Lecture-casting

Ok so lecture casting is this new wave in the college learning experience. Professors record their lectures on their iPods, and then put them online as mp3 files available for students to download to their PCs and iPods.

 I think this is both helpful and harmful at the same time. While it is convenient for students to listen to their lectures when they miss them after visiting third world countries on holiday it can also be a harmful crutch that takes away from the University experience. Once they realize they don’t need to go to class… they… don’t. There is something to be said for the visuals and dry-erase board notes that are given in class. They are helpful and require (or at least request) the student to write it all down. Writing helps memorization and retention. Lecture casts aren’t good for that.

 Lecture casts in their purest form are very good though. From a college student’s standpoint in a hectic and time constrained world I can understand the necessity. Invention is the product of necessity. You can get the truly vital information you missed in class without having to ask your fellow comrades for their notes. It represents a more discrete acceptance of absence from lectures and there is less shame and hassle involved.

 In the future I can see more classrooms using it, but at the college level. I doube that high schools will implement it, at least not soon. I believe that it will remain a useful tool for attentive university students and a crutch for slackers. It is what it is and is hard to predict how it will evolve, and if it even will evolve.

And anyways, I’ve only had on class so far that utilizes the iPod lecture-cast. I haven’t had much opportunity to try it out. I am a purist under many circumstances, and I prefer things to be simple. Relying on technology 24/7 is just asking for something to go wrong.

Liberty

   Of course a lot of guys were ashamed. Somebody said let’s go out and fight for liberty and so they went and got killed without ever once thinking about liberty. And what kind of liberty were they fighting for anyway? How much liberty and whose idea of liberty? Were they fighting for the liberty of eating free ice cream cones all their lives or for the liberty of robbing anybody they pleased whenever they wanted to or what? You tell a man he can’t rob and you take away some of his liberty. You’ve got to. What the hell doese liberty mean anyhow? It’s just a word like house or table or any other word. Only it’s a special kind of word. A guy says house and he can point to a house to prove it. But a guy says come on let’s fight for liberty and he can’t show you liberty. He can’t prove the thing he’s talking about so how in the hell can he be telling you to fight for it? 
   No sir anybody who went out and got into the front line trenches to fight for liberty was a goddam fool and the guy who got him there was a liar. Next time anybody came gabbling to him about liberty – what did he mean next time? There wasn’t going to be any next time for him. But the hell with that. If there could be a next time and somebody said let’s fight for liberty he would say mister my life is important. I’m not a fool and when I swap my life for liberty I’ve got to know in advance what liberty is and whose idea of liberty we’re talking about and just how much of that liberty we’re going to have. And what’s more mister are you as much interested in this liberty as you want me to be? And maybe too much liberty will be as bad as too little liberty and I think you’re a goddam fourflusher talking through your hat and I’ve already decided that I like the liberty I’ve got right here the liberty to walk and see and hear and talk and eat and sleep with my girl. I think I like that liberty better than fighting for a lot of things we won’t get and ending up without any liberty at all. Ending up dead and rotting before my life is even begun good or ending up like a side of beef. Thank you mister. You fight for liberty. Me I don’t care for some.

Dalton Trumbo

Paper 2 (final draft)

 

 

New Media’s Effect on Art, Composition, and Music
 

            Weblog poetry and stories, MySpace Music, literary and art discussion forums; these are all products of New Media.  These tools provide authors and artists many creative outlets directly to an audience that is willing, able, and eager to listen.  It is a wonderful, and fairly new, development in the online culture.  Formerly artists, musicians, poets, novelists, etc. all had to have a middle party in order to get their work out in the public.  A musician or group will put out an album through a record label.  A writer has his or her book printed and distributed through a publisher.  Traditionally these middle men edit the work from its original form, and only distribute those works which they deem marketable.  This has really had a restrictive effect on the art and literary world. 

The times are changing towards a more open and free exchange of ideas, art, writing, music, photography, among other things.  Ultimately it will be beneficial to these creative people.  It will give them a vast audience through which they will gain opinions, commentary, and prospective buyers of their work.  To remove the middle man and get the creative works straight to the audience is a movement in the right direction artistically and creatively, and even financially as well.

Blogs are taking the World Wide Web by storm.  Gaining popularity daily, they have become a very common source for an amateur writer’s outlet.  It seems as though everyone has a blog!  More often than not blogs are a form of online diary or journal, but

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obviously many are used for political, business, educational uses, among others as well.  For the purposes of this discussion the focus will be on a journal type of blog.  With advances in digital image technologies even photographers are getting in on the blogosphere. 

Upon browsing literary blogs at sites such as Complete Review: Links to Literary Weblogs, one will notice that there are countless blogs about countless subjects by countless authors (Complete Review).  It really is a very vast, growing and thriving environment.  With an online diary or journal incarnation of a blog, or a literary blog, an author is able to share his or her work with a generally infinite number of potential readers.  The audience is only limited to the number of Internet users in the world.  The next great writer might be sitting in the basement right now typing up Chapter 6 to the next bestseller.  Now with blogs on the Internet, this author can post up parts of the book online.  In many novels a chapter can almost be considered a short story unto itself.  If the author posted a chapter from their novel-in-process as a short story just think of the possibilities. 

Readers would get a preview as to what the book is about.  They would be able to criticize the book and influence the author in some way.  They would also be able to find out for themselves whether or not this author writes in a style they would enjoy reading.  They can decide, free of charge, if they would want to read and buy that author’s books.  The previous statement may be a stretch, but it is pretty common for people to want options and to have as much information as possible.  Thus the Internet, also known as the Information Highway was born out of necessity for information to be shared!  Posting

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a blog online consisting of a creative writing composition is just a further evolution of the Internet.

From an author’s point of view, posting a blog online is a way to see if people like what you have written and if it would be acceptable to a large audience.  One may even find a way to have a publishing company representative comment on the work.  Any feedback, positive or negative, can be helpful if it is “constructive criticism.”

There is one drawback to posting a composition online.  By making it available to anyone online the author has probably voided any copyright that he or she held on that particle passage.  It would make it very easy for a dishonest person to steal and pass of as their creative work.  It is like literary rape to have a composition stolen online and for someone else to gain from that loss.  It is a risk.  The advice here is for authors to not post a whole novel online if they ever intend to copyright it, publish it, get paid for it, etc. 

 

The effects of the new media are not limited to literary work on blogs though.  Musical and visual artists can benefit from online sharing as well.  Websites such as MySpace Music, or any other personal blog or web space, can be used to get music out there.  Artists can sign up for free and post their mp3 files on the web.  Podcasts also provide a medium through which free distribution of mp3 files of any sort are distributed.  Lectures, talk shows, and music can all be Podcasted.  Through Podcasts musical artists can reach the same audience potential as with a blog.  iTunes is free for anyone, and it is free to listen to a Podcast on a computer, without having to buy an iPod (Apple).  The technology available for distribution is staggering.

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Up and coming bands have a better chance of being heard and recognized by a wider audience.  To be noticed by a record label is the dream of any band.  They also get the satisfaction of sharing the music with people and fans that will enjoy it.  Creating a fan base is always important and helpful!

Established and popular musical artists also have a way to allow listeners preview, or “pre-hear” if you will, their CDs before they come out.  An example of this was the MySpace page that the band Weezer created.  In 2005 Weezer released an album entitled “Make Believe.”  Before the release date the actual songs were available to listen to on MySpace (Weezer).  They are not available for free illegal download.  Average users are not able to save the actual mp3 to their hard drive because it is a form of streaming technology.  The music just plays through the page’s player, so the user must go to the page to hear it.  It cannot be copied or burned to CD or anything of the sort without major software upgrades and grossly illegal piracy violations.  Although it may be easy to get the Recording Industry Association of America on your side as a musical recording artist, not many no-names are going to get any recognition of copyright infringement for posting online. 

The listener and the artist both benefit from this kind of sharing.  The artist can get feedback in the same manner an author is able to do so with a blog.  The listener feels as though their favorite band cares about them and that they can hear the music “first.”  It is a win-win situation for both parties.

 

 

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Visual artists, such as photographers, Flash programmers, or cartoonists, etc, are also able to share their art online.  It is done in the same manner as literature or music.  Today, the majority of blogs have the capabilities to include digital images or animations embedded right in the text, or alone.  It is a great feature.  Although it is often used for posting family vacation photos, similar to the boring projector slideshow, it can also be used to scan in legitimate paintings or drawings or photographs as works of art.  Sharing these can create an art-fan base and a source of feedback.  Just like the previous two forms of art, it can be very useful for the painter or photographer or cartoonist or programmer and also for the audience.

Once again, the pitfall to posting music or visual art online is similar to that of posting writing compositions.  They are easily hijacked and passed off as someone else’s work.  It is a cheap and unethical way to obtain respect or even gain financially, but it happens.  Advice to the artists: Do not post all of your best work online!  That prevents the really good things from being stolen while still getting constructive comments on the others.  The U.S. Copyright Office defines what is eligible to be legally copyrighted.  “Copyright protects ‘original works of authorship’ that are fixed in a tangible form of expression” (U.S. Copyright Office).  The question to ask is this: Are online blog postings “tangible?”  This line of thought carries one to a very confusing place but, technically they are not really tangible. 

The ability to get these works of art directly to the audience makes it quick, efficient, cheap or free, and just plain easier.  The new media has many new applications and they are great ideas that should be, and are, being utilized more and more by authors,

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artists, and musicians.  The audience appreciates the immediacy and convenience while the works’ creators enjoy constructive criticism. 

Despite the copyright drawbacks, I believe that the tools of the new Internet culture and new media are helpful to artists, musicians, and writers alike.  Cutting out the middle man and getting the art directly to the audience is something anyone can enjoy.  In today’s America the focus is on speed, efficiency, accuracy, and ease of use.  Blogs and other personal or professional online web spaces provide all these features.  I believe that they will be increasingly embraced in the future by creators and lovers of art online.

 

Works Cited
Apple. Apple – iPod + iTunes. 2006 .

 

Complete Review. Complete Review: Links to Literary Weblogs at the Complete

Review. 8 March 2006

.

 

RIAA. Recording Industry Association of America. 8 March 2006

.

 

U.S. Copyright Office. U.S. Copyright Office – Copyright Basics (Circular 1). December

2004 .

 

Weezer. MySpace Music Weezer. 8 March 2006 http://profile.myspace.com/weezer.

Illiterate Language of Emoticons and Abbreviations

A Day in the Life of a Teenage Emoticon Abbreviator Nightmare Infesting Language Abuser in the 21st Century of Internet Jargonalization…

 

what a day i had yesterday… lol u shud have herd wut they sed about it. i went 2 the mall with my homeboy n it was gr8. after i got off aol wit my lil bro we hopped in my frend erics ride and

Writing for WWW vs. Writing for the Printed Page

Writing for the world wide web’s blogs, emails, etc. is much different from writing for a written page (ie. research paper, novel, magazine article, etc.).  There are different standards to follow for writing for either one.  Printed pages are usually expected to be 100% grammatically correct, cohesive, and have a point.  WWW compositions don’t necessarily follow those standards, especially blogs.  Both can be equally fun, rewarding, entertaining, and helpful.

Writing on a blog tends to be more of a free-flow creative outlet.  Most people are not going to criticize me if I spell a word wrong, miss a comma, or don’t use proper punctuation when I post something on a blog.  Blogs also tend to have a less cohesive feel to them.  Many appear to be just random ramblings, complaints, jumbled stories, or rants, etc.  The reader has nothing invested but time, and nothing to lose but time, when reading a blog so there is really no reason to complain. Don’t like it, don’t read it, you didn’t buy it.

The printed page on the other hand is different. When writing a book or an article or a paper, the author is expected to follow spelling and grammar rules, have cohesive thoughts, and usually some purpose to write.  A novel or a magazine is purchased, so, unlike a blog, the reader has time and money invested in the work and is expecting more from the author.  Although some feel that writing for a printed page can be restricting due to all the rules to follow, I disagree.  I think they are just lazy.

 Basically both forms are useful, fun and important in today’s society.  They just have different standards and rules to follow (or not follow).  Neither is more valuable than the other.

Reading from a PC monitor vs. printed page

Now we will discuss the differences and similarites between reading on a computer screen versus reading on a printed page or book.

Similarities:  both show/display the same words, both have the same information, both make the same points/arguments/bullshits, both can be equally enticing or boring, both have the potential to obtain the same outcome.

Differences: monitor hurts your eyes if you’re not used to it whereas paper doesn’t unless you can’t see in the first place, monitor can display distracting or helpful hyperlinks whereas paper will keep your attention or make you question its author’s authority, monitor can be shut off whereas a book can be closed, monitor with PC package costs a lot more than a mass-market paperback, monitor increases your electric bill more than a reading lamp would.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that, in my opinion and for my purposes, reading on a computer monitor vs. reading a book is really the same. There is no “versus.” I won’t print stuff out just so I can save money (and environment) on paper and ink. I’m fine reading a computer screen, and I’m fine reading a book. I do both equally, for recreational, scholarly, and business purposes. Although the one perk of having a book is that I can bring “Johnny Got His Gun” with me in my hip pocket whereas I have to leave that hot chick’s blog at home on the WWW.

All I’m saying is that it doesn’t really matter to me either way.

Paper 2 Freewrite

Being an amateur musician and writer, I find that the Internet is a great creative outlet. Although I have yet to put my music online, I am in the process of doing so in hopes that someone will hear it and enjoy it. Maybe someday somewhere some kid with some iPod on some campus in some classroom will hear my song. Who knows? Even popular bands are doing this. For instance, Weezer allowed some of their new songs to be played on a webpage before the new album was released last year. It’s a very cool way to create a more personal relationship between author/artist and audience. That’s what both are looking for ideally anyway isn’t it? Although I find many things online useless, replaceable, or dangerous, I do think that the Internet’s tools are great means through which to be heard, be discovered, or for someone who is already famous to be closer to his/her/their fans.

Writers also have the benefit of using the Internet to share ideas, passages, entire novels, poems, etc. For instance, I am currently working on 2 books, one of short stories and a novel. I have posted one entire short story on “secret” blog in order to gain feedback and criticism. My name was concealed, I am unknown amongst other writers, and I got very helpful responses. It helps me to become a better writer.

Well-known authors, just like I said before about famous bands etc., can give a preview of their new action-packed thriller on a blog, or an audio version on a Podcast. This can get the readers ready for the new book, increase sales due to anticipation, and even make the fans feel like the author cares. “Hey guys, I’m not done yet, but here’s something from what I have so far.” That kind of message makes the fans want more and just like the author better.

I think that right now, this form hasn’t quite taken off completely because people are still afraid of copyrights, copycats, and lame artists/authors posting on good sites. If someone was going to copy your stuff, refraining from putting it online won’t quite stop the copying. Also if we can get some good, reputable sites going that we know have good authors/artists posting on them we’ll eliminate the lame-os. Although much of the WWW is a waste of time in my opinion, I feel that this aspect of it is very helpful, exciting, and innovative.

Email vs. Traditional Letter

There are several obvious differences in textual composition and appearance, style, and dynamics between email messages and traditional post letters.  Email seems to be taking the place of the traditional letter among most people, especially the younger crowd. I for one still hand-write letters to (only) very close friends, just for the surprise it gets. “So why don’t you just email me?” is a question I get a lot when I do that.

First of all there is a difference just in the way it is composed. In emails you can put in emoticons and other graphical items that you traditionally wouldn’t do in a letter (although they can be drawn in). And, amongst friends and family, emails don’t follow any formal or traditional composition rules or anything like that. Of course in a business setting one would tend to be a bit more formal, just as in a traditional letter to a friend vs. a letter to a supervisor. In an email you can type in “omg” and “lol” type of acronyms to make it easier and convenient. Such is the nature of email. Once again, even when I write emails I tend to use proper grammar, or at least something closely resembling it, and prefer to receive the same. I have gotten emails from friends typing something along the lines of “omg jay, ur the sweetest boi ever. ur the bst frnd evr! lol j/k, u suck, j/k, u rock” It takes me a couple of tries and some grinding of the teeth to get all that in. I actually prefer a letter in the mail that is written out properly. I prefer to take things in more literally and in a language I understand. Letters are just easier for me to read.

There is also the fact that email is just more convenient. It’s faster than “snail mail” and it can be sorted through and replied to much easier. That is what I embrace about email. Convenience is good when you’re on campus or at work and there’s not a lot of time to put it in an envelope, stamp it, and stick it in a mailbox a block away. All you have to do in an email is click Send. Simple. Yet, there is something more special or heartfelt about a letter in the mail. I always get a bigger smile from a letter than an email. Someone has to take the time to do all those things involved in mailing it, that means they care enough for you to get the letter. I guess it’s a lost, or just dying, art.

As more and more businesses, colleges/schools, etc. are accepting email as an acceptable means of communication, the act of writing a letter is slowly fading away. There are some purists such as myself who are barely clinging on just for old time’s sake, but soon email will be the absolute primary form of “mail.” The differences email has to letters, and the convenience and capabilities it has will make it, well pretty much already has made it, the ultimate means to communicate long distances or to send a Word doc from cubicle to cubicle. You win email. 1 to nothin’.

Dubya for a 3rd term!

Dude, George W. Bush is the man. How cool is he? Very! Think of this. He flippin’ invaded Iraq, just for some damn oil. Man, that’s cool.  I mean, he got the most dang votes out of anyone ever to become elected Presidents of the U.S. of A.! Crazy Texan! Down with the Dictator and … up? with Democracy! That’s what Dubya says, right? So, anyways, I sent a letter to the GWB Fan Club the other day. I got a letter back from Sir George himself! Very cool! He said that things are coming along well on the War On Terr. He says they’re working very very hard at creating a hard-working environment in the White House pertaining around the individuals working their asses of with the hard-working President… hold on… … … to uh … wait … defeat terrists. I mean, c’mon that’s a pretty cool guy to write me back personally! I can’t wait for my three best buddies to go serve the Commando Cochise er uh.. Commander in Chief in the US Marine Corps. overseas in the Middle-East. I bet they get blown up by a car bomb! Sweet! They can’t wait to die for oil so’s me and my rich parents can drive around in our overpowered, sixteen cylinder Ford Exploder! I mean they get to die for a great, amazing, brilliant, cool, smart, sweet, intelligent man like Bush! Who could ask for more? You all are just player hating because you’re jealous you’re not fixing up this here country into what it is supposed to be. If you only had half the knowledge of uh… who we talkin’ about? Oh yeah. Dubya. If y’all was half as smart as Señor Jorge, y’all’d be intellectually smart and stuff. Vote for Bush for a 3rd term! We’re amending that danged Constirtution so’s'he can be President forever! Guess what! He caught Saddam too. Singlehandedly. In a hole. C’mon, who’d have thought to look in a hole? Not you! His daddy didn’t have enough time to finish the job, so Junior steps in and gits’r'done! Pretty sweet! Did you see that cowboy hat he has? I did. It’s sweet. You should get one. It’s like a ten gallon-er! I like it when he faked out the ole media and crashed into that door he pretended he couldn’t open. Then he waited to see their reactions and waltzed out like it ain’t shit. That was pretty rad. He’s a funny guy too. In his letter he told me … hold on I need some malt liquor… ok, back… this joke about this guy from Arkansas and some fat chick named Brewsky or something. It was h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s! I don’t know about you guys, but George Dubbleyoo Bushwhack is pretty flippin’ awesome. He’s not some corrupt puppet politician. He’s got his own ideas and they’re dang good ones! If I could be anyone in the world it’d be Dubya. He’s my homeboy. I agree with everything he says just ’cause he’s dang Prez! Gotta have respect for the man who lives in a big old White castle! That’s pretty dope. My fingers hurt, and I’m dizzy. I better shut off this computer screen Dude!

Anyways, vote for Bush in ’08, ’cause by then we’ll have this country fixed up right quick, and all our laws will be amended so we can finally drink and drive without getting hassled by the man and keep voting in Texans with more brain cells than I used to have.

Valid argument in 4 sentences or less

Note: this post is not required for the class. It’s just a supplement to our class discussion on 1/7/06.

 My friend, you should quit smoking cigarettes because it has been proven by many health professionals that cigarette smoking can lead to lung and/or mouth cancer.  Cancer is a deadly disease.  Most people do not want to die, since you are friends with me you are one of those people.  Therefore you should not smoke because if you do you increase your chances of getting cancer, thus increasing your chances of dying due to smoking, and dying is undesirable.

Trust me, it’s sound.