My Space, Bebo, Facebook...Whats next?

I have to say I don't really understand facebook, there are so many diffrent things and its so complicated(well for me anyway). There are so many of those kind of sites now, an no one seems to stick to just one they keep switching. After joining one you start getting invitations to join another.

First it started with hi5, then myspace, then bebo and now facebook! And each one is becoming more advanced. Hi5 was pretty standard, just a profile and pictures, and you could leave comments. My space was the same with a few more features. Then bebo came along with more features, such as the 'share the love' (where you can give a heart out once a day to only one person), and now facebook which seems to be the new craze. It has so many features compared to the rest.

These sites do get very addcitive. I admit..I am a bebo addict, I'm on it right now as I am writing this. But i don't know why I'm so addicted to it. Most of the people that i communicate on it with i talk to all the time anyway, yet we still all bebo each other! But we're all just the same, addicted. Also find it to be very useful in procrastinating. :)

One good thing about these sites however is that your able to find heaps old friends, and people that you haven't spoken to in ages. So it is a good way to keep in touch, and find people. which i guess is the main purpose of it, and to meet new people, though i dont really like random people adding me. But i wish people would just stick to one site, and not keep switching from site to site. Facebook seems to be the main one at the moment,and I find that very confusing, theres so many things to do on it. this definatly wont be the last site like this. What's next?

a2k

I visited a2k web page that is a one of the biggest business in the world called Amway. (www.a2k.co.nz)This web site’s structure is well organized. The first time we go to the site, it comes out with light and simple background. To promote the business to the visitor they emphasized the business’s name with bold type. It was a clear indication of what the site was about.

On the left hand side, there is section for information about the business such as “first time visitor, renewals, and problems logging in.” It also provides several other languages for those who are not English speakers.

In the middle of the site the main sections are for shopping and business. If we click that we can see the further information and enjoy internet shopping. So it is really simple to use it.

However, I found something different as other web site. For example, normally on the web site we can see the linked page so the visitor can find out more information and easy to go to other site. But this site has no linked site with other web site until you log on as a member.

you're hooked on Facebook when..

You think of checking Facebook the moment you wake up. just to see who's added you as a friend, who's sent you new applications and whos changed their status..

You click on the 'home' link to refresh the page, so you get to see who has done what in the past 1 minute.

You are 'Facebook-ing' when you are supposed to be working. and you are caught red handed because of the time stamp..

You check everyone's profiles regularly to see who they have added as friends, in case you know who the friend is and can add to your own list.

You try and invite as many people as possible to your numerous applications because you need to collect the points. (especially Vampires or Werewolves or Zombies)

You take cam-whore pictures of yourself with everyone and claim you are 'tagging' everyone..

You find out everyone's relationship status through Facebook. As in Single, Married, It's complicated...

You find out who's straight, gay, bi through their profiles.

You need to borrow someone's Internet enabled phone/wireless laptop/WiFi account to get online to Facebook.

You have conversations through the IM (Instant Message) or through leaving posts on the 'wall'.

You post your events (birthdays, night out, parties) on Facebook because its easier to see who's coming, whos not and who's maybe. there is no need to send out mass-texts anymore.

You think that when you 'poke' someone and they dont 'poke' back, they are pissed at you about something. or you did something wrong. or worse, you're not friends anymore.

isin't it amazing how addictive Facebook can become? so superbly horrendous!!! im hooked. lined and sink-ed..

The Times They Are, Uh, Changing

The New York Times last week removed the "paywall" which meant that articles appearing in their TimesSelect section were accessible only to paid subscribers. The decision to remove the financial imperative from the equation makes not only economic sense, but means free access to a wealth of information. From the first mention of the Internet in February 1993 — at which times it was described as being created "[to make] available physicists' research from many locations" — to the original article announcing the Lincoln assassination (pictured right), the freeing of NYT means that more people now have more access to more information than ever before. Also, now you don't have to pay to read Op-Ed pieces from Maureen Dowd. See also the Times' own article on the tearing down of the 'wall.

Post, you lazy people, post!

I've just had a quick scan of the blog and noticed that almost none of blog pieces have any comments. Can we have an e-show of hands? Who is actually interested in the blog as a community, and who is simply posting for their assessment? There seem to be very few off topic posts here. It's all far too academic. There's no discussion here, only people posting pieces of information. And while i'm actually very interested in a lot of the information that gets posted on here, especially the Internet is for Porn video (which by the way i've seen countless times and it STILL makes me laugh. If you hadn't posted it I would have next week) I'd like to see some actual discussion. There's only so much new information i can absorb in one sitting.

Let's get some debate going! Post some opinion peices or responses to previous posts.. You don't have to be assessed on EVERY single post you make. Likewise, (If I understand correctly) if you meet the minimum of one post per week until the end, you can pick several of you best posts, even if they were all from one week. So if you're feeling uninspired, or just feel like posting a conversational response, then just do it! It may actually help you pass your assessment.

:-)

When do we pack it all in and run away to Amish country?

This blog, Web mail, Cecil, and Turn It In are examples of websites that without access to I could potentially fail my course. This use of technology has become so widely accepted as a convenient way of life that I no longer have the freedom to deny it. With this in mind, it is not difficult to argue that modern society is becoming increasingly enslaved by technology. But where do we draw the line? How dependent is too dependant? When do we pack it all in, and run away to Amish country? Not even the Amish are immune! It has become increasingly difficult for their low-tech ways to compete with the cheap and fast nature of goods produced by modern, technical means. In some cases tractors have been employed by Amish communities, showing that religious beliefs and traditions are being compromised in order to survive. It is worrying to think that even religious freedom is threatened by continual technological advancement.

iPhone takes nostalgia to a new level

Designer Robert Fabricant argues in 5 reasons why the iPhone is older than you think that the iPhone's interface is nothing new; that the icons and other aesthetic features are simply borrowed from other devices over the years. One point he makes that I find particularly interesting is that Apple is creating a sort of hyper neo-nostalgia, particularly with its use of a 1950's-style TV as an icon for their YouTube application — the world's most popular online video site is about as far removed as you can get from the domesticated family television set of the immediate post-war era.

60 Minutes Video Piracy Exposé

...from 1978! Here's part one:

...and here's part two:

My favourite quote is "They said it would happen, and it has. The day when you could go to the movies without leaving your living room!"

The second part explains why copyright boilerplate always has that bit in it that prohibits exhibition on oil rigs...

The Mac as a gaming platform?

So as you may have guessed, I am not a gamer myself. I used to play computer games in the mid 1980s but things have long since passed me by. Now, as my kids are getting into computer games (Wii and Gameboy mainly at this stage) I guess I am being forced to reconnect with the world of gaming just a little. I got an advert through from Apple today advertising a range of new EA games for the new generation of Intel-based Macs - things like Madden, Need for Speed and Battlefield 2142. The trailers look impressive to my untrained eyes, but what do I know? Those of you more in the know than I may have an opinion on whether the Mac is likely to emerge as a serious alternative to the PC for game enthusiasts? Or those in the know may just chuckle knowingly at such a question. Should I be excited at the prospect of playing with guns and fast cars on my Mac Book Pro or should I just stick to my child-friendly Wii games?

Some Game-Related Articles of Interest.

Hi everybody.

In tutorial, some people asked for access to some of the articles I referenced, and so I thought I'd put them up here.

We have:

An article discussing the current context of game censorship.

"Games Telling Stories? - A Brief Note on Games and Narratives," by Jesper Juul. (Discusses the problems of narrative and temporality in games.)

"Lara Croft: Feminist Icon or Cyberbimbo? - On the Limits of Textual Analysis," by Helen W. Kennedy.

- Kevin.

My bad, this goes with the previous post

Sorry, just realised I didn't link that second article, here it is.
Sam.

On the addictive nature of video games

Okay so my actual post isn't going to be nearly as intense as my title implies, it's just a couple of links really. Firstly here's one about a guy in China who over-did it somewhat and paid with his life.
It really does make you wonder.. Did people die with the advent of TV? or Radio? or Print Media? or even.... Sport? Why are these games so much more addictive?

Secondly here's an article about a Rehab centre in Amsterdam that specialises in rehabilitating game addicts. It's all rather worrying if you ask me. What is the line? When does someone cross for being an 'enthusiast' or 'casual user' (to use more drug-related vernacular) to being a full-on addict?

But anyway, thats all for today, just thought I'd give you something to think about.

Sam.

Anime enthusiasts?

Notice of a forthcoming event (a lecture by Australian anime expert Philip Brophy followed by a screening of Akira) at the Auckland Museum:

Consulate General of Japan Lecture and Film screening
Lecture by Mr Phillip Brophy
Friday 21 September, Auditorium, Free with entry donation (5$)
2pm - Lecture
4pm - Film: Akira

Philip Brophy is a musician, composer, sound designer, filmmaker,
curator and writer. His lecture will focus on Sexual Robots and Plastic
Humans in Anime. The anime body is a new species, holistic in form and
genetically manipulated according to anime's encompassing of the history
of human form as perceived within Japan.

Real life video games

Sickening report and footage from Florida University in which a 'disruptive' student was tasered during a debate featuring John Kerry. You really have to wonder why several burly police officers needed to resort to technology rather than muscle to restrain this one guy who had overstepped his allotted time for asking a question! And I hate the way New Zealand has performed the role of testing ground for taser gun policing which is now being rolled out elsewhere. It's a technical quick-fix. Technological determinism in action! Much easier just to click a button and zap 'em than have to flex muscle.

Games, I remember the days....!!!!.

I remember the days when me and my brother use to play games all the time and until midnite and my mom use to come and take the remote control from the tv and the Nintendo console we use to have so we can go to sleep. Some times we promise that we will go to sleep and as soon she goes to bed we are back on the mission we were disrupted before. it is fun to play games and i still have small desire to play now and then but i guess i am just getting ocupied with other thing and there is no time ti play for now.
I am not giving up the idea that if i have a chance i will play again but at the moment is different story. However my brother though is still playing and i sometimes give him instuctions what to do which i should not be doing as long i am not playing,but i still have the instinct or feeling that i am somehow in the game when he is playing.
There is addiction to gaming which i can't explain but it is easy to loose yourself in time by playing games. I remember that i didnt feel hungry untill my stomach started rumbling,nor sleepy untim my eyes started closing or my head started to hurt.
I am posting a article about gameing addiction which will explain better than me about this issue.....:

Prevalence

No formal studies have been published addressing the prevalence of a possible video game addiction. A Harris Interactive poll released in April of 2007 found that 8.5% of "youth gamers" in the United States could be "classified as pathological or clinically 'addicted' to playing video games."[13] A British survey reported in November of 2006 indicated 12% of polled gamers exhibit addictive behaviors.[14] Video game overuse is believed to be more of a problem in Asia.[6] A governmental survey in South Korea estimated that 2.4% of South Koreans aged 9 to 39 are addicts, with 10.2 percent more "borderline cases."[15]

A 2005 survey by the Entertainment Software Association found that "video game overuse" was more common in players of MMORPGs.[16] In an interview in 2005, Dr. Maressa Orzack of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts estimated that 40% of the 8.5 million players of MMORPG World of Warcraft are addicted, a figure she derived from the survey managed by Nick Yee at the The Daedalus Project. [17]. However, Nick Yee has pointed out that caution should be exercised when interpreting this survey data[18].


Possible causes

According to the synthesis of research presented to the American Medical Association in June of 2007, those who overuse video games often find themselves more successful in conducting virtual relationships than real world relationships.[8] A 2004 study on internet addicts, which population includes online gamers, found four common indicators: (1) shyness, (2) lack of spiritual faith, (3) belief that others are controlling their lives, and (4) an elevated belief in chance as an influence on their lives.[19] Some theorists focus on the built-in reward systems of the games to explain their addictive nature.[20][21]


Treatment

Some countries, like South Korea, have responded to the perceived threat of video game addiction by opening treatment centers.[15] The Chinese government operates several clinics to treat those addicted to online games, chatting and web surfing. Treatment for the patients, most of whom have been forced to attend by parents or government officials, may include yelling, psychiatric counseling, electrical shock treatment, and antidepressant drugs normally used in mental institutions.[22][23]

China also introduced an anti-online gaming addiction system in 2005 intended to reduce addiction by diminishing in-game rewards after three hours of play.[24] In 2006, the system was altered so that users over 18 did not face the limitations.[25] Reports indicate underage gamers are finding ways to circumvent the measure.[26]

In June of 2006, the Smith and Jones clinic in Amsterdam became the first treatment facility in Europe to offer a residential treatment program for compulsive gamers.[27] McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts has set up Computer Addiction Services. Elsewhere, gamers may seek services at generalized addiction support centers. At one such center in Richmond, Canada, excessive gaming accounts for 80% of one youth counselor's caseload.[28]

On-Line Gamers Anonymous (a religious foundation) has been around for many years to provide support and help for gamers who want to quit, as well as for affected family members. The group uses a 12-step approach to facilitate healing.


Deaths

There have been several deaths from exhaustion caused by playing games for long periods. In South Korea, Lee Seung Seop died after playing Starcraft for over 50 hours. [29] [30] In Jinzhou, China, Xu Yan died after playing online games for over 15 days during the Lunar New Year holiday [31] and an unnamed 30 year-old died in Guangzhou, China after playing for 3 days straight. [32][33]

PLEASE try this at home.. but don't blame me for the results

Thought i'd share a cool video with the blog. These guys show you how to induce a plasmatic phase change in the home (That's where something goes from gas to plasma) Essentially, this means a lot of multicoloured flashes. You light a toothpick on fire, put it in your microwave, and turn it on. I don't think this is as safe as they make out.. all the same, it's pretty cool. If anyone tries it, please post the results. I tried to do it with matchsticks, but they just go out. Guess i should buy some toothpicks.

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=495286

PS - I'm an idiot. Seriously. So anything i try really shouldn't be attempted by anyone :-)

The Blame Game

As far as speaking up in class goes, I was definitly less likely then usual to even squeak in yesterday's video games lecture. I have no experience or knowledge in/of the digital/technoculture kinda world and are in the class to learn about it from scratch... not hone my skills as an expert. I dont yet have an opinion on most of the things we've discussed but i take great enjoyment listening to everyone else.

So... I've never played, never tried and probably wont become a huge fan of games of any kind, BUT, the gaming industry and its parallel universe are now so interesting to me. I had no idea that these games like World of Warcraft or Starcraft (?) even existed let alone had such a huge and obsessive fan base.( Im learning SO MUCH in this paper! Why is it I have never come across things like this before? Why am I the last to jump on the technology bandwagon?)

One comment yesterday really interested me though, Kevin was discussing the blame that gets put on violent videogames like Grand Theft Auto etc and someone spoke up and asked the question... Do the statistics simply show us that violent games appeal to already violent people? Therefore not directly causing excessive violence? I might not have explained it well, but I completely agree. Surely someone who enjoys sadistic violence in all forms will be more inclined to commit the crimes? I think that blaming the game designers (who are just trying to appeal to their audience) is ignoring the fact that the kind of people who commit horrific crimes are already that way inclined...and therefore simulate these interests in video games.

Cant we test this theory? Why arnt there labrats being made to play grand theft auto for extended periods of time to see if they turn into prostitute killers? (Somehow i knew you could do that BEFORE class... so there you go)

I just really don't like the media getting blamed for anything... it's too much of a obvious scapegoat, and although I was not familiar with this kind of thing happening in the gaming industry, I was well aware that the music industry and the fashion industry suffer from the same accusations. (Not that the fashion industries ever been blamed for murder.. i mean like, eating dissorders in little girls)

Why do people always blame the media when something goes wrong? There must be some other common denominator... bad parenting perhaps?

WCG and Cyber Sports

As I had looked around the class, the majority held disbelief in their faces, while the rest hid under either smug grins or complete distaste. What am I talking about? The notion of gaming as a competitive platform mentioned by Kevin.

Let me give a small tidbit of background information.

Korea was devastated by the end of WWII, having been completely invaded by the Japanese and almost had their way of life annihilated. Though the Jap eventually succeeded control back to the Koreans, life didn't get much better due to the 1948 split into North and South Korea's. The economy was shattered, the land was shattered, the culture was shattered.

South Koreans picked themselves back up by labour-intensive manufactured exports, which eventually to lead to such things as the Hyundai brand. Things trotted along nicely, and with the induction of technology of computers and the WWW South Korea banked on its (at the time) unlimited promises and cashed in, backed by both government and private sectors. This continued well into the late 20th Century with producing computer products and parts, as well as an extremely healthy gaming population along with it.

This has been decisively evident since the turn of the century, having invested numerous amounts of money into their booming IT industry, becoming one of the key major IT super powers in Asia. Obviously, tied into the IT industry is the gaming industry, which helped quite literally rebuild South Korea's economy, and stabilizing it in the 21st Century. That's the background.

The advent of video gaming has thus produced a growing phenomenon, started by South Korea,into an international affair that spreads throughout the majority of Asia, as well as a plethora of European countries with Germany foremost. In South Korea, there are several television channels dedicated to broadcasting video games on TV as spectator sport. Players get contracts not unlike major league sports stars from various corporations and companies. The fan base, resembling those of some major sports, is large enough to fill grand stadiums for the grand finals of tournaments.

As it stands approximately 70% (and above) of the population have high speed internet (gigabit connections), and their net traffic is counted as one of the highest in the world. This fascination with the internet has meant MMO's are one of the most favored past-times in South Korea, especially StarCraft, which as Kevin mentioned has become their national sport, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos/Frozen Throne, Counter Strike, Maple Story, Lineage ... et cetra.

Now, interesting thing comes along - they've decided they like it so much they quite literally pattern the gaming world into a sports league, and having it inducted as an official "sport" recognized world-wide, with the main focus on RTS (real-time strategy) and FPS (first-person shooter) games. This has led to a series of gaming conventions and international tournaments speaheaded by the World Cyber Games, which just recently has been officially recognized and sponsored by Microsoft. Other tournaments include the Electronic Sports World Cup held in France, and the World e-Sports Games (website under construction).

This notion of e-Sport has continued into the formation of the Cyberathlete Professional League, focused on the elite of professional gaming. These elites are all backed by brands and companies, with one of the most famous being Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, who is backed by Creative Industries. Also, prize money won at tournaments will actually enable the competitors to live off of their winnings, with certain tournaments having had massive amounts of prize money. A record of $1 million USD last year in a competition hosted by FUN Technologies was made previously.

So, who wants to play competitively for a extra bit of moolah?

WoW jokes ftw!

If you have been living under a rock for the last few years, Azeroth is the place to be. World of Warcraft (WoW) is a phenomenom sweeping the face of the globe and one-by-one sucking in the world's nerdiest gamers into one epic fantastical orgy-like romp of fantasy and role-play. For an quick intro to World of Warcraft: Check out its Wiki page. Oh yeah, it even has its own Google.


Leeroy Jenkins:
Quite possibly the original World of Warcraft joke, which takes place in the Upper Black Rock Spire Dungeon (UBRS). Such "raids" in World of Warcraft require intricate team planning and carefully executed tactics to defeat sucessive rooms as the party moves toward th 'final boss'. Watch and enjoy as Leeroy defies his team members and 'pulls' an entire room of enemies. There is spectulation that the entire Leeroy Jenkins episode was constructed as a piss take to expose the sheer geekiness of high-level gaming in World of Warcraft.




The Internet Is For Porn:
Uhhh... yeah. Machinima WoW style. An interesting mix of song and character movement all constructed in-game, using the WoW engine.




FrostShock:
A humourous take on the Alliance vs. Horde paradigm that every WoW player faces. This sequence involves a Level 60 Paladin (an Alliance character who is a mix of healer and warrior) who has reached his full potential. The video involves a discussion about the crappy 'merits' of all his hard work. So, he considers a switch... to the dark side (where things are much cooler).




Personal disclaimer: I quit WoW a long time ago - before it took over my life. I am no geek, I just have a good memory. Quite possibly there are infinitely many more WoW funnies that have emerged since I quit, feel free to share them with the blog.


Happy viewing,

Lucas Cooney

my so called vices

i would not call myself a hard core gamer. occasionally i play the odd PlayStation here and there. however, my one weakness are strategy games. i was hooked on Star Craft, Tiberian Sun, Red Alert and then the power of Counter Strike kicked in. this was a big hit in the late 90's. and then it was back to WarCraft and Heroes of Might and Magic. i still find it funny how most of my guy friends don't believe i play computer games.

however, earlier this year, i was introduced (although he prefers using the term converted) by a friend to the little beauty called Nintendo DS Lite. it was perfection wrapped up in a small hand held thingy. i was in awe. sure, i cost a bomb, let's not get started on the price of the games. but the beauty of it was you could play multi-players. Oh My God! i have found heaven. (ok, maybe I'm over-the-top here,) but i found another addiction.


my favourite part of the DSLite was the multiplyer and the touch screen. the simplicity of alowing gamers to use the touch screen instead of the buttons is amazing. there is also the technology that lets you blow into its microphone 'hole' to make the character do different things. one of the games i bought called Cooking Mama, where using different techniques like slicing and chopping, i can prepare food following the recipes. one of the techniques is to blow into the microphone's hole to 'cool down the food'. it was ingenious!

i managed to 'convert' more and more friends and now there's about 18 of us (and yes, majority of us are girls). the argument there was DS games are targeted at girls, and PSP have more 'guy' games. maybe its the violent nature of PSP games that appeal to guys more then girls.

one of my friends who dragged me out to watch a soccer game but ended up playing my DS the WHOLE 90 MINUTES!!!!!

the best part of my year (in the gaming sense) was when the game Diner Dash was released for DSLite consoles. i had previously played the entire 3 games of Diner Dash on Yahoo Games (they are cheap, simple applications if you must, available on the Internet for USD$9.90) and also one of my favourite games. i pre-ordered it, paid the postage and handling in advance and was waiting impatiently for its impending arrival. when it FINALLY arrived, i did not sleep for 2 days. i was so near the end of the last level when my battery died. i plugged it in the charge (you only charge it for 3 hours to be able to play non stop for 12 hours, wondeful innit?) and when i came back my sister's friend was playing on it. to my utter horror and 'anguish', she had erased my game memory by mistake to start her own game. i could not talk to her for 1 week. it was devastating. (actually, thinking about it now, still makes me see red!)

Nintendo DS (dual-screen) Lite

the power and lure of computer/console/TV games never ceases to amaze me. while i was on holiday in Hong Kong, i was invited by my cousin to attend the World Counter Strike Play-offs. I thought he was joking, and when we arrived at the convention center, i was flabbergasted at the amount of people standing around, all with their own gear (special mouse, head phones) and some even wearing 'group' (or also known as clan) t-shirts with their names on the backs. it was a world i had never experienced or seen before. it also took gaming to another level, where people compete for money, status and reputation. this was a whole new culture and it eventually became a sub-culture on its one.

The Future of Online Games

From the perspective of online game developing, game is an extraordinary complicated system that is some thing created in the social reality but distinguished from the social system. Nevertheless, no matter how complicated it is, it could not exceed the basic system: social system, the game player could be satisfied with the degree of difficulty in the game system, for the aim of achieving game player’s satisfaction, the game system itself has the stimulated object and that must be the social system.

In the recent fifty years of game development, although the form and the content of game has undergone earth-shaking changes, the material that it has involved has challenged the ultimate point of human’s imagination, at one point, all the changes have not yet jump out the frame of social system. The reason is simple: the game designer is actually living in the social reality and could not go beyond his conscious, or jump out of the frame of the social system, and create some thing that differs from social ideology. Although one could open up such kind of game, the game play who is living in the social reality will not agree on it, hence this kind of game will not have the market in the future.

In short, the game system will finally bases on and extremely closes to the social system, and internet as a new social bond and platform, the future games will develop on internet for sure, the goal of stimulate real society will be achieved, and they will become the new generation of online games. We may not easily distinguish what is game and what is real life then, but, perhaps, that is the magic of online games in the new age.

GAME OVER...lol

Long time no see nor write Bloggy you snob..lol.

The topic today in lecture was about Gaming and the culture that surrounds this phenomenon. The reading was from Steven Poole's "Trigger Happy: Videogames and the entertainment revolution" and Kevin was lecturing! There was much debate in class about whether there WAS/IS a technoculture with videogames and such. Until KEVIN showed a clip about a little sneak peek of 'StarCraft 3'(??) the demo (a.k.a NOT THE REAL THING) in South Korea. I swear more people were watching and attending that 'ceremony' than Diana's wedding (or funeral-'Rest in Peace',Princess) I never would have believed it otherwise. Then to have the idea of a NATION or country that made this form of entertainment a 'national sport'? Im not too sure whether the guy sitting behind me was figuratively speaking, because his facials said otherwise.....I tend to be quite gullible though. LOL

From all that was thrown about in class today, one thing tended to keep on getting repeated and debated upon. This being the 'power' of video games and anything associated with it. Its influence upon young children is still a matter of continuing studies and research. Financially? It is more successfully than the film industry! The effects of censorship (NZ censorship to be exact- the 'R' rated thingys) and whether it has educational purposes. Hmmm i wonder if Alladdin Maths level 2 is considered as such...I hope so, otherwise my little niece is gonna get banned from the computer..


Well Bloggy, as you can obviously see, Videogames are not my thing, mainly because i was brought up in the islands and we had better things to do. lol. Oh and never heard about playstations until i came here, so yeah, in a way im kind of gutted :( i mean, who is there to blame when i go on my random car-jacking rape attacks along Karangahape Road????


Damn..

Games are our life too

The lecture today made me think about a few things that; honestly I just hadn’t taken into consideration. I don’t think of myself as much of an ‘intense gamer’ …or a game playing type at all really! So a lot of the games that were talked about today in the lecture I had never herd of before.
The discussion on Censorship has come up many a time in the media lately, as many are aware. I personally think that the censorship labels on games, videos/DVDs and CD’s are clearly displayed and explained, although they may not be in great detail. I feel that these have improved dramatically in the last few years, this maybe due to the bad publicity? Although I am ‘only young and naive’ I think that maybe the parents of the children should become more aware of censorship ratings, as in the end aren’t our parents the ones that protect and look out for us? The fact that a game is stamped with a R18 label should be a large indicator that your 12-year-old child is not ready to experience such a game, no matter if the child or adult thinks so. These restrictions are there for a reason and put in place by people who are perhaps more accurately informed to make such decisions. As far as animated graphic violence goes, isn’t the whole point of digital improvements on animation to make it as realistic as possible?

AI in the Gaming Arena

The gaming industry has been on a big rise ever since it started. Games have become more sophisticated and realistic; through its realistic physics and vast interaction possibilities in can be seen as an equivalent to the real world excluding the real sense of being there. Artificial Intelligence which is induced into the gaming, on how a computer controlled character should respond to certain responses triggered by a real player with an in game persona is what keeps the gaming interaction more interesting. To give a clear aspect on what I am talking about, we can consider a First Person shooter games where we are playing against the computer, if you were trying to surpass an enemy in the battlefield, the computer characters could track you if you are trying to go through certain places where there are more leaves creating noises with in the virtual gaming arena or if you fall in the line of sight of the computer combatant.

Through the inducing of AI in the games, gaming could be more of a learning experience than just a sole piece of entertainment. Through the story play of certain games that are constructed around a particular real event e.g. Battlefield 1942 we could get to know the chronological events that occurred during the war and also gain knowledge about the kind of weaponry available during that era and teaches you how brutal a war could be. Not only does gaming educate you but can also make you interested to learn more about certain aspects of the real world; We can look at few small online games where you could play a role of stock investor and invest virtual money in virtual gaming stocks; it helps in gaining knowledge on how the stock market may work but could also draw your attention closer to learn the real world of stock exchange.

The question lies how far can the induction of AI should the game include? I reckon a lenient hand should be given to the computer to think for itself with in the spatial limit of that particular game. The technology of AI can also be productive when the gaming companies can help in creating humanoids or robots through the same technical programs applied to the virtual gaming characters; and the research of such activities are already being done on trying to use the gaming techniques to the real world robots; at such a pace in growing tech industry, we could probably end up having Robocop’s in near future. To know more on the AI of the gaming check out the link

http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200705/N07.0507.1720.43109.htm?Page=3

Gaming platform is more of a small step where trials can be made for a better future purpose. we cannot blame games for any misdeeds that happen in the society, one should rather think for himself on what is correct and wrong; we should look at it positively on the brighter where u gain vast amount of knowledge from them. Instead of suing the gaming industry corporations we need to congratulate them for big leaps in technological innovations.

Youtube (again)

This week I just wanted to agree with everyone else in the blog that has praised youtube. Good on you! It is definately the best website ever. I also wanted to share a couple of funny videos that I thought were relevant to todays lecture on video games (sorry I havn't mastered posting videos yet). They are the two below.

The lower video is one of my favourites, this kid is defintion technophile.

The one directly below most of you will probably be more familiar with. Nevertheless I think its an excellent parody of people who devote their entire lives to a computer game. Tragic.

Hope you enjoy

World of Warcraft

Nintendo 64 Kid Remix

Anonymity arouses/activates a multiple identity: The good and bad effect of the internet anonymity

(Photo: Which part of your identities does represent your true self?)

Internet could not be explained fully by entitling it as the interactive medium of the 21st century, but it is very often recognized as the virtual hub of communication where the discussion of everything is on-going for 24-7, opened to everyone without restriction, censorship and socially constructed identities including nationality, race and sex. This unique culture of Internet is not found in any other forms of media throughout the human history, but such uniqueness is no more than a result raised by issuing the ‘anonymity’, which has not been considered as controversial until recently. Despite the fact that Internet is already known with its reputation as the Mecca of (relatively) liberal conversation, our recognition of who we are really (the term ‘really’ in a sense that whether we are confronting to someone we know their true identities) talking with is yet having a lot of controversies and fallacies. Remaining under anonymity, you are becoming a participator of conversation yet given a freedom to hide or express your true self. If you want, you can make fake identities, literally several versions of you, or simply showing them a part of your personality to fit yourself into different contexts and different windows. However, to think about this oppositely, you are having an on-line communication with someone who could possibly fake or hide their true identities and instead persuade you to believe their gender, face and personality represented through photos and manner of talking that they show in front of you. But unless you see them in a real world, you can not sure it is their true side of it.

To have a conversation with unidentified beings is nevertheless, having been the core reason for internet to sustain its uniqueness and power as the medium with the most extended version of interactivity. In one view, the anonymity is certainly becoming a catalyzer for you to express about yourself even more transparently and frankly than to your best mate and family group in a real life. To meet someone on World Wide Web is just like to meet someone who could be your best interpreter, helper and adviser of various types of sensitive issues while you do not have to worry about expose your real self, just like a confession in church. This marks us to reassure how it is meaningless to build a human relationship in the real world.

However...

What is all written above is only a good side of Internet anonymity. In fact, it is very difficult and almost impossible to use anonymity solely in a morally good manner. That is because the anonymity summons our hidden identities under such restrictions made on social and cultural contexts. These multiple identities could include your bisexuality, criminal instinct or Prometheus complex. On a web based bulletin board or chatting environment, we often see someone (those unidentified beings) intentionally speaks out abusive and aggressive languages to unspecified group of people unless the automatic filtering system puts them a restriction. Such actions are outcomes of the influence of anonymity while the sense of being unidentified to participate in the discussion causes no disadvantages or punishment to them. I have an excellent example to prove the relationship between multiple identity and anonymity;

South Korea is one of the leading countries with probably the world’s largest Internet broad-band system across its territory. Internet boom was initiated since the early 90’s, and by the end of the 20th century, more than 80% of population were actively participated as the user of Internet. Such dramatic development of the market also brought a lot of moot points in criminal aspects, and at the centre of all these there was the issue of identity and anonymity. In Korea from the year 2006, the government put a force to Internet conglomerates by enacting a law that all portal sites must reissue their systems to make its users to show their true identities (names in accordance to the National residents registration number) officially verified by a council. After a fulfilment of this law brought such a massive after blow, that the number of articles and replies with aggressive language has decreased down nearly 50% compare to the prior.

This clearly shows us the two facts. First, the issue of identity is certainly having a strong relation to how people could restrain themselves to present a particular type of personality, and second, such courtesy and respect towards our acquaintances in a real life are only artificial and fabricated.

It is assumed that the introduction of real name system on World Wide Web will certainly bring a linguistic and moral harmony and peace. But on the other hand, it could also bring down the liberty and autonomy we could have in this space. Internet as the true space of liberty and interactivity would only be possible when we as the participator of Internet must renew our concepts about the responsibility of writing and composing its materials, even though your identification is never known out to the world.

Its agriculture but not as you know it.

Gold farming is something that came up in today's lecture and I mentioned that I had read an article on it.

Ive found that article it was published in The New York Times in June this year. The article is really interesting because not only does it talk about the living conditions and what it takes to be a "Chinese Gold Farmer" It it also begins to talk about the ramifications of gold farming in a social and economic sense.

The article can be found here.

Gold farming is somthing I find really interesting because its a rapidly growing industry and is hugely advertised, all while being completely illegal. Even though its illegal very little is done to try and stop it.
Gold farming is at its largest in the game World of Warcraft. Namely because it currently is the largest Massive Multiplayer Online Game around at the moment. The developers of World of Warcraft, Blizzard have done very little to stop the selling of gold in their game. They do some work to ban the players who are caught selling gold and have tried sueing some of the companies that run the websites you can buy gold from, but for the most part thier efforts are in vain.

The part of the article that I enjoyed most is where it talks about players reactions to when they find a gold farmer inside the game. Mostly they are met with hostility, this caught my attention because it really shows a link to how events happening in the real world can affect the way a person will play a simulated game.

Even if your not into games at all the article is well worth the read just to see how hard the life of a gold farmer is.

Roll Call and Playing Nice.

Hi everybody.

First of all, we've had the first incident of personal attacks on the blog. This isn't acceptable, has been noticed, and my suggestion is that it not happen again.

I've also had some comments that people are worried about the really prolific posters on the blog getting to all the good ideas first. If you are, you shouldn't worry. There is no problem with covering the same idea that another poster has already discussed, and also no problem with being unaware that they might have covered the same topic. Obviously it is better to be able to say, "This person raised these points, and..." before incorporating them into your discussion. But as the blog goes on, more people are going to be posting more often, so reading the blog regularly can become intimidating.

The flipside is that if you find someone who has written on something you've already approached, it's better to use that as a point to move out from in the debate, rather than just stating that you've already posted on the subject. That scares people off and shuts things down, and if someone's already shy about the blog then they get worried they're doing something wrong unless they're sure it's a new topic for the blog. And as I say, that's going to get harder and harder to check.

Overall Point: Don't worry about it, write about what you want to.

Also, we've had several people join the blog over the last week, which is excellent at the same time as increasing the number of people I can't find. They are:

Pearly

Nifa

Rainman

So if you can contact me on the blog or via email to confirm who you are, that would be great.

- Kevin.

Virtual Reality: the reality of reality

Personally I think that the most of our daily activities are similar to animal. We need to feed our stomach and working for that; we need to spend our energy on something; we sleep, bathe and go to toilet; we need to play with others physically and having a sex life. But as human, we also have many ‘spiritual needs’ or desires, such as soul communication, self expression, day dreaming or illusion and so on. Virtual world, a computer- based simulated environment was born with that needs. It provides all sorts of platforms for your needs: searching your soul-mate, expressing your personality without any ‘veil’, stimulating your illusion and pleasure by 2D or 3D images, or exposing your emotion by playing games. Virtual world make people to spend more time on mental activities and pay more attention on their living quality. People can be educated by virtual world as they stick in it day by day. Virtual world will allocate people to different groups by their personalities, interests and skills, and finally make them finding their own position in it. So, virtual reality is becoming the reality of reality.

San Matias

I have been travelling outside of the Americas for the past six years and I am very fortunate to have visited countries such as Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
I have discovered new worlds beyond the brown waters of the Paraguay River and the dusty streets of Caceres.

Verandas, windows
Bicycles, people, heat and rain,
Fill the tranquil town.

It was a warm summer in the year 2001; I had almost no work apart from my Saturday Spanish lessons at a university preparation school. I enjoyed the early morning fishing trips I did with my grandfather; we travelled daily before dawn on a 15hp aluminium boat.

No clouds in the sky
Stars and faint moon shine the way
Birds and monkeys sing

That morning was different, I was sent on a short one-day journey that would change my attitude towards people forever. I had grown in an atmosphere of distrust, always thinking that there is something hidden behind every individual action.

I took the Transjao bus that lives daily to San Matias, 90 kilometres west of Caceres. I still remember when the bus could cross the Bolivia-Brazil border without any problems, but the bureaucrats have since then decided that that was an international trip and a number of taxes needed to be paid, making the cost of the trip unattainable to most. As a consequence the bus now only goes as far as the line that divides the two nations.

As soon as you cross the dividing line you can feel the differences in development between the two countries. The asphalted road goes until an army base in Brazil where officials check peoples’ ID and their yellow fever vaccine certificate. I have lost count of how many times I have received the vaccine since I often lost my certificate, but that morning I was prepared and had my A6 booklet in hand.

Two very old obelisks
One representing Bolivia
One representing Brazil

At the Bolivian side white Toyota Corollas await the Transjao passengers. The cars are quickly filled with people and it will take us 20 minutes to reach our destination.

Our small convoy
Hides the Beautiful scenery
With clouds of dust.

The only reason for this trip was to send a parcel to my parents in Santa Cruz and this may seem a lot of trouble instead of just using the mail. But if I use the Brazilian Post it would take too long to reach my parents’ home. But if I dispatched it from a Bus service in San Matias my father will pick it up the next morning.

The small incident that impressed me that day was after I arrived into the centre of town, an old humble looking Bolivian pushing his bicycle approached me. He must have thought I was very tired from carrying this heavy box along the street. He asked me where I was going and offered me his bicycle, “that way it will be easy for you to carry that box,” he said. Now in a country where people are deceived on a daily basis and with extremely high criminality rates, the old man offered me perhaps his only means of transport, and if he lost it would take a very long time for him to afford a new one, this gesture to me seemed extraordinary. He gave me his name and address and told me to bring back his bike after I finished.

A forgotten city
At the edge of an abyss
A bridge of hope appears.

Jose was the old man’s name; he made mocochinchis and salteñas [1] which he sold outside his house. We had a drink and a small chat; it was already time for me to return.

I lived at my parents’ house in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and every summer I stayed at my grandparents’ home in Caceres, Brazil. I always had to pass by San Matias, a town that I always disliked. But after that incident I gained fondness towards the town and my attitude towards people will always be different.

Trust and give
Behind every action there is meaning
No matter the outcome

[1] Mocochinchi is a traditional Bolivian drink made of Plum. The drink is served in a glass with a dry plum inside. Salteña is a pastry filled with potatoes, green peas and chicken baked in a clay oven.

Santa Cruz, Bolivia

Paraguay River
Salteña
Mocochinchi

Live Perfomance of Vitual Band

Since the late 90s, so-called ‘virtual bands’ have started to appear in the music industry. For me, such computer animated ‘singers’ releasing official albums looked really freaky. Virtual bands were interesting to people but not as successful as the ‘real’ bands/singers. But there is one virtual band that sold over 7 million copies with their first album – Gorillaz. Composed with four animated members: 2D, Noodle, Murdoc and Russel, Gorillaz’s music is a collaboration between various musicians with Albarn from the British band Blur being the only permanent member. The attention-grabbing part is the way Gorillaz perform the live stages. The simulation of videos, animatics, holograms and images are projected onto the audience side of the screen while the actual band physically plays behind a specially designed screen. The music and the presence of the band are ‘real’ on the stage but what audience gets to see is the animated members of Gorillaz. Well, let’s watch some now!

Cinema within the Household

The simultaneous release by director Steven Soderbergh movie ‘Bubble’ within the cinema, on DVD and on the internet available for download on the same day was seen as a first for Hollywood. It saw the preference of medium used for the release of a film, placed not on the traditional medium of the cinema used throughout, but digital mediums available to the producers.

Digital technology available now and in the near has recreated the experience audiences can have within the household, through the remediation of the typical experiences of the cinema within the household. The remediation of the cinema into the home can be seen not as a plot to kill off the cinema but to simply provide an alternative to audiences in viewing preference; ‘as the digital future is all about convenience and choice.’

However are the likes of transparency and hyperrealism created within the cinematic experience really duplicated within the household? Can a home cinema system create the atmosphere and excitement which surrounds each visit to the local cinema and will this new-age multi medium access to audiences really destroy this ageless medium of the big screen.

Let us hope not.


Ben

Cellphone meglomania

Today i was mucking around with my cellphone and managed to find a whole set of new features, mostly just shortcuts and things obviously designed to try and make life just a little bit easier, but these were things that i never would of found if was wasn't so hungover and had nothing to keep me amused except my cellphone.
The catch here is that i've had this phone for nearly a year now and up and till this morning i had only scratched at the surface of its capibility.
Don't get me wrong, im not a neo luddite or technologically ignorant; i mean i've managed to watch sky mobile on it and download songs and video for it but im thinking that even your average cellphone these days spends probably too much of its time doing other things.
Apparently this is particularly true in the case of the iphone, where it takes about six different steps before you get to make a call.
Does any one else think that this sort of stuff is probably starting to get a bit out of hand, especially since companies like vodafone keep introducing these brand new features when they can't even get proper coverage happening in some areas?

Yes! There are people who enjoy blogging

Blogging has become so popular in recent years that the opportunity to become a professional blogger has never been easier. Some blogger's sites have even allowed them to earn a living producing the entertainment people crave. There is even a professional bloggers association that networks and supports these people. What makes them able to live off their sites is their passion to find a niche and dedication to filter valid information from countless sources.

Perez Hilton sources celebrity gossip and has 105 million page views a month. Penny Arcade reaches 2 million people a day with its web comic and blog. These examples of successful professional bloggers are not the exception. There are thousands more successful niche websites out there including sites for bag lovers and junk food addicts.

Blogging for a class assessment is one thing, people who actually enjoy blogging enough to commit their day to it is another. I have a personal distaste for writing on the web and see no reason to add to it. But I commend those who devote time and expertise to a particular field of interest to help others even if it is for profit.

Computers games: Good for your health?

In tutorial, an interesting discussion on computers games arose, sparking my curiosity as to why people become intensely devoted to them. Not being a computer game fan myself, I had trouble understanding why. Luckily, one of my friends enlightened me over many hours explaining the finer details of one of the leading Online Computer games, Battlefield 2. Basically, the game depicts realistic war re-enactments. The franchise began with a 1942 themed game re-enacting the Second World War. They then moved on to the Vietnam war, where you could fight as the losing American side against hordes of Vietnamese soldiers. Finally, the franchise released an Iraqi war themed game, which after a few days became one of the most popular themed games in years. You play against other computer players over the internet, which is the key element in making a competitive and realistic war experience. This aspect is focused on highly in Battlefield 2, where you can create a unique personal profile to track your experiences and scores, medals and other little accomplishments you make along the way of playing. Funnily, my friend was telling me that although he’s really quite placid in real-life, he’s now played it for so long that he sadistically hunts down the weakest players on each of the servers (a supported map that plays a round of the game) because it’s boring to play normally. Acting out on secret wishes perhaps? He does say that it’s a great way to release pent up aggression, as you’re not really hurting anybody, maybe just their ego’s. He says he finds the psychological aspect of the games exhilarating, due to his ability to re-enact a life-or-death situation so removed from his daily life, and that he feels calmer and more relaxed after playing for a few hours, adding that he believes they are great for ones mental health. Perhaps I should trade boxing for a monitor…

Bebo, Macs and Tin Toy!

This blog post of mine will be a bit all over the place as a i have different little bits to discuss that interest me, however i am having a wee bit of a mind block!

1. Firstly, I know this has already been discussed on previous blog posts however, im a little slow and decided to add my input. Bebo has come under close examination in the media recently as it is used as evidence to the killing of Augustine Borrell an Auckland Grammer School Student. No, i am not a secret investigator so i was just doing this 'investigating' on my own free will and just for personal interest, so i decided to go onto bebo and search Augustine himself. Since his sudden death, Augustines page has been blocked from public viewing, however i did find some members of his friends and family, aswell as a memorial page. This was a giant eye opener for me as it showed the immense sympathy that was portrayed even from individuals that had never met Augustine before. In saying this there was still some disturbing comments posted on this bebo page, for example an individual under the name of "Hitler" shared his view on Augustines killing saying "i go to white parties and there are no problems go back to your own country... (with the occasional swear word added in) this made me realise that in a time of greif for the family and friends, bebo was helping them in someways were individuals wer sending comforting sympathy messages, however others added nothing but un called for opinions. And i bet this didnt help either as these were strangers giving there two bits worth. Bebo did help in providing evidence for the Augustine case, but how valid is this site.

Earlier in FTVMS 203 when we saw a 20/20 story on false identities on bebo this was an eye opener, this just proves its so easy on online communities to deceive, lie and create a whole new identity other than something of the truth. How valid is something you read on MySpace, Facebook or Bebo?

2. Something on a very different note: Macs or PCs? Since i can remember ive always used a PC. A few days ago my mum purchased a new laptop - a Mac. This was chosen due to the advice of a successful sales manager who recently attended a conference. He, himself had never used a Mac, however after attending the Mac conference he told us that he was sold. He would never use another PC again. hmmm. Well we brought home my mums Mac, and the trouble started there with me. Usually, u know u turn it on, press a button and Bam ur on the internet. However, maybe my brain is uncapable of using Macs. Finding the 'Internet' button was a mission in its self for me. Gosh. Maybe ill stick to my PC, after all its my Mums Mac and im sure she'l figure it out, thank god i don't have to... i don't think id be able to!

3. Lastly, going back to last weeks lecture - I just wanted to say Wow! i loved Tin Toy haha. So much better than ToyStory. Really. I found it captured my attention very easily. The reason? Im not to sure, maybe the cute Tin Toy? I must say the baby was a wee bit scary looking though. I had no idea that in 1988 such things existed. Maybe im just not up with it, even though the picture quality may have looked dated, i was very impressed.

Anyway thats it for now, sorry my blog is all over the place, hope it is readable!
Have a good week!

Minnie Singh

Straight outta Epsom

Hope this hasn't been posted before but I thought it was quite relevant to Nabeel's excellent lecture on digital music the other week. Firstly, it is a great example of new technologies as the video (taken from a BBC comedy show) is hosted on You Tube, the Dad is using an i pod and it could be seen as an example of a remix or mash up (although possibly not in the strictest sense).
Secondly, it is also an example of black music in the digital age and features the Amen break Nabeel mentioned.

For my blog posts I'm going to try to stick to the theme of old vs new technologies. In particular I want to show how most new technologies are simply more efficient and accessible extensions of old school ones. This post will briefly mention the remix/mash up and mix tapes vs downloads.

The remix has been around far longer than prosumer PC tools such as Reason, Fruity loops or Pro Tools and has in fact been a major part of the Jamaican music scene since the late 1960's. You could safely say that the remix was pioneered by Osborne Ruddock aka King Tubby back in 1967. Tubby would take a rock steady track, record a vocal track (or six) and then go about re-ordering the piece by taking instruments and vocals in and out of the mix and adding effects such as echo. These would be released on dub plates and played by sound system 'selectors'. Today the Jamaican record industry works in much the same way. Artists such as Sly and Robbie will record a 'riddim' and then every dancehall artist on the island will lay down their own vocal track. A good modern example of this is the Jamrock riddim made famous by Damien Marley. I have at least 10 differenf versions of this riddim on my i tunes. This made it very easy for the mash up to be invented. New York hip hop producers would take these riddims and remix them, perhaps adding a hip hop rather than reggae drum beat and release them on white label vinyl. Another modern example is the MIA/Diplo release entitled 'Piracy funds terrorism', a play on the UK campaign trying to link musc pirates to terrorists.

Similarly, the global sharing of music has been around far longer than Soulseek or the internet. In the 80's there was a healthy international scene of mix tape trading taking place within the DIY punk/hardcore scene. Punks would make connections through zines such as MaximumRocknRoll and develop pen pal type friends with whom they would trade mix tapes on which they copied their favourite hard-to-find or local punk from 7 inch records. This was in effect an archaic form of file sharing, the difference that the internet has made is that it is now far quicker and you have instant access to millions of peoples collections.

Next post I'm going to continue by talking about how personal blogs are a modern version of the DIY zine.

Here's an example of real Dub and pictures of the legend. Also, check out my radio show 'the Poisoning' FleetFM 88.3 or fleetfm.co.nz online. Tonight 6-7 punk to reggae.

Digital VS. Film aesthetics

This week i wanted to comment on something we touched on in both lectures and tutorials. Basically the idea of the visual appearance of watching digital vs film recorded movies.

I cannot remeber how 'we' classified the visual look of film on the big screen, but the word 'grey' keeps coming back to me. however im sure you know of the look i am refferring to. We have become accustomed to this particular look in cinemas and i am sure for most people it is part of the parcel of the quality of cinema projection. In terms of Digital film on the big screen, i personally feel the difference in quality to be a negative difference for viewing pleasure. After seeing a number of digital films now i keep thinking to myself that the image is quite simply too clear. this is brought about from certain aspects such as the 'depth of field' in certain shots where quite frankly a shallow depth is needed. for example an intimate conversation between two people where the focus needs to be solely on those two however youre attentiuon is constantly drwan toward the clearness and extent of which is shown in the background.

This brings me to my next point. In relation to immersion, watching digital film doesn't provoke the same immersion levels i associate with the 'grey' cinema' of traditional film. beacuse of the significant clearness i was constantly conscious that i was watching something on a screen. similar to the hpermediated face of a news channel like 'Fox'. this quickly becomes very annoying and draws your attention away from the story and narrative and toward what each shot is showing and all the little imperfections that the clarity shows up.

Finally, my last point is that i feel digital film definately has its place in cinema, however i feel its use at this stage is limited to certain genres of even to particular scenes. For example, digital film would be ideal to portray landscapes and other vast space emcompassing shots such as establishing shots. Here, the the viewer would benefit from the clarity and quality of the depth of field and what the digital image is capable of producing/showing.

Anyway, just a thought. But at this stage I prefer my tradition film when i go to the cinema however it is innevitable that the industry will entirely turn to digital. But that's what technology is all about i guess...

David Dunlop