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Notes on The Long Tail

September 19, 2013 by oliviapaterson

Demonstrates the way in which an entirely new economic model for the media and entertainment industries.Unlimited selections is revealing truths about what consumers want to get in service after service…New rules for the entertainment industry.1. Make everything available. 2. Cut the price in half. 3. Help me find it.

Category Networked Media, Networked Media class notes, Notes on Readings, quote | Tags: Networked Media,The Long Tail | No Comments
Notes on Networked Media Class (week 8)

September 18, 2013 by oliviapaterson
Class reflection on lecture
- How hypertext relates to Google model… assumptions about how google works turn out to be wrong assumptions.
- Talking about the keyboard…being one of the oldest things and remains unchanged.
- Then end point…every power structure that has ever existed has had a center and structure. How does something function without a center and without a structure?
- The class thought that the discussion on video games was interesting and debated about weather or not they are form of hypertext.
- Definition of a game was something that could be won.
- Should modern ‘games’ be considered games or rather interactive experiences?
Niki-Presentations

RED- first impressions

Green- what do you like about the Niki post?

Yellow-creative opportunity. What could be added?

White-information. What would you like to know more about?

Our Feedback:
- Generally people liked our idea and thought that it was very authentic.
- We should add other forms of media such as 30 second video
- Unique idea
- Well presented and laid out
- People thought that it was good because they did not know much about open source and that it was helpful that we explained what open source was in our niki so that they could understand the niki page.
Category Networked Media, Networked Media class notes, niki | Tags: Networked Media,niki | No Comments
Unwhatever 0.5

September 18, 2013 by oliviapaterson
Can video games be considered hypertext narratives? How? Why?
- The relationships between different media forms…but sometimes it is clear that they are not the same. Games don’t have a narrative
- Example: pinball does not have a narrative
- Gaming meet television for example survivor.
How do you actually write a hypertext narrative?
- Hypertext like blogs are an emerging structure
- When you write a hypertext narrative each individual sections make sense all by them selves similar to our blogs, to understand them you don’t usually have to read the last three weeks of posts to understand the one that your reading. They are highly granular
- Context of audience…why and how will the audience connect with the piece?
Why is hypertext considered influential in the future development of media making and story telling?
- Interplay between hypertext and networks and history itself. History can be explained as a highly complex network that has been put into narrative.
- As human beings we always try to find a linear context to everything.
- There is a hyper textual mode of reading that has become an important and more engaging way of reading texts.
- Hypertext is cinematic… the only difference between film and hypertext is that film is fixed. Where hypertext there can be numerous different options, which are not fixed.
- One shot next to another can change the meanings of both shots.
- The meaning is not in the shot it is outside the two, its in the relationship between them. It no longer sits inside the narrative but in the connection and the relation ship that exists in the relations of the parts.
The long tail seems to advocate a free market model for the entertainment industry. Anderson says this model allows for more diversity, however, do you think problems such as a recommendations hierarchy could emerge?
- Facebook feeds… you liking some things disregards you from other things. Facebook learns what you like and then almost stops you from other interests.
- Similarly in music, programs have started to learn our particular tastes and then discourage too much exploration.
- Facebook has become a social media disaster…it has become overcome by advertising and it doesn’t necessary work on recommendations hierarchy.
- Page rank on google works on how many links go to your page.
Does a network have a center? Or do we all create centers for our own networks?
- No not necessary become they work depending on the relationships and links between people, which we make. Yet given this in a way are we the centers for networks given the necessity of our input.
Category Lecture Notes, Networked Media, quote | Tags: AdrianMiles,Lecture Notes,Networked Media,Unwhatever | 1 Comment
Niki- OPEN SOURCE

September 18, 2013 by oliviapaterson

“WebForge** is dedicated at making open source projects successful.”

Here at WebForge, we thrive on making our open source programs accessible for community collaboration, helping us to create the leading resource for open source software development and distribution. Using the tools we provide, an approximate of over 324,000 projects are created by 3.4 million developers, connecting more than 46 million consumers with these open source projects.

WebForge is where open source happens.

What is open source?

Most software that you buy or download only comes in the compiled ready-to-run version. Compiled means that the actual program code that the developer created, known as the source code, has run through a special program called a compiler that translates the source code into a form that the computer can understand. It is extremely difficult to modify the compiled version of most applications and nearly impossible to see exactly how the developer created different parts of the program. Most commercial software manufacturers see this as an advantage that keeps other companies from copying their code and using it in a competing product. It also gives them control over the quality and features found in a particular product.

Open source software is at the opposite end of the spectrum. The source code is included with the compiled version and modification or customization is actually encouraged. The software developers who support the open source concept believe that by allowing anyone who’s interested to modify the source code, the application will be more useful and error-free over the long term.

Testimonials:

“I usually have no clue about programming and all that…Webforge provided me with the starting tools I needed for my app…[the programs’] source code availability makes [programming] user-friendly and accessible! I am one satisfied client! ”

– Apple-tini, CA.

“My friends and I wanted to start looking into game [programming], but didn’t have the funding nor the knowledge to [begin]. Webforge already had preset gaming applications available for use…through research and Webforge, I am happy to say that we are on our way of creating out very own…and we are only teenagers!”

– COD101, MI

“I have been a co-founder of a start up company that deals in Maths tutorials for kids at home. My business partner and I have only been doing this face to face as of recent, but desired to go even further and begin a program [our clients] can download. [My business partner], unfortunately has moved to another state and didn’t know anyone who could help us with programming. Webforge has opened up new avenues for my company…and [we are] definitely grateful for its suppliers!”

– Myangel, MA

“I was really interested in gaining knowledge on software for gaming – apps and video gaming. Webforge was a great way to help get me started and introduce me to software that I wasn’t aware I needed. I am so thank-ful for this open source as it allowed me to have so many opportunities within this area and explore what else I can do in the future.”

-Lozluvskeys, AUS

** Webforge is a fictional name and is available for external use.

Category Networked Media, niki | Tags: niki | No Comments
Unwhatever 0.4

September 18, 2013 by oliviapaterson
What kind of genre is an interactive documentary? Is it still a documentary or would you say it is a new genre because of the hypertextual interface?
- Genre is never just about the textual form
- Genres are also always about the industries that help create them
- Interactive documentary allows for a more creative and unfixed approach to documentary genres.
- The conventions that hypertext have introduced effect the way we read other texts.
- All stories make truth claims for example: in The World or A World.
- Genre-on the one hand you can argue that documentary is the genre but you can also argue that there are genres within documentary. One being interactive documentary.
If, interactive narratives have no singular, definitive beginnings and endings, then what would be the constraints for an author of interactive media to control the interpretation of a narrative?
- Authors cannot control the interpretations of the audience.
- Authors have no way to control their thoughts and should not claim to do so.
- What we interpret is text not authors.
- What rhymes with shop and you buy at the butchers…what do you do at a green light?
- Hypertext allows and encourages you to generate and imagine how two separate situations can relate, as we need to find a connection between the two.
Category Lecture Notes, Networked Media, quote | Tags: AdrianMiles,Lecture Notes,Networked Media,Unwhatever | No Comments
A Very Typical Essay.

August 30, 2013 by oliviapaterson

Judith Beveridge- Wolf Notes

Exsanguination, The Kite, Sailor

Wolf Notes, a collection of poems by Judith Beveridge, relates the journey and ideas of Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha. The collection depicts his existence as he journeys away from his life of material possessions and towards a state of enlightenment. “Exsanguination” comes from the beginning or ‘Peregrine’ section of the collection and conveys the beginning of the journey that introduces the notion of karma or the law of cause and effect which is shown through nature’s revenge on man. Karma underlines the importance of in individuals being responsible for their past and present actions. In addition to this, “Exsanguination” shows the consumerist nature of society, which the Buddha wishes to escape. “The Kite” on the other hand comes from “between the palace and the Bodhi tree” and depicts the notion that enlightenment is reached through a journey of ones self and therefore the Buddha can not tell the boy anything that is certain. The final section or “signatures” is where “Sailor” comes from and shows the ultimate state of enlightenment and liberation.

Exsanguination in the Peregrine section conveys the Buddhists’ notion of karma and sin as well as atonement. Exsanguination, which means to literally drain of blood, portrays a sense of karma as nature takes the life of an innocent child. However the mosquitoes in the poem also represent the consumerism of society and the corruption of society that keeps taking and taking until there is nothing left. It is this exact society that the speaker and the Siddhartha wishes to escape so as to find spiritual fulfilment. Alliteration is used when “even snakes flooding confessions into the grass” depict values such as confession and therefore sin, which both relate strongly to Christianity. Beveridge conveys the fragility of life as “he was found in the reeds hit by the hardest ball the summer had stockpiled” however this also shows the idea of cause and effect in that what humans inflict on the landscape the environment will seek revenge in other ways. Furthermore the savagery of nature is juxtaposed with the savagery of human nature, a shown when Beveridge makes reference to human technology when describing nature. The “noise of chainsaws” shows this technique of using man’s technology to describe nature as well as a sense of karma and therefore the constant battle that humans have with nature. Despite being set in Louisiana, there is a sense of a universal message as the image of the squashed mosquitoes look like “red and black letters” which reflect the red and black of Chinese characters.

On the other hand “The Kite” demonstrates a sense of “distance” or disconnectedness that runs throughout the poem. This lack of connection shows the change in the Siddhartha as he continues on his journey, yet it also shows his understanding of the uncertainties of the future especially enlightenment. The section “Between the Palace and the Bodhi Tree” demonstrates through the voice of the Buddha the notion of levity and lightness, which are key ideas that run throughout Buddhism. Though the use of the image of the “cohort wind” represents the notion of enlightenment. The use of enjambment creates a sense of flow, which connects to the flight of the kite and its connection with the boy. However this idea is juxtaposed with the boy “who looked at me from a distance” this sense of separation and disconnection shows Siddhartha’s acceptance that the future is uncertain. Furthermore the connection that the boy holds with the kite and controls it, mirrors the way that a Monk’s mind must be controlled during mediation. The image of “a tiny bird in mid-air courtship” and “the precision of an insect targeting a sting” is suggestive of the appreciation of the minutia, which is a motif that runs throughout the section and the whole collection. However the term “courtship” alludes to a sense of connection, levity and lightness and Siddhartha ponders the relationship between consumerism and liberation. Beveridge uses many literary techniques such as onomatopoeia to describe how the “lightening cracked”. She also uses similes to allude to the idea of connection juxtaposed with disconnection as “(like quick pale flicks of yak-hair fly-wisks)” not only does this image compare with the onomatopoeic description of the lightening it also shows a moment of disconnection as the Buddha seems to fall momentarily out of a meditative state. The use of strong imagery such as “special silk” also connects with the concept of liberation as it depicts the fragility of meditation as well as spiritual enlightenment. Through a reflective calm and accepting tone Siddhartha shows that although he is uncertain of the future he is appreciative of the moment and understands the importance of things learned in the past and how they affect the future.

Finally, “Sailor” in the “Signatures” section of the collection, represents the Buddha’s final state of enlightenment; through the voice of a sailor who reflects upon his journey at sea. Beveridge uses metalanguage in this section to reflect upon writing poetry. She changes the tense to present in this section and uses metaphors such as that “slips again and again between my fingers” as way to signature her collection, and reflect upon her own journey. The reflective, meditative and observational mood of “Sailor” shows the clarity that is achieved when one completes their passage to enlightenment. There is a quiet acceptance in the sailor as he alludes to past “same old dog” and shows that there is sameness in life that brings about a sense of comfort. Furthermore a perfect understanding, infinite freedom and unrestricted creativity is alluded to in the “unfledged light”, “red-tailed tropical bird”, “a gull hitching a winched cry” and the “peregrine moon” which represent a sense of freedom and lightness and a feeling of movement within the poem. This can be linked with how Siddhartha found that it was a human’s deep craving for existence which led beings to roam from life to life in an endless round of suffering. With the cease of craving-birth, death and suffering also ceased. This realisation brought about a radical and dramatic change in Siddhartha’s being. All traces of his own craving died away, birth and death dissolved. The limited, human personality ‘Siddhartha’ dropped away and all that was left was total luminous clarity that is portrayed in “Sailor”, as “the moon peeling and pulling”, “the sky roil”, “the peregrine moon” and “an unbailed sky” all represent the immensity of nature, and the uncontrollable movement of time that suggests the insignificance of the sailor in the landscape.

‘Peregrine’, ‘Between the Palace and the Bodhi Tree’ and ‘Signatures’ combine to make the three chapters of Wolf Notes, which represents the three different stages within the Buddha’s journey towards enlightenment. The poems “Exsanguination”, “The Kite” and “Sailor” are all metaphors for the passage towards enlightenment. “Exsanguination” shows the importance of the Buddhist’s notion of Karma and sin, as well as atonement. Furthermore the metaphor shows how the Buddha wanted to distance himself from the consumerism of society that was represented through the mosquitoes. “The Kite” shows the juxtaposition of connection with disconnection as the Siddhartha ponders the relationship between the boy and the kite and himself and his mind and how they must both be controlled. Yet it also explores the notion of appreciation of the minutia, which becomes more apparent in the Siddhartha and he nears his final moment of liberation and spiritual enlightenment. It is clear that from this poem, enlightenment of the mind is different for everyone and cannot be defined as it is a journey of one’s self. In this way it connects to “Sailor” as the sailor, the Buddha and Judith Beveridge reflect on their own personal journeys. Additionally, “Sailor” shows the immensity of nature and the importance of self-refection and clarity in the enlightened state. All three chapters within Wolf Notes help to convey the Buddha’s journey to enlightenment- “a state of transcendental insight into the true nature of reality, to be awake to the highest reality, to things as they really are”.

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Blog Audit Revised

August 30, 2013 by oliviapaterson
Blog Audit Revised
- Lose marks
- Food related
- Audited for three consecutive weeks
- Extra blog posts required
- · Must come dressed up (i.e George W. Bush)
Criteria
- Private (within the class)
- Opportunity for redemption
Email from Elliot – giving you options
1. Lose marks
2. Food related
3. Audited for three consecutive weeks
4. Extra blog posts required
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Lecture Notes BETA SYMPOSIUM 2

August 30, 2013 by oliviapaterson
How does Hypertext relate to storytelling in different Media formats?
- programs that allow you to navigate your way through film. can be random how the links are made between the films.
- the experiences that go with hypertext- meant to be linear but jump all over the place this is becoming the normal.
- “i’m a Hypertext theorist” – hypertexts gives an archaeology its dated but present.
- text- that has multiple relations to other text
- joined to other things in multiple ways
- not about navigation- navigation is only theory its not just about the reader. not just about giving agency to the reader.
- the thing with hypertext is you come back to things, though you might think that “oh i’ve seen this already, whats the point” it allows you to take a second look, a second chance to process that information.
- its like storytelling in a musical poetic form- repetition is ok.
Is the work we publish online only validated one it it viewed/consumed by others?
- No, example a personal journal. not intended for anyone to see. but is still helpful to you. just because people view it doesn’t make it more valid.
- ontology- what is it if it hasn’t been viewed by anyone? our blogs don’t exist until people view them- divided opinion.
- when we write in a blog it exists with an audience or not. difference between wether we need an audience to validate what it actually is.
- the beauty of blogging is that you can write for an imagined audience and if you keep to that style a real audience or readership will come.
- a link on a webpage is the way to get google ratings on your website- a way the get an audience.
Do you think the digitalisation of literary texts and the use of the E-reader will eventually replace the physical book completely?
- example- theatre and film
- no the physical book has the potential to become a collectors item?
- libraries- they will still be available?
- value of the book- you can’t rip pages out of a book because its a book, they almost have a sort of sentimental value.
- if you take the word literary out of the question it immediately changes.
- take literature out of the question and they are dead.
- the only way books will survive is through literature.
- another problem about books it the environmental footprint of making a physical book….it will become a digital footprint…it will still be literature but it just might not be in a book anymore.
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