Week 5, Task 1

Because the protagonist of “Rubber” is the car tire Robert  the introduction to our protagonist is a rather strange one, but in other ways very traditional.

One of the most important tasks to set up the first act of a movie is to familiarize the viewer with the protagonist, make him sympathetic towards the audience and explain why he, she or it begins the journey that comprises the plot of the movie. Now in “Rubber”, how do you make a mass-murdering car tire sympathetic? How do you even introduce people to a lifeless object and explain its motivations?

Simple; show how poor Robert, clearly animated has to watch helplessly as his friends and family are slaughtered by man via the use of fire. A traumatic experience for little Robert, who now rolls lonely away into the desert. The reason for the journey is stated; Robert has lost everything and must find a new home. However for those viewers who don’t get their eyes wet from those pictures we get a scene where Robert, seemingly happy  races through the wilderness to joyous music. But soon anger returns to him, after killing a few animals Robert encounters his true enemy: man. A desire for revenge awakens within him, the journey has its true propose  

Week 5 Scavenger Hunt

1) While there is some controversy what exactly can be counted as a university, Takshashila, an ancient town in Pakistan and former capital of the Buddhist Kingdom Gandhara hosted a candidate for the title "world's oldest university" that existed as early as 700 BC, students were admitted at the age of 16 and were able to study things like mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, grammar, physics and more, before graduating as scholars that were sought after in the whole of India. The university developed a early version of Pythagoras' theorem and even the theory of gravity! After numerous invasion the city and with it the university perished in the 7th century AD.

They even had a course for literature. And had all their work stolen by the Ancient Greeks.

http://www.hitxp.com/articles/history/takshashila-taxila-oldest-university/
http://www.indiaoz.com.au/hinduism/articles/amazing_science_3.shtml
http://varnam.nationalinterest.in/2010/05/takshashila-the-lighthouse-of-a-civilization/

2)  Stephen Stockwell was member of a band called "The Black Assassins", a Brisbane based active in the late 1970s/1980s. Stephen played the keyboard, but also sang, just like the other three members of the group. They frequently got into trouble because of their "outrageous" behavior. Their songs included such positive and optimistic titles like "Somebody's Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight", "Fuck Me, Fuck My Dog", and "Drugs"

And they dressed horribly and apparently did not like to shower regularly (for a punk band they looked suspiciously like hobos):

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~toxicoh/blackas.htm

The Ramones were much cooler:

3) The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest machine with a length of 27 km, while I was unable to determine its absolute weight, one of its four detectors that operate this thing (the ATLAS detector) weights 7000 tons alone and it comprises about 38,000 more of other equipment, which hopefully at least gives a scale of the overall weight. It cost 7.5 Billion Euros to built and is a wonder of science that allows researchers to simulate cosmic environments and learn more about the universe.

Oh, and some day it tear a hole in reality and kill us all.

http://www.bukisa.com/articles/40463_worlds-largest-machines-ever-builthttp://thesecularity.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=8861
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Large_Hadron_Collider

4) Well apparently Justin Bieber shares his lawyer with another modern "pop-sensation", Lady GaGa. The name of the unfortunate man who frequently has to take up with these two "singers" is named Kenneth Feinswog. it is a bit curious that they have to share, after all Justin's bodyguards and mother all have their own lawyers.
Here is his contact information: 
Feinswog, Kenneth A Attorney At Law

6701 Center Drive W # 610

Los Angeles, CA 90045-1555 map

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA Metro Area
 Phone:(310) 277-8211

 Man, talking 'bout being the devil's attorney...



http://www.zimbio.com/Justin+Bieber/articles/0-b7rziMaAT/Justin+Bieber+mother+hires+lawyerhttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5770032/justin_bieber_and_lady_gaga_in_bed.html
http://www.manta.com/c/mms3lh1/kenneth-a-feinswog-attorney

5) Logic dictates that flying is the cheapest way to get from Gold Coast to Melbourne, looking around I found a very cheap flight with "Tiger Airways" for sensational Aus$59.99! Departing from gold Coast and arriving in Melbourne-Tullamarine  Of course I have never heard of Tiger Airways, so it might not be the best airline around

But it beats walking, as that would take ages and eat up heaps of money for (dirty, uncomfortable) accommodation in (dirty, uncomfortable) hostels  and food.

Unless you want to eat bush tucker...

(The larva of the Goliath Beetle: High in proteins and still easier on the eyes and ears than Justin Bieber and/or Lady GaGa) 

http://www.tigerairways.com/au/en/real_deals.php?ysmwa=2r_9RhPdFtJXkXGVapZPvCwZS8fGWx-ISt4y8j9BDexzda--3kX5EIEQORs1ZbdL

6) Hatsune Miko is a Vocaloid (singing computer) and 3D animation created (and sometimes also employed by) by the Yamaha Corporation in Japan. Her birthday is the 31th August 2007, which makes the bubbly, blue-haired computer-idol nearly 4 years old, which means she is totally underage, so stop looking at her like that!!!

 http://www.animevice.com/miku-hatsune/18-20703/

7) a) First of all: as a rule of the thumb: STAY AWAY FROM EASTERN EUROPEAN INTERNET, NOTHING GOOD COMES FROM THERE!

Second of all, here is the link to it in all its post-communism glory:
http://webcam.21.by/
It is a webcam in Minsk, the capital of Belarus looking at a very intriguing looking building and some gently swaying trees. 
Source:  http://www.webcamgalore.com/EN/webcam/Belarus/Minsk/498.html 

b)  There is not really a way to stay on Antarctica itself, unless you are a researcher or a penguin, but you can do numberous 2-week cruises for ONLY US$5000 per person.
This might seem a bit much, but hey PENGUINS!!!!:-)

 

http://iguide.travel/South_Shetland_Islands

http://www.addictedtotravel.com/accommodation/countries/antarctica-accommodation

8) The awesome, if a bit whiny, Bryan Adams song "Everything I Do, I Do It For You" was at the top of the Australian Charts this week in 1991, where it stayed for eleven weeks. This song was part of the soundtrack of one of the most famous Robin Hood movies ever made.

 

9) Apparently it was a unobtrusive, little, black Volkswagen New Beetle. 

Fun Fact: Volkswagen, der is German for "People's Vehicle" 

10) En Enspaniol: 

Translate these questions into Spanish and then translate them back into English
Traduzca estas preguntas en español y entonces tradúzcalos atrás al inglés
Translate these questions in Spanish and then translate them behind to the English

(I Chose European Spain)

Where was the first University established and in which year?

¿Dónde estuvo la primera Universidad establecido y en que año?

Where it was the first University established and in which year?

What is Stephen Stockwell's band called and what does he play?  Can you name a couple of their songs?
¿Qué es llamada la banda de Stephen Stockwell y qué juega él? ¿Puede denominar un par de sus canciones?
What is called the band of Stephen Stockwell and what plays he?  It can call a pair of its songs?

What is the weight of the world’s biggest machine? How much did it cost to build?
¿Qué es el peso de la máquina más grande de mundo? ¿Cuánto costó construir?
What is the weight of the largest machine of world?  How much it cost to build?

Who is Justin Bieber's lawyer, and what is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact the lawyer?
¿Quién es el abogado de Justin Bieber, y qué son la mejor manera (más rápido, más seguro) contactar al abogado?
Who is the lawyer of Justin Bieber, and what they are the best way (faster, surer) to contact the lawyer?

What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Melbourne?
¿Qué es la forma más barata de viaje de la Costa de oro a Melbourne?
What is the cheapest form of trip of the Coast of gold to Melbourne?

Who is Hatsune Miku? What company does she belong to? What is her birthday?
¿Quién es Hatsune Miku? ¿A qué compañía pertenece ella? ¿Qué es sus cumpleaños?
Who is Hatsune Miku?  Why company belongs she?  What is its birthday?

Find a live webcam in Belarus. Find a place to stay in Antarctica.
Encuentre una webcam viva en Bielorrusia. Encuentre que un lugar para permanecer en Antártida.
 Find a webcam alive in Belarus.  Find that a place to remain in Antarctica.

What song was top of the Australian pop charts this week in 1991?
¿Qué canción fue la cima del taponazo australiano traza esta semana en 1991?
What song was the top of the Australian pop outline this week in 1991?

What type of car is used to make ‘Google Street View’?
¿Qué tipo de coche es utilizado para hacer 'Vista de Calle de Google'?
What type of car is utilized to do 'View of Street of Google'?

http://www.freetranslation.com/
Ole!

 

Week 4, Task 2

YouTube has a very interesting policy on content restriction; the way I understand it you can post videos about next to anything on it except advertisement videos for a product and/or service you offer (so no teleshopping channel here?) Posting copyrighted content can get your videos taken down (if the owner wishes to take action and your video is discovered) and (if you are a repeat offender) can get your Channel/Account suspended/taken down. The same happens if you post content with “18+” elements and don’t put an age restriction on the video. YouTube does not take any responsibility on the posted content beyond these means, its Terms of Service flat out state that it takes no responsibility for mental harm caused by viewing content on the site.

Privacy is another thing YouTube seems to have a hands-off approach to; beyond  a few safety videos, the option to banish people from your channel and the option to make videos private and a few (optional) instruction videos aimed mainly at teenagers it does not offer much protection to you, videos can be found using Google (unless you made them private).

Finally, while you retain copyright of your videos, once you post them on YouTube, the service gains world-wide, free publishing rights to your content. So if we rethink the Twitter example, YouTube could  produce advertisements using videos from its users even without getting their admission first.

  

Week 3, Task 2

Bulletin Board Systems 

Buletin Board Systems (BBS) are a computer operating software that allows users to connect their computers and share data between them. Actually these programs were in use long before the age of the internet dawned. The first BBS was created on February 19 1973 by two computer scientists Ward Christensen and Randy Suess and was called the “Computerised Bulletin Board System” (Ballas, J "Bulletin board systems: a nostalgic look back." Computers in Libraries 13.5, 1993). In the beginning these systems were largely used by universities and libraries, but by the late 1970s many private users had appeared. A  BBS worked by a central computer that connected the different members (System Operator/SYSOP) (Spencer, Bruce, “A brief history of the Internet “Aardsma, T L. Inside the Internet8. 8 Aug 2001) and sometimes this SysOp operated the BBS as a hobby and provided his service for free and sometimes charged hios members a fee for access to the BBS.

The 80s and early 90s were the heyday of the BBS culture with an estimated 1,56 million users in 1993 (http://www.livinginternet.com/u/ui_fidonet.htm). From a very basic system with white text on black background BBSes evolved into meeting places with sophisticated graphics (for its time). Early BBS were often a local phenomenon as people used their telephone lines to dial into the internet, later modems made it more widespread. Here people could come together to discuss everything from advanced physics to popular rock music. Only the rise of the internet as we know it today in the mid to late 1990s caused the BBS to decline in popularity, nonetheless it still exists to this day.

References:
Spencer, Bruce, “A brief history of the Internet “Aardsma, T L. Inside the Internet8. 8 Aug 2001

Ballas, J "Bulletin board systems: a nostalgic look back." Computers in Libraries 13.5, 1993
http://www.livinginternet.com/u/ui_fidonet.htm

Week 2, Task 2

I am actually a very recent arrival to the world of modern communication technologies. Only three years ago I did not have Facebook, my own Email address, regular access to the internet or even a mobile phone. The reason for that is the draconian restrictions and utter disregard for privacy imposed and displayed by my father, who did not consider it necessary for a teenager to have access to any of those. However I escaped, I escaped as far away as I could. With the new found freedom in my life I also slowly, one by one, discovered the various possibilities of modern communication technologies. The mobile phone was the first one and the most unsuccessful as I still forget to reload the batter of the "stupid thing" on a very regular basis. However living far away from my sister made it necessary to establish an Email address as well as a Skype account. Finally one and a half years ago a friend of mine more or less ordered me to get a Facebook account. I ghave regretted none of these decisions.
I have to admit I don't feel comfortable with neither Skype nor the various chat programs offered by Facebook or MSN, it simply can't replace the satisfaction provided by social interaction in real life, however Emails are just like letters and I always enjoy to receive, read and answer them. Facebook helps me a lot during the lonely hours in the evenings, it is nice to come home to find a few nice messages by friends or laugh about whatever happened at their homes. I do not have any friends over the internet which I don't know in real life, I am a very social person who needs to be among people regularly and do not believe that an Email friendship counts as social interaction.  What Facebook is also very useful for is planing meet-ups or activities with your friends, my RPG groups would fall apart without that.
About the privacy settings of things like Google and Facebook I could not care less, I have nothing to hide, I am not ashamed of anything I do online or in real life and do not care who reads or collects data about me or who looks at my photos on Facebook. I do not do things that could throw a bad light at me and do honestly not care what complete strangers think about me. The thing I do not do is giving away bank information, which, while it does prevent me from playing MMORPGs, is not required for anything I do on the Web.
Altogether I find the communication technologies very much a blessing, of course you have to know how to use them and always be careful, but it makes interaction with your friends so much easier and more constant.

Week 2 Task 1

a) The Blogs I found are:

http://jcrab.tumblr.com/
http://gabriellamzb.blogspot.com/
http://paige-maree.blogspot.com/
http://blakebirt.blogspot.com/
http://newcommtechmusings.blogspot.com/

b) The video I found is "The Future of Communication" from 2007


A very unsettling  depiction of our future that declares "man is god" (a statement I, as a Christian, find very offensive) It goes on recount how New Media slowly replace Old Media and then gives a vision of the future where virtual life completely replaces real life, in traditional Cyberpunk fashion it even places us under the rule of a single, almighty, worldwide company ( a fusion of Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Second Life, but strangely not Apple) However the horror this depiction causes is quickly dispersed when we look around us and realize that it is 2011 and we still don't have the promised virtual newspapers on plastic paper and books still exist. Let's hope they are wrong with all their depictions.

c) http://againbutslower.com/  is a wonderful website that, without registration or any download simplifies complicated wikipedia sites for you. I as a person who finds it difficult to understand Physics and Mathematics finally get what entropy means, or what a fractal is. However the main purpose of the tool seems to cut out the walls of texts these articles are often laden with.

Tutorial Week 4 Task 1

What kind of video games do I find most engaging and what does this say about me?

Personally I find role playing games (RPGs) most engaging, Japanese ones more so than Western ones because unlike their European and American counterparts which focus more on giving the player the highest possible amount of freedom to interact with the world, JRPGs place more importance on fully fleshed out characters and a theatrical storyline. Another reason is the design, Western RPGs tend to be realistic, gritty and colorless, while their Eastern cousins often portray very imaginative, colorful and breathtakingly beautiful worlds and creatures.

But what both of these categories have in common, which is also the reason why I enjoy them so much is the way an RPG gives you the possibility of diving into another world, another life even, filled with beautiful princesses and giant monsters and enchanted forests rather than the stresses of the ordinary world. I do not deny that I am somewhat of an escapist, I love fantasy and science fiction in all fields of my life; games, books, movies, comics etc. Even when i was a child I was enchanted by tales of magic and aliens. Unlike some people I am actively interested in maintaining a healthy social and academic life in the real world. According to the article I have found on this subject  "The Development of the Self in the Age of the Internet and Role-Playing Fantasy Games"  (2006, Allison S., von Wahlde L., Schockley T., gabbard G. American Psychiatric Association) people who fall for fantasy themed games are often sensitive individuals that are socially awkward and seek a place to escape to. Fine, that's right no problem with admitting that I am all of that, but only a small percentage takes it so far as the boy in the article.

Week 3 Task 1

1) Stockwell, S 1981 "Kuranda Police Shooting", Legal Service Bulletin, vol. 6 pp. 48-49

I used the Griffith Library Database


2) Governor Slugwell appeared "Flaming Carrot Camocis" he appeared in the issues  no. 7, 10, and 11. The earliest time he appeared was issue 7:

Burden, B. 1985 "Flaming Carrot Comics, no.7", Renegade Press.


3) According to Bowditch P. the wavelength of the energy emitted by mobile phones, and even by the towers needed for them, cannot destroy DNA or the cells that surround it. (2011, "Are Invisible Rays Frying Your Brain?",  Australasian Science 32.6, pp.44) 

4) Leon is not very pleased:

"Leon looks shocked, surprised. But the needles in the computer barely move. Holden goes for the inside of his coat. But big Leon is faster. His laser burns a hole the size of a nickel through Holden's stomach. Unlike a bullet, a laser causes no impact. It goes through Holden's shoulder and comes out of his back, clean as a whistle. Like a rag doll he falls back into the seat. Big slow Leon is already walking away, but he stops, turns, and with a little smile of satisfaction fires through the back of the seat." ( Fancher H., Peoples D., Kibbee, R., 1982 "Bladerunner (1982) Draft Script")


5)Accodring to Soukup, P. Walter Ong saw it strange that while 20th century society still developed and still uses a form of communication that relies on sound and not on sight, when it at the same time is so surrounded by diagrams and other visual information. (2004, "Walter J. Ong, S.J. A Retrospective" Communication Research Trends VOL.23 NR. 1)

Friends, Aliens, Unicorns, the Blog is open!

Hello and Welcome to my Blog for  New Communication Technologies (1510HUM).

My name is Andy and I'm an international student from Austria (Germany's Canada, only less awesome). When I first came here I was studying Environmental Science, but as I was very unhappy in that course I changed to Communication with a Mayor in Writing. Writing is my biggest hobby and I love to write Mystery, Fantasy and Science Fiction stories. I also like to write fanfiction once in a while. Another hobby of mine is playing pen and paper role playing games, I am currently playing in a "Mutants and Masterminds" game and soon I am going to be the Game Master for a "Changeling: The Lost" game set in West-Berlin during the Cold War.

This blog will be used for my class, which means I will post all my tutorial tasks here.