In our tute last week (week 5) we were told to use the prompt ‘books without endings’ as an idea for a blog post.
I’m not going to lie, I am not quite sure what this really means…  But my interpretation of the concept a book without an end is when the author leaves us with an open-ended conclusion. In other words they leave the end of the novel open for interpretation and the reader can decide how they believe (or want) it to end.

An example of this is in the movie ‘inception’. The ending of inception is extremely debatable and open ended. Is Cobb still dreaming? When Cobbs spins his totem in the finale of the movie the filming cuts out just as the totem is about to drop so it is left to our own interpretation to decide whether it drops or whether it keeps spinning and he is still in a dream.

Many people argue that Cobb’s reality is in fact another level of a dream and that the entire movie is Cobb stuff in his own reality loop.
As everyone um and arhhhs about whether or not the totem drops, I’m going to make my ending for this movie. Being optimistic, I’ve come to the conclusion that it drops and he made it back to reality.

In light of our group research project about Youtube, I thought I would share with you my favourite Youtube video.

Watch this space for our Youtube Video about YouTube!!!

BREAKING NEWS

For the past few months the headlines have been dominated by speculation and debate regarding the Essendon drug saga. However, the AFL has finally come to a decision in terms of their charges and punishments.

At 8:15pm on the 27^th of August, Andrew Demetrious and Mike Fitzpatrick address the media on channel 9.
Essendon has been banned from the 2013 final series (meaning they cant play in the finals). Furthermore they are banned from the first two rounds of the national draft and they have been fined $2 million.
In regards to James Hird, He has been suspended from the AFL for the next 12 months.

Essendon football club were involved in a situation which not only was cheating the system, but it also put their players in danger. They deserve all the penalties which are throw at them and hopefully these harsh punishments will deter clubs from involving themselves with similar misdealing’s in the future.

After writing my previous post, I went on to do a little more research about hypertext. I came across a site by Webopedia about hypertext and was quite frustrated when I came across an inaccuracy within their research.

According to the site, hypertext is “a special type of database system, invented by Ted Nelson in the 1960’s.”

Didn’t we just read that it was invented in the thirties by Vannevar Brush?

The previous few weeks, we have read and blogged about design fiction, discussing and interpreting the way we might go about judging what is considered ‘real’ within the fiction.
However we are moving forward from this concept towards the more specific hypertext theory. As Adrian declares, this is because hypertext is a networked writing structure, it predates the World Wide Web (more commonly known as simply the web – which is a system of interlinked hypertext documents), and because many of its ideas provide an excellent way to approach how to theorise the Web not as technologies but as people who want to be able to narrate things.

Hypertext is text displayed on a computer display or other electronic device with references (hyperlinks) to other texts which the readers can immediately access, or where the texts can be revealed progressively on multiple levels of detail.

According to the extract from Douglas, J. Yellowlees ‘The End of Books – Or Books Without End?’, he claimed that hypertext is as much a concept as it is a form of technology.
While developments of hypertexts may be fairly recent, it has actually existed for many decades.
The idea of hypertexts was actually born back in the thirties by Vannevar Brush. The creator, Vannevar Brush, believed that books and libraries were beginning to hinder research just as much as it was helping it. So, he created a Memex which stemmed from a belief that machines could model the processing of information by reproducing the neural structures in the brain that linked information together by association rather than by the linear logic of the printed book. Readers who used the Memex would be able to collect snippets of information from a huge variety of sources, linking them together with ‘trails’ and even inserting their own comments or notes.

Mobile phones have revolutionised how consumers access media content. They have changed the way we access and read news because they are convenient, portable and produce real time news, ahead of TV’s and newspapers.
It is now possible to check the news online for free instead of buying a newspaper everyday.
Additionally, newspapers and magazine have created apps which offer the publisher a means of charging for the content that their websites produce for free.

Statistics have shown that we spend the most time out of our day on our computers, however this is very closely followed by our mobile phones, which are ahead of TV! According to the same statistics the average mobile web user consumes 7.2 hours of media daily and mobile devices represent a whopping 27% of this time!

Mobile devices are used throughout the day à when we are lying in bed, waiting for something, while watching TV, commuting for example on public transport, spending time with family, in the bathroom, while shopping and even at social gatherings!

Mobile content consumed by various genders is relatively equal across all platforms, for example both males and females spend approximately the same amount of time on social media, entertainment and games

Additionally, mobile phones have the ability to impact consumer behaviours throughout the purchase path by introducing you to something new, providing you with a better option and informing you of nearby products.

It’s time to have a much needed rant! I occupied myself this winter, on the cold and rainy days, by engrossing myself in the TV series 90210, only to be exceptionally disappointed by the season finale. I’m not sure about you, but when I absorb myself in a series my one wish is that there is a happy ending.

However, there is a tragic ending, as my favourite character silver is diagnosing with cancer. Worst ending ever?
There is no resolution, no silver lining. The girl simply has cancer, and that’s it! To make it even worse, the episode before, Silver finds out that the surrogate mother of her child has lost the baby.
Naomi does not end up with Max, and we never get to see whether Annie and Liam end up together (and don’t break up for the fifteenth time).

Surely the CW could have taken a leaf out of Gossip girls book and forked out a few extra bucks to shoot a flash forward ending.

http://cdn.dropmark.com/4931/9cdc50c349beb1c5a790f7843894599c3f08be1a/As%20We%20May%20Think.pdf 

In Vannevars article “As We May Think”, he urges that men of science should attempt to make more accessible our incomprehensive store of knowledge. He asserts in his article that for years inventions have extended mans physical powers rather than the power of their minds. For example; hammers multiply the power of the wrists and microscopes sharpen the eye.

Now, according to Dr. Bush, inventions are at hand which have the ability for man to have access over the heritable knowledge of the ages. Additionally, scientists have worked together, sharing their knowledge, rather than creating a war, in order to work in effective partnership.

Lasting benefits of man’s use of science and newly invented instruments include:

• Increased control of the material environment
• Improved food, clothing, shelter
• Increased security
• Increased knowledge of humans biological processes so that he has a progressive freedom from disease and an increased span of life.
• Overall improved mental health
• Science has had the ability to provide swift communication between individuals.

Vannevar, believes that our methods of transmitting and reviewing the results of research are generations old. History shows that although inventors had the right ideas, the economic situation were against them. For example, two centuries ago Leibnitz invented a calculating machine, but it could not come into use because the labor involved in constructing it exceeded the labor to be saved by its use.
Nowadays however machines can be constructed with great economy and effort. According to Vannevar, “The world has arrived at an age of cheap complex devices of great reliability.”

So I guess its time to get the ball rolling and start blogging about something other than networked media. So for anyone traveling to Bali in then near future, here are some tips for things to do, places to see and where to eat.

In terms of restaurants, dining in Bali is generally a highlight. Restaurants in Bali offer travellers a wide variety of excellent dishes which satisfy every budget and taste. Surprisingly, authentic Balinese food is rarely enjoyed by the island’s visitors, simply because it is rarely served.
The best part about eating out in Bali, is that your can experience delicious, decadent meals from the top restaurants for extremely cheap prices. Some of highlight restaurants I dined at include; La Lucciola, Sardine (absolute favourite – went back 3 times) and Metis.
My favourite restaurant, Sardine, not only provides a fantastic feed, it also provides an experience you will never forget. It is a charming restaurant, housed in a striking bamboo structure, overlooking a vista of endless rice paddocks.

A beautiful, must visit beach, is at Uluwartu. Uluwartu is a very well known destination among surfing enthusiasts. Most of the surf is suitable for advanced surfers only, however there are locals who you can hire surfboards from and are willing to help beginners brave the surf.   While at Uluwartu, Blue Point is also a great point to visit, with amazing views.

If you like massages, then Bali is the perfect place for you. With $5, 60 minutes massages literally everywhere you look! But if you are willing to spend a little more, make sure you have a hot stone massage at one of the top hotels spas, where you will experience 5 star treatment.

The kuta region is the centre of Bali’s nightlife. Entrance to the bars are all free with cheap drinks at the bars, clubs and restaurants. Go to SkyGarden! It has 5-6 levels with different music and shows and an interesting mix of individuals.

Does design fiction predict our future, or is it simply a productive tool for influencing the future.
Sci-fi authors are trying to write about the future and shed some light on possible ways in which our society and culture may develop in the future. Design fiction uses the techniques of fiction and drama in order to ‘test’ the future and see what future technologies might work in our society.

Recently, science-fiction has predicted the homes of the future. Many new technologies are popping up in seemingly ‘normal’ homes inspired by familiar scenarios from science fiction films, TV shows and even novels.
As Bruce Sterling reveals in his article,  http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/03/02/bruce_sterling_on_design_fictions_.html,  in the 2001 film, Space Odyssey, ‘the guy is holding what’s clearly an ipad’. Additionally it was involved in recent lawsuits between Apple and Samsung.

Link to YouTube Video: Ipad in Space Odyssey

In this case, it could be possible that companies such as Apple and Samsung have used the design fiction from the film as a productive, influential tool for the designs.

The worlds which are created in futuristic films and novels also play a role in debating our current science, as it feeds our scientific imagination as we consider what is possible.
Although perhaps design fiction is not a prediction of the future, I do believe that it opens our eyes to the opportunities and hazards of new technologies. It articulates our fears and desires for the future hence innovating our future.