Bonus Blog 5: Weather Channel Future Studio

The extravagant new HD Weather Channel studio prides itself on its' "green" construction and functionality.  The design is extremely complex, implementing all of the newest and brightest technology in HD production.  The mission of the broadcast is to present the weather in a simple and very clear way so us as viewers are provided the best in storm coverage.  The studio contains a swiveling green screen for meteorology reports and an elaborate array of lighting.  The use of solar energy, bamboo and cork in construction, and low emission paints and sealants also contributed to the environmentally friendly aspect of the studio.

Bonus Blog 4: NY Film Academy

This academy was home to many of the popular actors and members of the film industry including Steven Spielberg, Al Pacino, and Pierce Brosnan just to name a few.  The institution prides itself on providing students with the hands-on experience that cannot be replicated simply by film study.  They offer up to 2 year masters degrees in varying film production areas and surprisingly, upon reviewing tuition for the programs, was relatively inexpensive.  The academy has programs across the globe and offer programs in a large spectrum from 3D animation to screenwriting

Bonus Blog 3: Crash! Bang! Wallow?

This narrative is about an ex stuntman who was left out to dry with no job during the 90's when actors began doing their own stunts with the help of green screens and computer animation.  He is depressed because all he has known since his Tarzan swing from his umbilical cord at birth is action.  He even attempts, and fails, suicide by jumping naked off of a building into a tuck and roll.  He seems to be poking fun at the actors that perform their own "stunts" like Keanu Reeves and Chuck Norris who have taken his job.  The rhymes in this short video add a lot to the comedic level of this mans life and you almost seem to feel bad for him haha.

Bonus Blog 2: NY Times tour

The new building that houses the New York Times newspaper is an architectural masterpiece.  The complexity of its design is amazing and almost seems like overkill to the regular observer.  The ceramic rods that horizontally cover the 4 exterior faces of the building are my favorite facet of the design.  Despite the enormous scope of the rods influence on the buildings exterior, Ouroussoff proclaims that their purpose is to provide a sense of privacy from inside the structure and to provide uniformity.  The narrator comments several times upon the uniformity that the building portrays and even though it is unbelievable complex it does almost seem to have a bland complexion from a distance. 

Bonus Blog 1: Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible was the first substantial document created using movable type printing.  This is substantial because this technology had an enormous effect on jump starting western civilization.  Gutenberg obviously is considered a notable inventor from his ability to use previous attempts to manufacture book text and developing his movable type creation.  Historians believe that around 180 Bibles were ever printed and the Gutenberg bible is one of 5 examples that still exist in the U.S. which makes the fact that the Ransom Center has this copy very astounding.  The process in which the type was created seems like a very time consuming project and it is pointed out by the website that over 300 pieces of type were used in the Bible.

Blog 15: State of the Media

Some of the areas of media that did not seem to have significantly varying trends or surprising statistics include cable TV viewership and newspaper circulation.  These areas have reasonable trends correlating specifically with the change in technology in this era as well as the popularity of television viewership.  Radio and especially internet access have become so convenient that the usage of newspapers as a media information provider is dwindling.  Manufacturing and distribution of newspapers is expensive and with out the constant or growing influx of revenue from users, this medium may soon become sparse.  Cable television of course is extremely popular in this day in age due to the infatuation of viewers with reality shows in general.  Television is a very popular asset and will remain so due to its convenience and growing technology in increasing viewer pleasure.  One thing that I recognized that was some what surprising to me is the significant increase in listeners in regards to news/talk radio.  This may in fact directly correlate to the decrease in radio listeners and the move to internet broadcast due to internet popularity.  Many radio broadcasts are facing financial hardships and being forced to move strictly to internet broadcast.

Blog 14: Ethical Decision Making

I thought the plagiarism category of the website was interesting and concerning.  Plagiarism is a big concern in academia, journalism, as well as media and will continue to be until, as the website explains, the the journalism industry standardizes plagiarism restrictions and consequences.  Several of the discussions concerning plagiarism contained remarks that this crime can in fact be a psychological one in which a writer is pressured or any of a mix of situations and allows himself to plagiarize another individual.  I believe that this most certainly can prove true.  Writers and journalists as well as students are pressured in many ways like deadlines, procrastination and laziness.  The author argues the majority of offenders are honest and innocent people but do not entirely understand the breadth of material usage that could constitute plagiarism.  This is a big problem and could lead to many unnecessary law suits, trials, and conviction of individuals that were simply ill-advised in regards to plagiarism.  The industry needs to make a considerable effort to alleviate this confusion and provide journalists and students with a clear and concise explanation of plagiarism 

Blog 13: Internet Safety

There were pro's and con's to each site dedicated to internet safety for children.  I was least impressed with the AT&T safety game.  The font was too small and the directions were long winded and I could see kids getting bored reading the directions and change sites before even finishing.  Also the lack of audio directions or of a narrator speaking to you is undesirable and would be much more efficient if that was used as in the "Bad Guy Patrol" game.  The interactivity and simplicity of the objectives was good and would correlate well with child abilities.  The "Bad Guy Patrol" was my favorite and I believe most efficient in teaching children about internet safety.  To complete each objective the individual must answer several questions regarding internet safety and was rewarded for each correct answer and provided an explanation as to why this answer was correct or incorrect.  The narration was simple and fun but the special effects were limited and somewhat boring.  The "Keep Kids Safe" site was very attractive effects wise and I could see the games holding interest very well but the relevance and presence of internet safety instructions was limited.  The site as a whole would be difficult for a child to navigate.  I think all of these sites have good intentions with their games but need some adjustments in their presentation or level of difficulty.

Blog 12: Censoring Filthy Dirty Muck

Censoring of material on the internet and other media entities is quite necessary in this day in age.  I understand that to some effect there are things that are censored that could be considered completely PG but even in the least bit of misinterpretation from a child these could be construed inappropriately.  The initial example that came to mind was several of the "reality shows" on MTV or even CMT for that matter.  I feel its inappropriate and in no way entertaining to see 10 girls dressed very conspicuous, screaming and cursing at each other about who knows what and talking about what girl slept with with guy and what not etc.  The internet does in many cases censor material that I do not believe necessarily has to be censored, but no matter what people think or how this is regulated there will be people that will consistently disagree with either side.  So it does seem that this is a complicating issue and the efforts to give parents the ability to censor what they do not want their family to see is a great way for individuals to monitor that.  The audio commercial for "Chick-Fil-A" is amusing in that it is in some ways ridiculous the amount of censorship that is present on the internet and some television.

Blog 11: Green Screen Show

The green screen method of filming is a simple way of placing backgrounds and objects into a scene that is not originally there.  The way this works is as follows; the green screen is focused on by a color camera with RGB output and the green color that the camera sees is sent to a film editing device or software that has chroma key abilities.  Then adjustments are made on the camera to cancel out the green color leaving a blank screen ready to place a background.  But the trick is that all green colors (if a green screen is used rather than blue which is another commonly used color because they are the farthest from skin color) will appear invincible in the video.  So for example if a weatherman is wearing a green tie, the tie will appear invincible and you would be able to see right through it.  Weather broadcasts are the only other usage of a green screen that I have ever encountered and was able to see a demonstration on this as a kid.  I thought it was very interesting that what was being taped was a man standing in front of a green screen and what viewers saw was a full weather broadcast.  Weathermen are very talented in that they have to view what is shown behind them and then be able to point and incorporate themselves in the broadcast.

Blog 10: The Great Train Robbery

"The Great Train Robbery" was filmed in 1903 and directed by Edwin Porter.  This is a silent film only depicting the video and the actions of the characters and accompanied by music.  There are 4 robbers that raid a train station, first assaulting and tying up the station attendant after hiding from what is most likely the conductor and instructing the attendant to tell him something.  The robbers then hide behind a water tower as it is emptying water onto the train and they sneak onto the train.  They shoot and kill a man that is most likely the mail carrier and use explosives to open the safe holding cash or valuables.  They then kill a man on top of the train and throw him off the moving train.  They force the conductor to stop the train, unhook the engine portion of the train from the cargo and passenger cars, unload all the passengers and shoot a man as he tries to escape.  After robbing the passengers they get onto the engine with their stolen valuables and after a short while bail off of the train and escape to getaway horses staked at the bottom of a hill.  Back at the station a girl finds the man still tied up and when she unties him the station attendant goes to what seems like a saloon or dance hall.  There he finds men dancing and gets them to chase down the robbers.  They pursue the robbers on horseback and shoot one robber while riding away.  When the robbers gather around thinking that they have avoided capture and begin to evaluate their sacks the men sneak up on them on foot and shoot all the bandits.  The last scene of the bandit shooting at the screen is somewhat confusing considering that all of the outlaws had been shot the previous scene.

Blog 9: Blue Store or Red Box

Forever my family and I were traditional Blockbuster users but with new methods of accessing videos that has changed.  I do not watch a great deal of movies and when I do it is either a movie that I own or one that has just come out on video and the previews seem very intriguing.  I have several friends that allow me to borrow or rent movies with them off of their Netflix accounts.  Even though I do not own an account I have found that Netflix most regularly has the best selection of new releases and old movies as well and their convenience level is now ridiculous with the options to have videos sent directly to your television or Wii console.  If I was a consistent movie watcher I would most likely subscribe to Netflix.  The only downfall that I would have with that method is that I like to own movies that I could re-watch at a later time which is not the case with Netflix as the movies must be sent back the following day.

Blog 8: Old Time Radio

I do believe that I would have enjoyed listening to old time radio shows.  Especially during a time when there was no television, this form of entertainment would have have been a great way for a family to get together and enjoy something together.  I especially enjoyed the western shows and though most were the stereotypical western plots, I enjoyed them.  It was also quite different to have to picture the plot and settings of the stories in your head as it is being told but that was also somewhat refreshing to put myself in the shoes of people that also had to do that when radio was all they had.  The overall experience was enjoyable but nowadays I think I would rather watch an old western on television if it was available.  I listened to several different genres and felt generally the same way about them.

Blog 7: Napster vs. Itunes

I am definitely partial to Itunes.  I have owned an ipod for several years and have plenty on tracks and even movies on it.  I have limited experience with Napster besides back in the days when you could download tracks for free.  In regards to the pro's and con's of either company and their products I am on Apples side with Itunes.  Phillip Winn commented in his blog on this issue about his disinterest in paying $9.95 a month to rent tracks that you may have had to pay 99 cents for as well and then not have possession of them if you happen to stop your subscription.  The difference in that and Itunes is that no matter what you still own the track after you purchase it.  That is a very important aspect to me and the inconvenience of another monthly bill (especially a 10 dollar one just to rent the tracks I downloaded that month) is not worth it at all.  Other pluses like the 4 extra free tracks from Itunes every month and the convenience of being able to do whatever you want with the tracks that you own outweigh Napsters methods 10 to 1.

Blog 6: The End of Paper?

I think that these e-readers will certainly bring an inevitable halt to the traditional print newspaper industry.  This may not occur within the next 5 years or so but when companies line out some effecient business models and find a way to turn over a hefty profit it will most definitely happen.  The concept is very effecient in itself and of course the environmental role it will play is enormous but companies will have to troubleshoot how they can effectively bring in revenue from their traditional methods of advertising, subscriptions etc.  From the research and the product demos the I have seen the e-readers are an amazing and very complex device in the form of a simple thin sheet of plastic.  They will provide an astounding level of convenience to the reader with the ability to provide several media and book publications with the touch of a finger.  So yes in the near future I believe that paper newspapers will come to a gradual extenction and this new media technology will take the reins, as it should. 

Blog 5: Lets Ban Books

This is ridiculous.  For not only the sake of the First Amendment and the freedom of speech but for schools and the power to educate by use of books.  This censorship against a document that has been in existence for two hundred years is clearly lacking the usage of common sense and reason.  If words have been published in something as well known as a Merriam-Webster's dictionary for that long and if they were put there in the first place for that matter there had to have been some reasonable application for it.  If parents want their children not to see curse words in the dictionary then they should do whatever they think suiting to do so but banning a dictionary is outright ludicrous.  Maybe my thoughts are not as sensitive towards parents and their relationships with their children, and maybe that is because I do not yet have children but I was raised in a generation where it was still okay to get a slap on the wrist for not taking your hat off at the table or saying a curse word you found in the dictionary.  That is sometimes what it takes to teach right from wrong and as a child I knew what that was.  But nowadays even that is "banned".  I believe that if children are raised to know what is a bad word and why it is not to be said, that that is much more conducive to preventing misbehavior than banning a book for example that may have a couple of those words or even more ridiculously a dictionary.
-Chris C

Blog 4: Poor Richard

If Passion drives, let Reason hold the reins.

This line comes from Benjamin Franklin's "Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack".  This excerpt has a very simple meaning or message but allows the observer to place what in their life really relates to it.  Personally I can see myself as a fairly passionate person in that I love what I do and the people that stand behind me whether that be my amazing family or my loving girlfriend who puts up with a long distance relationship with me everyday.  I believe that passion and determination are very important characteristics that every individual should place highly in their priorities but what Benjamin Franklin said about passion and the direction that one steers his passion is very important.  Being passionate about anything can in a way become harmful if overdone to the point where reason is not considered.  Franklin may have capitalized the words "Passion" and "Reason" for in this context he is referring to them as persons driving a coach or wagon.  They are italicized because obviously they are not simply names but emotions or actions.  If passion is what drives ones thoughts and actions (the coach in this instance) then he needs to make sure reason is in the driver seat steering it in a beneficial direction.  Always be reasonable even when your emotions are overwhelming.
-Chris C

Social Interaction

The subject issue that this blog covers is something that I have touched on several times in the few before and is something that I feel strongly about.  The article by Delgado, "The Internet and Social Interaction" portrays a very similar outlook as mine in regards to the internet and its effects on users and their social interactions with others.  She mentioned several times toward the end of her article that there are definite benefits to the availability and convenience of communication methods like cell phones and texting but those things cannot in the least replace the personal interaction between another being.  Facebook and others can reunite long lost friends and high school buddies but if you had the opportunity to see someone like that would you choose rather to instant message them over the internet?  No way!  At least not me.  I do not think that the internet necessarily isolates individuals from real social interaction but I think that Delgado put it very well in her statement, "How do humans bond and know each other when they are not within the physical presence of who we genuinely are; living and breathing and seeing each other interact with the world around us".  The internet can provide us an enormous amount of convenience and information, when in this day in age some people cannot use conventional methods of media, and a source of marketing especially but it will never be a replacement for a man-to-man interaction and conversation between individuals.  For instance, internet means of communication can give me the opportunity to speak to my great grandmother in New York and even maybe get to see her face, but there is nothing that can replace being able to hug her and talk to her face to face.
-Chris C

Blog 2: CBS Thought

In regards to the media correspondent Jeff Greenfield in his video dubbed "Media Convergence" I personally agree entirely with his closing statement.  It included his concern about society and users of unconventional media gathering methods in this information age needing to sustain the concepts of personal relationships and respect for history.  As I stated in my first blog I do sincerely belive that interpersonal relationships between co-workers, customers, friends and especially loved ones are very important and that it seems some people let todays convenience of other methods of communication hinder that.  These methods and the advancements made technologically in communication are utterly important to the progress of our country and economy but the priorites for things that Greenfield stated such as the love for story telling, vivid language, and a respect for history should be much higher on a personal stand point.  Individuals should find a balance in their time spent using these information and communication methods and time spent with other individuals giving them the opportunity to have intelligent and engrossing conversations.  In a more broad sense, and most likely more of what Greenfield is talking about, the reason that the media broadcast "Sunday Morning" and CBS news among other broadcasts still endure is their sense of relation to the direct viewer and priority set upon these fundamental values.
-Chris C

Blog1: Media Junkie

Don't get me wrong I use the internet frequently, especially because I recently invested in a smart phone accesible to the internet, but my usage is almost entirely educational with the occasional facebook log on. I am from a very small town in southeast Kansas and the ranch my family lives on is in the middle of nowhere and still have yet to find an internet service that would load a webpage in less than 10 minutes haha. I scored an 11 on the internet addiction which was low enough to not be classified haha but its not like I am completely technologically illiterate or against it. I believe much stronger in the fact that, as the book mentioned as well, abuse and mindless use of the internet minimalizes social interaction. I understand the convenience of conference calls, web cam meetings, and other media based communication but the personal interaction between 2 people face to face or with a group of people is a connection that cannot be immitated by other media communication channels. Enough of on my rant but atleast I covered the part of the question as to why or why not media usage is the best usage of my time. During the summers and mainly during semesters here in manhattan as well I work outside atleast 8-10 hours a day and most of the time in areas without the best cell phone service. I use the internet at nights to surf the web, log on to my facebook or listen to music but that could just be a one or two hour session. I do have a long distance relationship with my girlfriend so that adds to my cell phone usage but I limit text messages to a very minimum especially when I am working. I am a sports fan and an hour or so of watching television a day is about the maximum I can stand and I have never had a consistent show that I watched every week. To generally conclude my first blog post ever haha I would say I interact directly with a form of media about 4 or 5 hours a day and that I try to limit my usage of media to being productive and wasting a little free time.