The Past-Age of the Essay

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Patrick Turnbull under Life, Networked Media

Essay time. Photo: Serdar Kilic

For an interesting look into the history of the essay and how it went so wrong in public education. Perhaps if more people thought like this, the essay would not have such a negative stigma surrounding it? As Courtney points out, highlighting a new method of thought, or set of beliefs regarding a subject is much more exciting than rehashing information about Charles Dickens or Hamlet. Equally important, she also acknowledges that certain subjects require facts and evidence (such as history) for points to be made. This is also perfectly true, however as Adrian pointed out, there are plenty of great essays that use evidence and facts. I think it is more to do with the fact that essays don’t need evidence to be good. We have been brought up to be very wary of information (eg; Don’t use wikipedia as a source, it can’t be trusted– While some of these are marginally valid points, this article in general screams insecure rubbish), everything must have a source, surely we can’t actually come up with our own ideas or thought patterns – or more importantly – trust them?

I also think that the quote she pulled out from Graham’s article really hones in on a sound and integral point.

In a real essay, you don’t take a position and defend it. You notice a door that’s ajar, and you open it and walk in to see what’s inside.

Perhaps if schools taught writing using this stance, we would have generations of much more confident and creative individuals? I’m serious, if we were taught this in school, the world would be so revolutionarily different I can’t even explain it. For instance: How many kids out there are there who fail at english and fall apart because they simply can’t get their head around the rigid and unobliging structure that is forced down our throats in Secondary school? People would be more open to learning, they’d be more confident at it, not only that but they would be more creative about it. This sort of standpoint encourages people to express their own unique thoughts and ideas; but not to persuade through bullying. The idea is to present and speculate, pose new questions and answer it. It encourages you to show what you know and think, to speculate, to explore and ponder the universe. Wouldn’t that be much more beneficial then learning the art of rehashing, re-mixing and defending yourself?

Your view point is not right, you can’t even give someone else’s statement to back it up. You should be able to back up your ideas with other people’s previous developed thoughts. Oh, but you’re not allowed to use other people’s ideas anyway. That’s stealing. Sound familiar? The best part about abiding by the methodology that Graham suggests, as Georgina points out:

you can start out with nothing- just a pencil, a piece of paper and your thoughts- and result in an answer to something neither you nor the reader had previously known. That’s the way to progress, to evolve.

Creativty. Speculation. Exploration. Recurring themes. They’re all the outcomes of “Model II” style activities and behaviour. The form of “essay” that we learn in school is definitely a “Model I” sort of action. Its all about insecurity, being defensive and not allowing speculation and creativity.

Setting Goals: Basic Tasks and Assignments

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Patrick Turnbull under Life

Map those goals. Photo: Angie Torres

I am someone who can struggle with honing in on something, I tend to be like that in all areas of life. Whether it be an essay (What’s a word limit?), or trying to complete study tasks, or even getting something done on the job. I can’t work without tangible outcomes and goals. I need some sort of direction to perform my best work. Yet so often – in fact most of the time – I fail to set goals for myself, no matter how big or small. I’m also a big thinker. Often I’ll think a lot about things and never put them to paper (or .doc for that matter), and I spend a lot more time thinking than I actually do, doing. What’s more, when I face busy and stressful times I am better at getting work done. But I don’t often get it done how I’d like to, or too my potential.

Focus is something I need to think hard about, and notice when I’m slipping off the wagon. One of the best ways I can combat this is by setting goals. Why don’t I do this more often? I don’t know. Probably, almost certainly, it is to do with will-power and motivation. Something that can be very hard to moderate and control, especially if you don’t pay attention to your behaviours and habits. I guess this is where it all ties in, once again, to what we’ve been learning.

For me, this is as much a self-directed journey of personal development as it is a class to be educated in – or rather, to learn in.

So what do I do to make things easier for myself?

Make goals.
Break tasks down into bigger tasks.
Attempt to complete tasks before procrastination hits; ie try and use my free time to tackle tasks straight away, rather than doing something fun and then trying to complete the task.
Wake up earlier and go to bed earlier. Make good use of my morning will power while it’s still at its fullest.
Don’t be afraid of being wrong – nothing is going to be perfect off the bat. It’s all about taking small steps to craft your product or creation.
Think of tasks as on-going. Improvements can be made. Modifications can occur. Not everything has to be instantaneous. (This is another big problem I have that I will address at a later date.)

A big list of things to do, to pay attention to. But it can be done, it’s an ongoing process that can be worked on. As for having a bit of direction in my life. I think I am finally finding what I want to do. I am noticing where my interests and passions are directed and what is attracting them. Time to do a bit of life planning. The best things you can take away from planning and direction are: confidence, organisation and success. That’s exactly what I want in life.

Book Worming

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Patrick Turnbull under Entertainment, Life

A good place for a worm like me. Photo: Raul Lieberwirth

I love books. I also love hearing things like this: Robinsons Bookshop in Frankston voted Victoria’s most popular seller. It’s great to see books still doing there thing and keeping alive in this e-dominated world. This bookshop is the closest traditional bookstore to me, so this is fantastic news that touches and warms my heart – what’s even better is it is completely relevant to what Adrian and Brian touched on in the Symposium.

One only has to keep up with the news to see that book stores aren’t doing to well out there. As a matter of fact – the big ones are all shutting down in Australia. Here’s some articles from the ABC, The Sydney Morning Herald and one from the Age about book giants Angus and Robertson and Borders closing up shop and moving conveniently online to bookworld.com.au to make a living. So why are independent bookstores still alive? How are they weathering the storm? Well according to Ms Horman who owns Robinson’s, they’re not shrinking their physical and retail presence; They’re expanding.

We want to grow. We are not following the trend of some bookshops because we feel confident in what we are doing and feel that the public still want books and they want bookshops

Instead of shutting down stores, they’re opening more stores? So what makes this possible. Well, from what I can gather, Robinsons and other independents out there are offering something that online stores such as Amazon can’t: a satisfying customer service experience and an exceptionally personal in-store experience. Buying books from a retail outlet is always going to cost more than Amazon or any online service. That’s where Borders and co. went wrong. Their prices were just as steep as any small book outlet, but their service was rubbish, there was no experience. Why would anyone pay more to put up with horrible waiting times and poor customer service, especially when they can order with ease and security with a few mouse clicks – even less if you’re automatically signed into Amazon.

So that’s what we want. That’s what we have to do in order to satisfy a public and society who’s expectations are on the rise and who can’t get no satisfaction. Let’s follow the example of Robinsons. Exceptional customer service. Personal customer service. Taking care of your customers. Providing a friendly and warm cafe and coffee shop in store. The stores aren’t busy, they’re intimate, you get one on one customer service and all the help you need. It’s warm, cosy, just like home. It’s a place to meet fellow book lovers. These are the kind of examples we should live by. This a great case study into what makes something successful.

We can all learn something from Robinsons. Sometimes doing things the old-fashioned way is better. And I think that with our generation, the world will become more experience based, to make up for all the experiences we’ve missed out on during our childhood.

Rise of the Gravewalkers

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Patrick Turnbull under Entertainment, Life

Zombies are scary. Photo: Peter Taylor

Here’s some quality entertainment for you all. Last year I completed VCE, part of which was VCE Media. I happened to make a hilarious and entertaining (Well I like to think so) mess of a zombie horror film. All authentic post-production black and white, film-grain, the lot. It’s a special treat for you guys. The inspiration for posting this goes to Arthur, who posted some of his student-short-films that I happened to stumble across while navigating the network.

So here it is, in all its glory. It was fun, we all had fun. Now we can look back on it and chuckle. The acting’s not great, neither is the cinematography. Although I like to think the set was alright – and the costumes – well, at least for my limited budget of $0. So enjoy:

Technologies

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Patrick Turnbull under Entertainment, Life, Networked Media

Red HFR Cameras – The future of cinema? Photo: Ian Muttoo

Vannevar Bush’s “As We May Think” creates a feeling of possibility and speculation from the first read in. While Bush recounts the history of communication – particularly storage techniques – I could not help but feel my mind inclining to thoughts of future technologies and inventions (This one came to mind straight away). The fact presented early in the article is true. We now have a network with abundant amounts of knowledge, currently however, we are relying on methods of storage and knowledge retention that do not take full advantage of it. To speculate this in 1945 deserves bonus points. I guess the another main point is that in 1945 we were faced with similar problems. Storage, categorising, sorting, organising. Now we have these better methods, but we also have a lot more information and knowledge to retain, store, sort and organise.

Technology surrounding storage methods of communication (ie, photography, film, etc) are still clunky, but everything is headed in the direction of minimising this clunkiness. We only have to look at companies like RED digital cameras. Smaller than a traditional video camera, yet more capable of producing high definition digital images. The prospects of technologies like this are only just starting to be explored by film-makers on a major level. HFR (High Framerate) films and Peter Jackson and James Cameron in particular come to mind. (Although this one is taking a while to rub-off on film experts – the fans seem to love it – I can only assume that this will become a standard in the future.)

Interestingly enough, this ties back in with the ideas of Model I and II learning that Adrian introduced us too a number of weeks ago. It’s funny how everything relates and interconnects in the network. When something new – ie change – is proposed or implemented, defensiveness and criticism is always the initial response.

But enough about loops and connections. As Bush’s article outlines we are moving towards new technologies even now after such incredible leaps and bounds we have made to make things more accessible. The bulk of the article discusses the histories of technologies and how they’ve evolved. How we’re all able to take pictures that are higher resolution then experts could take only years ago. How we’re able to manufacture greater more powerful devices and technologies with even more ease than a basic device required back in the day. As our inventions become more adventurous, so too must our methods of communication, production and storage. Since this was written, our technologies have become even more advanced and adaptable.

Mapping the World

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Patrick Turnbull under Life

A hole in the ground, what a swell place to dwell. Photo: Rachel Lovinger

A great pick up by Adrian here. While it is clear that there is some bias in these representations (Let’s have a look at who’s conducting the surveys and the fact that some countries aren’t even surveyed at all), it is also easy to glimpse a pretty simple graphical breakdown of a number of key aspects of society, global relations and the economies of the world.

Although it is only a debatable study as I previously mentioned, it does yield at least a few main ideas that I took away. I guess they come from the more contestable maps, but still, its nice to think that they’re accurate, because the results are promising.

For me, aside from economies – which point in a similar direction– it reassures me of my beliefs that Canada, Australia and New Zealand are the three preferable places to live in the world. Canada it seems, outshines even Australia in liveability and happiness. As we consider our futures, possible moves (both international and nationally), these are probably three of the most important things to consider. Nothing will make you more productive than feeling happy, loved and having a positive mindset. It does highlight that we are among the luckiest in the world. While we complain and protest a lot about our current statuses in certain areas (health, education, all the regulars), it’s important to note the reason we care so much about these things is because we have had a ridiculously high standard on a global level for our lifetimes. We only want more because we’re used to having more.

In this sense it’s important to remember empathy and to consider that despite us having more and wanting more, there are people who have consistently had less. I’m not saying we should devote all our finances, interests and energies into helping other nations. That’s not a feasible solution. What I am saying though, is that we should take great pride in where we are, how we got here, and continue to note the positive effect that it has already had on our lives, whether we realise it consciously or not.

I’ve always had an interest in New Zealand and Canada (I’ve been to New Zealand once and plan to go there again soon, Canada – never). They seem prosperous and full of opportunity and beauty. They are rich in culture and experience, and I guess that relates once again back to me being an experience based person. Even the horribly biased and sensationalised travel advertisements for these countries seem incredible realistic and tangible. I guess that’s because the countries are actually so rich in these aspects. Peter Jackson and Lord of the Rings come up again on contributing to New Zealand’s culture and prosperity.

With that I guess, I look forward to future exploring in the world and the exciting experiences and opportunities such places possess.

Directing Cinema

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Patrick Turnbull under Entertainment, Life, Networked Media

Peter Jackson doing what he does best. Directing. Photo: Andy Zeigert

Here’s an interesting read. An interview with Peter Jackson from the DGA (Director’s Guild of America). I have always held most interest in film out of any are of media. I haven’t really set any career goals though, perhaps I am trying to avoid disappointment as it is a very hard industry to make it in. But I guess that’s just life. Nothing comes free, maybe I just need to go and do it. The point is, I love hearing from experts and what they have to say. From their way of life, their upbringings, how they got into the industry and most of all, their job. Peter Jackson has always been forthcoming with this sort of information (6,000,000 hours of behind the scenes content for The Lord of the Rings proves this) and I feel that it’s a great opportunity to get an insight into the industry.

For anyone interested in making films or joining the industry, it could definitely be a worthwhile investment. I love the way Peter keeps himself removed from the glam of Hollywood (what a load of rubbish, at least as removed as humanly possible for a multi-academy-award-winning director), and the fact that he uses his homeland for everything he can, keeping a great work-life balance. I think anyone would love to make the money he does and experience what he does and live five minutes away from their workplace.

Another thing that makes Peter interesting (okay, so what, heaps of directors and film producers are like him), is the fact that he has not gone through traditional cinema education. Maybe it’s for the better:

We didn’t have any film schools. In America they had them, yeah, but I was a kid growing up in New Zealand, and there was no possibility in my mind that I would ever go to a film school in America. It would have been like going to the moon. There’s something about being here in New Zealand, a certain isolation, and back in the ’60s and ’70s, it was even more isolated than it is now.

This sort of attitude is admirable, and desirable. To be able to back yourself and dive into a project or career path without any real “guidelines” of sorts, that’s a credit to you. It also ties into immersing yourself in the world and the experience. Something that ties back a little to the Symposium Mark I and what Adrian discussed:

“OK, I’m going to teach myself. I’m just going to grab a camera and do it. There’s a very go-to kind of attitude in New Zealand that stems from that psyche of being quite isolated and not being able to rely on the rest of the world’s infrastructure.”

I think it’s great. Inspiration. Motivational. Reading things like this really helps to inspire me, I love to immerse myself in things like that and I think it’s something everyone should do when you get a chance. Be passionate, enthusiastic and jump in. Not just on-board.

Symposium Mark I

Posted on August 13, 2013 by Patrick Turnbull under Life, The Unlectures

Perhaps this is what the symposium would look like if it were dumbed down and lost a bit of its creative edge. Photo: Maryland Govpics

Promising, real promising. This is what life is all about. Discussion, contributions, feedback, analysis, speculation. The first official symposium contained all of these, plus more. They’re all things I don’t do enough of. It’s really inspiring stuff. Particularly the last points made by Adrian.

It’s about the experience. We’re in an experience based world. Well, we’re not in an experience based world, rather there are experience based “things” in our world. I posted about this earlier on in my blogging career. It’s something I’d like to touch on again. I am a big believer in experience. I buy things, lots of things. I might regret it one day, but I buy lots of things that I am able to use to immerse myself in experiences. They’re material possession’s sure, but I don’t just think of all material objects in the same way. There is a line between material possessions and experiences that is met well by a number of items in the world.

Movies are one thing, books another. Both material possessions, you can collect, buy, sell, trade, keep, etc. But they give you experiences. Some people choose to repeat these experiences and keep them, treasure them. Others choose to sell them after they are finished consuming. Owning a movie to me is not just about the movie, but the packaging, the collectables, what comes with it, as well as the memories.

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies and The upcoming instalments in The Hobbit trilogy are a perfect example of this. They release numerous editions of the film. “They’re grabbing for money!”, some shout. “Peter Jackson wants a new private jet”, others proclaim. I think of immense happiness and joy. The collector’s edition Lord of the Rings and Hobbit extended edition movies are beautiful. The packaging itself is an art. But inside, the statues, work of the famous Weta Workshop, of course, are even more gorgeous.

I don’t just get a movie. I get to immerse myself in the experience of the film. I don’t just buy things that are marked “limited edition”, I want something that goes that extra mile and provides me with such an experience that the over priced tag is justifiable.

It’s the same thing as the Barbershop example I posted about earlier. I want an experience. I don’t want something disposable. I want something that will tickle my senses, evoke memories and provide me with a greater quality of life.

That’s what I took away from this symposium, more than anything. I love experiences, it seems people want that more than ever in the world. To succeed as a person, organisation, etc, we have to provide an experience.

Exploring

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Patrick Turnbull under Culture, Life, Networked Media, Theories and Philosophy

Pumping blood. Photo: David O

Thanks to Elliot for his fantastic idea of organising the student blogs into tutorials on his blog. As a result of this I have been able to do some exploring of the blogs belonging to my fellow classmates. Something that caught my eye was Prani’s post about rape culture and how society handles the issue. What she discusses is the way in which we as a society teach women that they are at fault, that it is their responsibility to protect themselves from rape. This is a perfect example of single-loop behaviour in action. Rather than trace the issue back to its foundation, we choose to notice the fault and create reactive measures, instead of attempting to resolve the roots of the problem. As a society in contemporary times we have a tendency not to speculate the future, or think about longevity. Our whole culture is based around our knowledge that we can build things and create ideas that are disposable or reactive, rather than behaving in a proactive manner and thinking about how things can be used into the future.

It’s hard not for us to act this way, we’re surrounded by disposable plastic containers and packaging. We’re accustomed to buying products that have a one year life (the life of a standard warranty most of the time, it’s not a coincidence that they break just after the warranty expires). We’ve been brought up to believe that their are unlimited resources, or more importantly that we can continue to harvest and consume, because there will always be another resource to take it’s place (Well, our generation at least). It’s no surprise that we’re depleting our valuable minerals, such as petroleum. I myself have tried to step out of the overconsumption chain, and have begun making choices that are based on the future. (Like buying this fantastic leather briefcase. Made of natural materials and has a 100 year warranty. That’s not something you see every day.) Buying for the future is not all of it though, even more important is thinking for the future.

Back to the main point – this example of rape culture – ties in exactly to what we’ve been exploring in Networked Media. There is an ideology in society that women are not safe on their own – especially at night. There is a narrow-minded point of view towards the idea of rape, that it is somehow the fault of women. When we criticise women for walking home alone, or dressing in sexually alluring clothing, we don’t stop and think about trying to resolve the issue completely, or improve society’s attitude towards women. We simply put in reactive measures (ie, those “How not to get raped” classes Prani mentioned). Issues like this bring to perfect light the fact that society as a whole needs to change its behaviour, and begin to function in a manner that is more embracing of the future, and double-loop learning practices. As Adrian has said, we are a single-loop learning society. Speculation, adaptability and proactivity are words that spring to mind once again. They’re the sorts of thought processes and actions we need as a society in order to advance and prosper.

That was long and rambling. Some interesting issues were discussed. Some I’ll elaborate on further in future blog posts – I’m big on the idea and study of overconsumption and that sort of stuff – others, perhaps might be explored and discussed by my peers in the future. We’ll wait and see.

Patrick Turnbull

A University student studying Media at RMIT.

Category Archives: Life