Fin

Hello all,

We watched the end of Alphaville today, hence the title of this weeks blog. I found it a bit hard to take in. There were a few times that I couldn't get the gist of what was going on. In the end it was a sci-fi romance movie, set on an alternative galaxy. I guess its relevance to me, was how new technologies are predicted to shape our future. Which I had already really touched on during earlier blogs.

Today's lecture however, was all about the history of the internet. I always thought that the web and the internet were the same thing. Today I found out this isn't true. The web is one particular application of the internet, and the internet is a 'network of networks...loosely interconnected by the telephone system and, more recently, broad-band cable and satellite services, to link people around the world into an information-sharing system'.

We watched a short film that attempted to explain what goes on when we click a link on a web page. The reason i say, "attempted to explain" is because I am more confused now than I was before. I think I was better off not-knowing! All the talk about routers, pings, pings of death...it's sort of like a computer game in itself!

We learnt about the earlier internet applications, such as emailing (still going strong), File transfer protocol, Internet relay chat. The internet has evolved so much - whereas these earlier applications may still be in use, they have evolved so much in only a short time. For example - new applications are instant messaging, Peer-to-Peer file sharing, webblogs, myspace, secondlife...and the list goes on.

I can't believe there is actually a word to describe etiquette on the internet - and that word is.....wait for it.....'netiquette'. How delightful. So when we're talking about bad netiquette, we're talking spam emails, crackers - computer criminals, viruses - all the things that disrupts another persons use of the internet. Netiquette also includes the use of emotions - you know, those cute little faces that express our emotions at the time.... :I "there is no emoticon for what i am feeling!!" as comic book guy would put it.

So thats a touch of what we delved into today. We're discussing our assignments in the tutes and i'm trying to decide on my topic, so, until next time,

- Toodles!

Public Relations and Alphaville

Bonjour tout le monde!

For anyone who doesn't understand - I said hello everybody! I've been researching French words through Google - I've been inspired by the movie "Alphaville." We're at the end of the film now - I think there's only a couple of minutes left and I'm in so much suspense its killing me. Anyway - before we watched the end of the film, we were introduced to the world of Public Relations. Two young ladies who work in the field (one of them was a past griffith student) came to talk to us about what it means to work in Public Relations. It's sounds amazing! The griffith girl (i'm terrible with names) showed us an example of her workday. It was a really long day - from about 6am, until 10pm. And her day was filled with such exciting errands. She went on book launches and press conferences, media lunches and dinner parties. I couldn't believe what a career she's in at such a young age. It makes you realise how much a bit of hard work and enthusiasm can help you along. She was saying that she was involved in all of the social activities when she was at University - literally, every calendar activity! That's a lot of activity. And the other girl did some work experience at the Gold Coast Bulletin and ended up getting a...traineeship sort of thing. So she's in with the big guns and she said that she didn't do all the extra-curricular activities because she worked full-time. I guess its just the luck of the draw sometimes. Any way - so Alphaville, i will tell you more next-week when i see the end - but here's something about the movie that may keep you enthralled....

Executions in swimming pool....(eerie music plays)

Well then, till next we meet,

Au revoir!

Week 3 of N.C.T

Ahoy everyone!

Week three of New Communication technologies studied the Birth of the Computer. Its quite strange that I casually tap away at the keyboard and look at an LCD screen in contrast to the thinking machine that we learned was founded in the 19th Century by a man called Charles Babbage. I find myself wondering where the next two centuries will take us. Over the last two centuries from Babbage's Counting machine to IBM, Apple and Microsoft computer technology - where we have access to the extraordinary internet research and exposure (I myself have what I think to be a magnificent myspace page) and games that; with their graphics and realism - can take the user to another world. When we look at society's use of computer technology in everyday life - not just for personal use but for virtually EVERY workforce - I wonder if spectators in the 19th century, when Babbage produced his counting machine, ever believed it could lead to the point of efficiency we are at now.

When I think of the future I think: flying cars, buildings twice the size of the Q1, and a sky that is barely visible for the pollution in its way. Well - I guess we are nearly there. Planes take us from A to B - maybe a little more expensively then cars would in my idealism; Buildings are getting higher and higher; and pollution smogs cities like Los Angeles and Beijing. My proposed future is probably two centuries away - so maybe the 'fantasy' we live in now - where we would be lost without these computers - is not far off the future that someone like me speculated two centuries ago.

We also watched (part one) of a film called "Alphaville" This morning. Before I comment on the text itself - i just want to note - that I love black and white film and films with Subtitles. This may be relevant; and hear me out - because we have access to film with colour and fantastic special effects and sound; but I think that there can be so much said with simplicity. The film was set in a futuristic, far away galaxy. Interesting to see the perception of the future from a 60's point of view. It was actually portrayed as a modern 1960's society but interpreted the whole 'outer-galaxy' thing; and warped social customs. I liked that they chose to do this because I have watched movies from the 1960's that portray space aliens and such - and seriously - its not great. So in its simplicity in my opinion, so far the film is good.

More next week, till then-

Emily

Pleased to meet you!

Hi everyone! My name is Emily and I am currently studying a Bachelor of Communication at Griffith University on the Gold Coast. I am enjoying the course so far! One of the courses I am enrolled in is called "New Communication Technology" which asks us to create a weekly blog; hence - here I am. So welcome to my blog! If you are eager to hear my ideas and opinions relating to the course lectures - then you have come to the right place!

We have now had two lectures and I am currently at my first Tute. To tell you the truth; I have never thought so much about advances in technology and communication as I have in the past two weeks. I started thinking about myspace in particular - and how many people are getting involved in it. I thought about how my friends and I often connect through myspace rather than sending an SMS. I thought about the fact that everything around us is changing constantly - nothing will ever be the same; and it sort of made me a little sad.

This sort of questioning was discussed in the first couple of textbook chapters of "Communication and New Media" (Harrison.J, Hirst.M, 2007). For example; I read that mobile phones are now being made with GPS tracking devices in the USA. On one hand - this is great technology. If someone is lost in the wilderness - rescuers will obviously track them down with no trouble. On the other hand - is this not invasive technology? Big Brother is certainly watching.

Neil Postman described technology as both a 'burden and a blessing; not either-or, but this-and-that' (Postman 1993, Technopoly: The surrender of culture to technology p.5) What may be said- from this quote - is that although with advancing technology we lose the "hassles" of daily life; do we not also lose morals that were reflected by the hardships that often brought families together. Take a movie like "Little Women", where the children gather round' to read a letter from a loved one who hasn't been seen in months; and compare that to listening to your mother on the phone to your aunty (or someone of that nature). Now - compare watching the movie "Little Women" to reading the novel that Louisa May Alcott wrote over weeks and weeks to watching a two hour movie. Isn't there so much to lose?! We have been studying this and so much in our first couple of courses and it is beginning to interest me very much - which is probably a good thing considering I am studying a Bachelor of Communication!

Stay tuned for next weeks blog!

Till then, Emily.