Week 4 Task - Research and Search Engine Fun

Research: In my library search last tute, I began with searched ‘New Communication Technologies’ but my results were widely spread – so I began my focus on the further development of new technologies with the particular importance of the role of government in doing so.

M2 Presswire, Feb 27, 2007. UN: United Nations meets Silicon Valley in initiative to provide developing world with benefits of information, communication technology; 28 February event gathers high-tech, academic, venture capital communities. Available from: <http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=23&did=1223268741&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&amp;VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1174524383&clientId=13713>This text documents a meeting of major members of the Information Communication Technologies (ICT) industry, as well as associated academics and financial aid members. The meeting assessed the needs of the developing world in regards to information and communication technology, identifying areas where the UN and Silicon Valley can work towards its improvement.

Association of Information Systems, USA, 1998. Developing a successful information and communication technology industry: the role of venture capital, knowledge, and the government. Available from: <http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=353070&coll=ACM&amp;dl=ACM&CFID=14212462&CFTOKEN=25388207>This text assesses the further development possible for ICT, with the assistance and requirement of further financial support, political backing and the incorporation of the ICT industry to work collectively with the above groups.

Communications of the ACM, Vol. 40, Issue 2, USA, 1997. The Past and Future history of the internet. Available from: <http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=253741&coll=ACM&amp;dl=ACM&CFID=14212462&CFTOKEN=25388207>This text provides a fair bit of background information for the essay, but also presents the opportunities of the near future and the current developments in proposition.

Search Engines: Search engines are defined as a user’s directory to large amounts of information on particular subjects. The search engines maintain databases of website info and programs (aka spiders or robots) that collect info which is then sorted by the engine. These programs then categorise all the information into relevancy. (http://www.dictionary.reference.com/browse/search+engine)

My favourite search engines is undoubtedly google.com because it provides different search options (i.e. Google Scholar, or Images only etc.)
The most recent story I could find was the latest Google advertising concept – where the advertising will soon branch into TV. However, firstly the technological guru company is first putting its outward advertising concepts to newspaper and radio (currently in progress). Available from: <http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/28/business/google.php>

'Til next time!

Trude

Week 4 - Scavenger Hunt (the fun part)

1. The World’s largest pumpkin, 2006 – 1502 pound, by Ron Wallace of Rhode Island, USA.
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/giants/record.htm

2. I couldn’t actually find anything entirely speedy – however the most intimate option is in your opportunity to win a chance to spend time with Grant at his house on the Gold Coast!! (Just purchase 1 cereal and 1 snack product of the Uncle Toby’s range and send in the barcodes – see terms and conditions for details.)
http://www.nestle.com.au/WhatsNew/Competitions/Hang+with+Hackett.htm

3. A Giraffe’s tongue is between 46 – 50cm – and is blue-black in colour.
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giraffe.html

4. Ontology is the study or nature of being – metaphysics.
http://www.dictionary.reference.com/browse/ontology

5. David Cronenberg’s first film was only 7 minutes long – Transfer in 1966.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000343/filmorate

6. The original Hacker’s Manifesto – aka. The Conscience of a Hacker – was a small essay written in 1986 by anon hacker – The mentor – or Lloyd Blankership.
http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/manifest.phk

7. Any 555 number is fake. Stupid idea, but it prevents the observant from dialing random unlucky people within their area code whose number was plastered on a film.
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060702170321AARZBxe

8. The cheapest form of transport from the Greek Island of Crete to Rhodes is by ferry (no-frills airlines are also available). However no prices were provided.
http://www.gtp.gr

9. I’ll never find another you, by The Seekers.
http://www.onmc.iinet.net.au/topspot/1965.htm

10. Assoc. Prof. Stephen Stockwell plays keyboards for the Black Assassins.
http://live-wirez.gu.edu.au/Staff/Stephen/default.html

Week 2 - Tutorial 10 - 12 - Marshall McLuhan

The intriguing Associate Professor Stephen Stockwell (not pictured right) began our lecture theatre journey into the history of communication studies on a fine – and very early – Friday morning, introducing us to such innovative researchers and theorists as George Gerber and Larry Gross, Raymond Williams, Stanley Cohen, Water Benjamin, and – of particular mention – Canadian born, ‘pop philosopher’ Marshall McLuhan (pictured right).

McLuhan’s theory was based around a variety of communication media transmission types and the level of audience participation to each, as well as particular media’s influence. These text types were categorised as follows;

• McLuhan’s argument went that particular media types, such as a book or photo, require very little audience participation, or completion as the media communicated is done so in a way that requires the use of only one ‘sense’ of the audience, e.g. to see, to read. McLuhan stated that these text types were very detailed versions of communication, providing highly specified and detailed information. These media types were labelled as ‘hot’ media.
  
• Alternatively, many 1960’s text types required much more audience participation and contemplation. Such text types, e.g. a drawn cartoon, or a television program; provided very little specified details and required the audience to use a mix of their own senses to ‘fill in the blanks’. These media types were categorised as ‘cold’ media.

I believe that McLuhan’s theory is a major representation of the media types available as avenues for communication in the 1960’s, which, in comparison to today’s complex roadmap of communication possibilities (many of which cannot be categorised according to McLuhan’s appropriate outlines), is now quite outdated.

For example, the current heavy reliance on the computer as a communication device presents two categorisation arguments. Firstly, the ability to access the internet or encyclopedia programs, view digital photos or watch cinema features; influences us to think that the computer is a ‘hot’ media type in its ability to provide such detailed information. Alternatively, as today’s computer generation rapidly grows, the media type becomes much more participative, and provides many ‘cooler’ media options, where more blanks must be filled.

The mobile phone presents another ‘warm’ McLuhan challenge. As such a highly connective device it works further towards the ‘cooler’ global village idea and requires (more often than not) a highly participative media requirement – but is still able to rapidly communicate detailed information.

It seems fashionable almost that such media devices as those expressed above that cannot be categorised into either groupings create a greater influence on individuals, and hence spur astronomical popularity. McLuhan’s major theory was in that both ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ media types provided different influential abilities on the audience – where if the audience is tuned in more intently (i.e. less participation, as well as more detailed and well defined information) the influence would be greater. Perhaps our now more ‘room temperature / warm’ media alternatives present an argument to McLuhan’s thermostat thinking.

Zechowski, S., The Museum of Broadcast Communications, date n/a. ‘Marshall McLuhan’ {Online}. Available from:
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/M/htmlM/mcluhanmars/mcluhanmars.htm
(cited 16th March 2007)

Hosted by Guthro, J., CBC Archives, Radio broadcast, June 22, 1965. ‘A Pop Philosopher’ {Online}. Available from:
http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-69-342-1818/life_society/mcluhan/clip4
(cited 16th March 2007)

Hirst, M. & Harrison, J., Oxford University Press, 2007, ‘Communication and New media – from broadcast to narrowcast’

Week 1 Tutorial: 10-12

And here we begin. At 10:41am on a (out of the blue) sunny Thursday, nineteen old and new students begin their initial commencement of the world that is 'the blog'. Everyone types keenly, but does anyone know of what is the right thing to be writing. So here goes this fresh new blog "journo"s first impressive blog attempt. (Wish me luck).

Our tutor, Chris, gave us a bit of a spiel this morning RE: communication today. And he's right. As a true myspace addict - almost worthy of Myspace Annonymous - communications are incredibley rapid and technological - which do affect the ways in which we communicate with others. Or perhaps, ways in which we don't communicate with others - well, if communication can be seen as per the traditional aspects. You know, when I was much younger my mother would always yell at my sister and I for spending so long on the phone. And then times changed, and I stopped using the phone, and instead, got on the internet. And apparently this still annoyed my mother. Go figure? Perhaps it was that the internet option arrived somewhere around the same time as the mobile phone option arrived - and my new communication skills in the field of highly impressive MSN Messenger and the even more impressive rate of knots at which I could text, meant spending a bit more of my hard earned $4.95/hour KFC wages than anticipated.

This blog also marks my first semester of my first year at Griffith University. I have already tried the First year thing - well part time, and externally, but in a Bachelor of Business, it just didn't seem to interest me a whole lot. But I am positive that this First Year here, will work out just fine.

To be honest this course was chosen as a pre-requisite for alot of the majors that I want to do in 2nd and 3rd year. So theoretically I didn't have a choice. And I was perplexed as to why I had to do it. On Sunday I turned 20 - and my Dad, bought me a book on Careers in Public Relations, and I have read a bit - and now I see where the internet - actually - not just internet - BUT EVERY POSSIBLE AVENUE OF COMMUNICATION - comes into it. And now I want to know everything. And oh dear, do I need to work on writing much better!

Anyway, welcome to 'Got Blog?' - enjoy the ride.