Making A Movie

Chanel and I made this movie for this subject. Excuse the poor quality, what we lack in moves we excel in movie making techniques.

Enjoy

Using Microsoft Excel & Word

Microsoft Excel 

i) Whilst utilizing Excel spreadsheets i found it easy to insert the information into the tables provided as I have used this program at school. However I believe its hard to convert the information into graphs for people who don't have assistance and only have these directions.

ii) To solve this difficult task, the program should be more user friendly with easier steps to convert the information into graphs. This maybe helped with instructions on the headings of the axis, I know I personally have forgotten the X and Y axis rule one to many times.

iii) The instructions given were to confusing for a computer illiterate person. In this day and age it is just assumed that everyone knows how to use technology as it bases our lives, however for those grown up without these resources find it difficult to catch up to the trend.

iv) This software would be useful for myself to manage finances to see downfalls and so on. I will most definitely use this program later in life, perhaps when running my own business.

Microsoft Word

i) Microsoft word is very user friendly. With easy straight forward instructions, how could you go wrong?

ii) I found the exercise simple to complete because I've used Microsoft word for years and the instructions were precise.

iii) This software has been very helpful over the years as notepad and other programs are to 'fidgety'. Word is very useful to produce assignments and other documents with easy layout guides. Anything is possible, from letters to reports this helpful software assists the user to produce a successful document.

Essay

DO VIDEO GAMES AFFECT THE WAY ADOLCENTS INTERACT?

The industrial generation of 2008 have produced a significant discourse of couch potatoe’d teenagers immersed in addictive video games. Studies have shown that large amounts of time spent on these games will deter communication skills for adulthood. Raising awareness within the gamming community however has proved unsuccessful with a select few joining the innovation to improve these gadgets.

For young adults addicted to these harmful toys it is apparent that it is physically more challenging to interact with others who get the recommended three-20 minute sessions per week. Spending hours engulfed in these games leaves little time for group sports that encourage teenagers to learn the importance of teamwork and provide a secure basis for networking. The significance of a safe environment is crucial for young people to meet, as it is apparent that daring teens are socialising with strangers through games like World of Warcraft. Internet specialist Jon Udell from BYTE.com comments on safety of these sites; “Security is hard enough in traditional networks that depend on central servers. Its harder still in peer-to-peer networks, particularly when you want to authenticate your communication partners.” (Oram, 2001, p354) The threat of paedophilias prowling on videogame sites has increased causing innocent gamming and interaction to be a war zone in itself. This battlefield is played on average atleast four hours a day, for some users they played up to eight hours a day. With limited time, video players deprive themselves of sleep causing tiredness, affecting their performance at school and at home. Chronic game users lose the ability to communicate in person forgetting appropriate body language and gestures, vital in most workplaces.

These daunting situations disturb video game addicts who mentally can’t anticipate adulthood within the workforce. The debatable question aroused is, do we blame the videogame entrepreneurs or the game players for the negative effects that they have had on teenagers? American investigators who believed the creators were to blame said, “that a strong contributing factor to the horrible incident at Columbine High School, if not the cause itself, was that the two students who fired the weapons were avid players of the popular video game called Doom”. (Gackenbach, 2007, p.108) This popular game originating in 1993 is part of the controversial violent video games that attract large audiences drawn to play, to kill. These games when played at a young age can reap children of morals creating bad habits causing mental defects affecting the child’s development to adult. Whilst teenagers are losing morals, these violent games are still being introduced, the latest, Grand Theft Auto IV. As advertised on the website for this popular game, “You’ll have to rob, steal and kill just to stay out of serious trouble.” This game is rated MA in Australia yet parents still equip their teens with these weapons, unaware of the threat this game poses. Some game users can’t differentiate the 3D realm and real life, so they bring features from the game into reality, putting the community at risk.

The hope for addicted players remains with games similarly structured to the Nintendo Wii, which allow teenagers to endure physical exercise whilst in a collective environment. Bart Farkas creator of this ingenious device and proud parent of Adam (age 9) found that “after 7 or 8 minutes, the boxing match was over, and I emerged the victor. But something else had occurred: I was dripping with sweat and felt unusually exhilarated, having enjoyed the brief match with my son more than any recent gamming experience.” (Farkus, 2007,p.18) Nintendo Wii has been endorsed by parents for its low levels of violence in the games and it’s smart approach in developing children’s brains and fitness. After playing videogames reaction times were notably improved as to the ability to process information. Without these gamming resources adolescents would not be free to release tension and conquer boredom.

Video games are seen as a false interaction between teenagers causing great percussions. These games affect the users physical and mental health putting strain on teenager’s growth. Without the recommended hour of exercise a week teenagers will be putting their health at risk increasing the chances of contracting obesity. Additional to this teenagers are lacking sleep due to gamming addictions causing tiredness that affects their overall performance and emotions. Spending more time online in these gamming realms, the chances of meeting strangers is high and becomes dangerous when pedophilias are prowling. Adolescents are endangered and vulnerable on these sites and often give out personal information making them easy targets. Not only are teens targeted but they are also seen as the perpetrators when dealing with violence encouraged by these games. The violence content found in videogames weakens the morals of these young adults, endorsing brutality. Despite these portrayals few innovating companies have expanded their video games improving adolescence environments. With Nintendo Wii, teenagers are encouraged to learn, exercise and in some cases communicating and working as a team. These additions benefit the youth of this generation by offering insightful alternatives to video gamming. Are these accepted changes going to solve the lack of communication problems addicted video game users possess? For now to advance from couched to hot potatoes is an accomplishment.

References

Bellis, Mary, Computer and Video Game History, Viewed 20 May 2008, http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blcomputer_videogames.htm

Brookhaven Science Associates, The First video Game, Viewed 20 May 2008,
http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/history/higin botham.asp

Dowshen, S A, et all. 2004, Fit Kids
Dorling Kindersley Pty Ltd, London

Farkas, Bert G, 2007, The Nintendo Wii Pocket Guide
Peachpit Press, Berkeley, California

Gackenbch, J & Gillispie, J F, 2007, Cyber rules, What You Really Need To Know About The Internet, W W Norton & Company, Inc, New York, NY

Kern, E & Lummis, M 2006, World of Warcraft, Strategy Guide, Second Edition
Waybright, D, DK Publishing Inc, Indianapolis, Indiana

Mason, P, Stone, A & Swan, A, 2007, abc Guide to Fit Kids
Murdoch Books Pty Limited, Millers Point, NSW

Nintendo 2008, Nintendo of America Inc, Redmond, Washington, Viewed 29 May 2008
http://www.nintendo.com/wii

Oram, Andy, 2001, Peer-to-Peer; Harnessing the Benefits of a Disruptive Technology,
O’Reilly & Associates, Inc, Sebastopol, California

Rockstar Games, 2008, Grand Theft Auto IV, Viewed 29 May 2008,
http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/

Walker, Luke, 29 May 2008, Guitar Hero, Viewed 30 May 2008
http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/

Walsh, David,2006, President National Institute on Media and the Family
Effects of Video Game Playing on Children, Viewed 20 May 2008,
http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_effect.shtml

Wessel, Craig, 2000, Computer Games, A parents Guide, vol. 1
Mars Publishing, Los Angeles, California

Sher, Barbara, 1998, Self-esteem Games
John Wiley & Sons, Inc, Canada

Walter Benjamin's Ideologies relating to Contemporary "Art"

1. The ideas foregrounded by Walter Benjamin in 'Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction', relate to the contemporary digital media that shapes our lives. Benjamin states that art has forever been open to replication and evidentially technology has aloud this process to be made easy as artworks can now be edited and revamped. However these altered artworks are questioned for originality. Should these works be considered new or plagiarized?

Another ideology put forth by Benjamin, discusses the pre scene of time and space in art. When related to digital media this idea can be displayed through an artwork created anonymously and stored onto a site such as photobucket. After years the image will not change but the identity and time frame in which it was created will be unknown. Despite these queries, is this advanced art a representation of the time we are currently in.    

2. The boundaries of "Art" have indeed been pushed with the modern artist ranging from a skilled professional, to an inexperienced 'Joe Blow' in front of his computer screen. This movement although attracting more people to the arts, has put financial pressures on professional artists so their artworks sell at good prices. With a vast range of mediums now called "Artworks", renowned artists have to compete with amateurs. This act will either endorse professional artist boosting their sales, or demolish the rights of professional artists.  

3. A photoshopped image can not be considered "authentic", although photos may only be resized in these editorials, how is the viewer to know if other altercations were made? 

4. Digital "things" in Benjamin's terms do not possess an "aura" as they are without the significance portrayed by the artworks. He believed that there was a risk when reproducing artworks. That risk was the destruction of tradition and creativity that an original artwork owns,(the "aura" of the work).  

Wiki it

Have you ever just wanted to be quickly educated on a topic without the hassle of having to filter through various websites to find what you need?
I have on numerous occasions used Wikipedia as a useful source of knowledge. However it has been questionable how realiable wiki is. I personally haven't come across any information in which the pope works at McDonalds but evidently these articles have aroused.
I decided to test out the realiabilty of wikipedia by researching a movie that i saw on the weekend, Prom Night.

My results showed that this article was very accurate and decoded the correct plot and casting characters. I felt this source was informative and did cover all the facts you needed to understand the movie. Lets just say I wouldn't want to read this before seeing the movie. When testing this article, to see if it complied with the rules and regulations of wiki, I thought it was correctly constructed. I dont believe it was biased as they didnt show any end0rsements or criticism of the movie it just showed the facts.

Overall I would use Wikipedia for a useful educational tool, however I would always cross examine the articles with other references so I know its true. Wiki is a great source of information; realible or not, the information is fast.

Questions and Answers

1. Who was the creator of the infamous "lovebug" computer virus?
The creator of the "lovebug" computer virus, De Guzman a Philippine college student who proposed to submit a Trojan horse program as his graduation thesis is being sought by authorities.
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,2086102,00.htm


2. Who invented the paper clip?
1867 Samuel Fay
http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventions/paperclip.htm

3. How did the Ebola virus get its name?
Named for the geographic locations where these viruses were first determined to cause outbreaks of disease. Ebola viruses are very closely related to, but distinct from, Marburg viruses. Collectively, these pathogenic agents make up a family of viruses known as the Filoviridae.
http://www.answers.com/topic/ebola?cat=health

4. What country had the largest recorded earthquake?
Chile lies in one of the most seismically active areas of the world.
In 1960, it suffered the world's largest recorded earthquake which resulted in thousands of deaths
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7311945.stm

5. In computer memory/storage terms, how many kilobytes in a terabyte?
The terms kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte and terabyte refer to a collection of bytes stored in a computer. There are 1024 bytes in kilobyte, 1024 kilobytes in a megabyte, 1024 megabytes in a gigabyte and 1024 gigabytes in a terabyte. Although the above definitions are the accurate definitions, the terms kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte and terabyte also have a popular definition. A kilobyte is popularly referred to as 1000 bytes, a megabyte is popularly referred to as a million bytes, a gigabyte as billion bytes and a terabyte as a trillion.
http://www.sonoma.edu/users/c/carusor/web219/hardware_terms.htm

6. Who is the creator of email?
This is why Ray Tomlinson is credited with inventing email in 1972
http://www.nethistory.info/History%20of%20the%20Internet/email.html

7. What is the storm worm, and how many computers are infected by it?
Worms like Storm are written by hackers looking for profit, and they're different. These worms spread more subtly, without making noise. Symptoms don't appear immediately, and an infected computer can sit dormant for a long time. If it were a disease, it would be more like syphilis, whose symptoms may be mild or disappear altogether, but which will eventually come back years later and eat your brain
http://www.hothardware.com/News/What_Is_The_Storm_Worm_For/

8. If you wanted to contact the prime minister of australia directly, what is the most efficient way?
Internet and email are not secure mediums to transfer information. If you have concerns about using this form or if your message is sensitive, please use the postal address provided.
By Mail
http://pm.gov.au/contact/index.cfm

9. Which Brisbane-based punk band is Stephen Stockwell (Head of the School of Arts) a member of?
The Black Assassins
http://www.blackassassins.net/

10. What does the term "Web 2.0" mean in your own words?
Web 2.0 is an upgrade from 1.0 which allows users to excell and communicate publically.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

Social Connections with New Communications

Good Morning all
I am writting this from my New Communications class which is currently filled with tappers. This term I have given to those who are at the moment tapping away on their keyboards. I have been asked to comment on the social connections between my family and friends and new communications. I at the ripe age of 17 use myspace regulary to communicate with friends and i nearly always will have my phone on me.

It has been questionable the safety of websites such as myspace, however i believe that when utilised correctly these sites are useful source not a weapon. I have numerous people on my myspace and msn accounts that i have never met in real life, but there always good to talk to when I'm either board or having a cry about someone. I have met a random 'strangers' in person a few times, although they knew friends of mine so it wasn't completly stupid and im really good friends with them now. However some of my friends where getting ready to file a missing persons report when i told them i was going to met randoms. They definatly would never do it, although on another note they are now good friends with the randoms aswell.

In this technological age its virtually impossible not to have a myspace as people give out myspace adresses over their phone numbers. I personally couldn't live without myspace but im not as addictied as my friends whom change their song and update their profile everyday. I endorse myspace and blogging when used correctly can be very benefictial and rewarding, but contrasting to this there will be people who abuse these sites by posting very personal information about themselves.

Dave likes to use myspace, do you?

I am a regular user of myspace although i could never let myself become an absolute addict.

Goodbye ... or on common myspace terms
g2g