeffery MacLean
Alex Joch


Our Champ Camp Radio Spot:




The Super Sexy Script

Skyler- Are you tired of going to a boring school? Tired of being look down upon because you are not down with media? Well, my fellow students we are in a new age of digital media and without proper education we will be lost in this tidal wave of information.

Jeff- When most people think of Vermont they think of hippies, but that’s all UVM’s students. At Champlain College no one does drugs. This is why Champlain College is the school for you! Champlain is the best thing since the internet! If you come to Champlain College you could become a millionaire someday.

Alex (Performed by Cameron)- Besides, Champlain College is the place to be, at Champlain College you will meet the coolest people ever. Other colleges cannot compete. Champlain College is where all the cool kids go, and you want to be a cool kid right? UVM may drive a hard bargain, but Champlain College is focused on getting YOU an education.

Cameron- Sign up now and get your choice of our diverse and personalized dormitories! The solution is simple, come to Champlain College where education is easy and fun! Let Us Dare!