Giorgia discusses what it takes to write a good essay – some worthwhile notes for the dreaded final assignment. To quote Giorgia, who quoted Adrian, ‘a good essay is not an opinion, it is an informed, evidence based argument. It is not reflective so much as critical and analytical.’
Amy has a good summary of some of the key points of the reading revolving around database logic. She outlines the idea that webpages are continuously unfinished, and the fact that websites are collection of elements, rather than a flowing story.
Angus expresses a enlightening outlook on the Internet as a database sytem, arguing against the idea that the Internet is no home for narratives/stories. He claims that the origin and evolution of the Internet is a story in itself – how it came to be, and how it has grown. Although the story of the Internet continues, it has defined ‘chapters’ that certainly contain a beginning middle and end. He secondly states that the Internet has stories within it, each of which is created by the user.
The tragic story of the loss David Cassai, the victim of an unprovoked attack in 2012. Awareness much be raised about how severe a single punch, or any act of senseless violence, can be. Please support the ‘STOP. One Punch Can Kill‘ campaign.
Credit to Vincent Petrilli and Jack Wright for the documentary.
This week’s reading revolved around the ‘poetics, aesthetics, and ethics’ of the Internet as a database. So what is a database? The standard definition of the term is a ‘structured collection of data,’ however this model can vary (hierarchical, network, relational, and object-oriented) from one instance to another.
New media technologies are recognised for often adopting a database structure, rather than a linear, narrative form. Immediately, the hypertext system of the Internet springs to mind. Like a database, a webpage is made up of a coded, HTML file which consists of a sequential list of instructions for individual components. This material then correlates to what we view online – a collection of items such as text, imagery, video and links to other pages. They could not exist without the specific coding in the HTML file, as one tiny mis-type could result in a significant error. In this sense, HTML coding is much like human DNA, in which sequencing of nucleotides code for specific traits on the body. Does this mean human genetics can be classed as a database system?
I think where they differ is the fact that webpages are continuously unfinished and infinitely changing. HTML files have the capacity to be edited post publication on the Internet – new content or links might be added. This is another feature of a database to which the Internet complies, whereas the human genetics system does not. The DNA we are born with remains our DNA for life, and generally we cannot alter it.
I know this is only the tiniest slice of what the reading was about, but it was just an interesting comparison that came to mind.
After attending this symposium and eventually getting around to reading week nine’s second text, the relevance of the power law distribution became a whole lot clearer. The example of how the practices of both music industry and consumers has changed, as discussed in the reading and symposium, is perhaps the best way to clarify what it’s all about. Examine the following power law/long tail:
The big hits in the music industry can be found in the ‘head’ of the power law. These are the mainstream artists and/or songs that are replayed on the radio millions of times across the globe, and independently generate the most revenue. On the wider scale of things, there are fewer of these big hits than there is music commercially available all together. This fact leads us to acknoweledge the ‘long tail.’ In the lower tail of the long tail resides the rest of the music out there, typically those less known or obscure. Collectively, the long tail generates greater revenue than the few million-dollar hits found in the head.
In the past, music was only accessible on physical media, like CDs and records. Not all producers had the opportunity to mass produce CDs or gain access to major distributors, consequently limiting the consumer’s access to their music all together. Today, however, the music industry has completely transformed, with digital media and the Internet opening up so many opportunities for both music producers and consumers. It is much easier now for small music makers to get their content out there, through uploading their content for download on platforms such as iTunes, Spotify or Soundcloud. This gives rise to many more obscure artists and enables consumers the access to a broader, more diverse range of music. It is also great in the sense that old tracks do not disappear from the music scene like they did previously.
Long live the long tail! Pretty cool stuff.
