Thursday, May 31, 2007

Cams Final Uni Post

Hello for the last time...

My final blog is extremely close to deadline as I'm sure you can see. The library just got evactuated because the fire alarm went off so it has been pushed back that tad bit more lol. But anyway, this is my last blog and i may as well do a good one.

Well firstly as you well know we started this term off with the history of communication. I was surprised to find that I actually enjoyed learning about this. I find that it is interesting to consider how far technology will be advanced in coming years if it has already advanced to this level. I remember as a kid I was absolutely amazed that I had a discman and could actually leave my house and listen to music, it was almost too much for me. Nowadays I wouldnt be surprised if the new Ipod had an inbuilt oven. But if there has been this much of an advancement over the course of around ten years imagine what it will be like in another century. Preferably not like something that has come straight out of a Cyberpunk novel.

Of course i know it is part of curriculum to learn the media theories but i have to admit I found it a little bit wearing and sometimes boring. But as for the level of clarity and your presentation of the topic, it was very good. It made it that marginal bit easier for the test this morning haha. I found the movies pretty interesting, particularly La Jetee which surprises me as I dont usually like older movies. The plot was so original and i thought it was interesting to see how a movie can carry such an effective plot without having good imagery of an effective pace.

As for the tutorial tasks I think they ranged between interesting, not so interesting and sometimes tedious. However for the most part i enjoyed them, and I do not think i could put into words how much better these tutorials were than my other subjects (which bordered on insufferable).

All in all i thoroughly enjoyed this class in comparison to my others, and thank you a lot for your work this semester.

Cheers, might see you in a class in the future...

Cam.

Cams Ninth Uni Post

Hey, I'm back again. I have been behind so i decided to do my word task and excel task back to back, then do all the typing. I regret this. Fingers are quite sore. Deadline is looming closer and closer, and the Excel task I did took me back to my Maths and Graphics days. Frankly i despise both of those subjects, so that will give you a rough idea of how much I enjoyed these tasks lol. Excuse my Msn Language, but i figure if I'm going to use it in any subject this is by far the most fitting.

Now, the task. Well I'm not going to lie to you, i didn't find it difficult but staring at an excel screen was something i thought I had avoided forever. Certain teachers have left me with certain bad memories lol. I found the first bit fine, but the formulas annoyed me a little, as for some reason i always make one typo and have to redo pretty much every step. It becomes pretty wearing. As I have used to program before, i found little to no difficulty finishing the rest, but my typo's annoyed me pretty horrifically.

It was probably a good thing i went through and did this excercise as it sparked my memory (albeit bad ones). Im going to have to use this program in the future, one again probably begging and clawing my way into a job, and when i get to that stage I guess it will be useful. But until then? Nah. lol.

Thanks, have a good one.

Cam.

Cams Eighth Uni Post

Hows it going...

I'm still ploughing along, painfully close to deadline, and admittedly the microsoft word task I just completed was a little bit wearing an time consuming, but I can understand the importance of it, and im sure that it didn't hurt to get back to basics as I'm going to be using this program (or at least something like it) for the est of my life.

In regards to the actual task, I had no real difficulties but was quite surprised at the mail merging task as I had absolutely no idea such a thing existed. I guess it is pretty useful though, and will probabl use it in the future. By the way cheers for the clear instructions, otherwise i definitely would have struggled my way through that one.

Looking at Microsoft word itself, i suppose it would be pretty hard to imagine uni life without it. While it may not be particularly high tech and advancing in the field of technology, it is just a necessity for anyone who comes here. As for me, I have absolutely no doubt i'll be using the program in a few years time, begging and clawing my way to get a decent job haha.

Cheers again,
Cam.

Cam's Seventh Uni Post

Hello again and welcome to another horrendously overdue blog. Apologies once again, i kept putting it off and putting it off until i was literally staring deadline in the face. This blog will be focusing on the differences between regular instant messaging and 3d instant messaging.

Upon observing the active worlds website the first obvious difference to me is that the 3d form takes on a gameplay aspect which I would assume take away from the chatting aspect anyway. I have been using Msn Messenger for roughly 6 or 7 years and i use it for the sole purpose of speaking to one another, which leads me to believe on first impression that 3d chat may be too elaborate.

It is interesting to note, that while the gameplay aspect may take away from the simplicity of basic chat, the visual aspect gives way to a whole new realm of communication. Whilst msn offers gameplay and interacting in the form of file transfer, and the rather primitive checkers 3d chat allows you to digitally interact with one another, simulating that of real life.

I was vaguely aware of the ability to immerse yourself in an interactive world, but this has opened my eyes in terms of technological advancement. Personally, if someone was to chat regularly on one of these sites they may experience a mild form of addiction which would take away from their ability to communicate with others in real life. Overall though, this is most certainly an interesting form of technology, and I'm interested to see where it will lead in the future...

Cheers for the task, I found it pretty interesting... have a good one...

Cam.

"Celebrity"


kings of leon, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

I'm going to stick with music again, this time with another of my favourite bands, Kings of Leon. They are a rock band, yet reasonably artistic, so i thought i would used a crystallising effect on this photo.

"Games"


mario, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

As a kid i loved Mario Kart, and after a few drinks i still love it. It remains to be my favourite game so i chose this picture, and used the smudge stick effect to give the illusion of speed.

"Popular"


kiedis, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

When reading the term popular I instantly assume music, and my favourite band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Here i have a photo of frontman Anthony Kiedis onstage, which i have polarised to reflect the intesity and creativity of their live show.

"Australian"


Mason Rose, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

My entire life i have bodyboarded, and i genuinely think the best thin about Australia is the amount and versatility of the surf here. So i have chosen a shot of bodyboarder Mason Rose, and accentuated the light to enhance the photo and to give the impression it is sunny.

"Communication"


mobile, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

Although it may be cliche, but when i think of commmunication i instantly think of my phone. I chose this phone is particular as it is enhaced and is capable of various forms of communication. I used the sharpen effect (admittedly too much) to create a sharper, more important looking image.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

"Friends"


Me and Chris, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

This is a photo of my mate Chris and I, before we went to one of our school discos. Not entirely sure why we are dressed like this, but later in the night we won best dressed so i guess it was worth it. I used a grainy effect to make the picture seem older which i feel adds to the effect of our costumes and the "friend" theme.

Cams Sixth Uni Blog

Welcome to part two of my photoshop blog. This one will pretty much be the same except with different topics, and photoshop edited photos.

Cheers, enjoy.
Cam.

Monday, May 28, 2007

"University Life"


Bar, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

I think its pretty self-explanatory isn't it? I know we come here to get an education, a degree, a life, but drinking is what were famous for isn't it? And where do we drink? Yeah.

"Unconventional"


Reverse, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

Once again, because of my limited photos, this may be a stretch but im sure I can make it apply somehow. Whilst most kids were probably at the beach when this was taken, we decided to go about 50 clicks into the bush and jump off cliffs into rockpools. Unconventional? Probably not that much. But while most people do a pin-drop, or dive in i decided to grab my bodyboard and try a reverse air. Unconventional? I'd wanna hope so because the landing wasn't pretty.

"Summer"


BBQ, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

Once again scrolling through my photos i found this. I think it pretty much fills everything summery. Sun? Yeah. Seedy, seedy barbeque and gas bottle? Yeah. Outdoors on camping chairs? Yeah. The only thing its missing is an esky, but i'm sure its there somewhere.

"News"


Lockyer, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

I couldnt really resist posting this. But it is news. The Maroons came from behind to beat the Blues 25-18 on the 23rd of May. Pretty Newsworthy wouldn't you agree?

"High Tech"


The Morning After, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

Scrolling through my photos, i came to realise i had nothing whatsoever that related to the topic of "high tech". Rather than steal a photo off the net, i thought I would improvise and post this. Ignoring the empty bottles and screen, you can see a LCD tv. In my mind, this is surely a piece of high technology equipment, and could surely relate to Steve's speeches on television during our lectures. Pretty weak connection to the topic, but at least i didn't steal a photo right?

"Friends"


Me and Rick, originally uploaded by cameroncolinwilliams.

I think this photo is pretty indicative of the topic of "friends". This is me and my mate Ricky at our formal. I have absolutely no idea who took this photo, but i think it remains to be a pretty simple and effective representation of this topic. The same photo about 8 hours later at the afterparty would be a lot more interesting.

Cams Fifth (belated) Uni Blog

Hello,

Firstly apologies for the lateness of this blog. I let procrastination get the better of me, and have gradually built up a backlog of blogs to be completed.

This blog will be the first of two that focuses on photo blogging and the use of photoshop. The following post will be photos of mine, taken on either a Nokia 3 megapizel camera photo, and a Kodak digital camera. I find it interesting to note that when comparing the two different photos, i cannot tell the difference between camera photo and real camera. Considering the phone is certainly not top of the line, it is pretty indicative of evolution of technology dont you think?

Enjoy the photos,
Cam.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Myspace Essay

In modern times technology has revolutionized the way we as a society communicate with each other. Since the induction of the telephone, communicating with one another has become easier and more convenient, yet in doing so has lost the intimacy of face to face conversation. In more recent years, the internet has become a primary form of communication through the likes of chat rooms, messenger programs and emails. However since 2003, a new form of internet communication has risen, to the point where it now has well over one hundred million users, and attracts a further two hundred and thirty thousand per day. Myspace is simply a social networking website, in which each user has his own personlised profile and the ability to contact and freely communicate with other users. However it is its sheer enormity and power that has allowed it to become an immeasurably valuable and cost-effective facet of communication within our global society. The following essay will explore the uses of Myspace and also examine the benefits and concerns of this networking giant that is rapidly changing the way modern society communicates.

Myspace, by its very nature is beneficial to the community. Regardless of how depersonalized such communication may be, it still bridges the gap both between local communities and our international globalized society. Furthermore, Myspace supersedes the effectiveness of other communication forms in that it also provides a means of meeting new people thus enhancing its effectiveness in propelling globalization (Smith, Skelley: 2004). The significance of Myspace in furthering this movement has been significantly overlooked and overshadowed by concerns of predatory activity (Business Wire: 2007). Another strong benefit of Myspace is it ability to mirror the services of other forms of communication, for no cost. Although there is a time delay between when a message (in Myspace terms a “comment”) is sent to another user, it is free of charge, and allows for more creativity, length and content. Aside from the obvious communication benefits, Myspace is also a powerful outlet for individuality and creativity. Younger users in particular use Myspace to express themselves and to search for people whose interests are aligned with their own (Granter: 2006). In particular, the “about me” section of a user’s profile has become somewhat of creative piece of writing, with entries ranging from stories, to lyrics, to philosophy. Yet another strong benefit of Myspace is its musical community. It has proven to be immeasurably successful in promoting lesser known bands through almost limitless word of mouth. One particularly strong example is that of the Australian band “The Sick Puppies”, who went from humble beginnings as a garage rock band, to rock stardom through the use of the Myspace, and Youtube. (www.sickpuppies.net) Taking all of the preceding information into account, Myspace clearly benefits the community in many ways, and on a larger scale contributes to the development of a more global community.

The primary concern critics have towards Myspace is that the impersonal nature of the site draws away from an individual’s communication abilities. Much like a text message, the only means of conveying your message over Myspace is through text, or in some cases images, which limit the receiver’s interpretation of your message (December J, 1996). As it is a proven fact that vast amount of communication is in fact body language, and vocal expression, Myspace is very limited in the quality of communication it allows. This in turn, over prolonged use leeches on the user’s ability to communicate, and in severe cases would leave them somewhat socially inept. This ties into another issue associated with Myspace and online communication in general: internet addiction. The most recent Australian census shows that 67% of Australian households own or lease their own computer, and 80% of citizens ages 16-34 have internet access. This clearly shows the accessibility of computers and internet in the modern Australian society (University Southern Queensland). This combined with alarming overweight and obesity statistics (ASSO 2006) can find a correlation in internet addiction. Myspace can be addictive to the extent that it provides a constant form of entertainment, not unlike a virtual schoolyard, office or other form of gathering. This draws away from the exercise any citizen should be getting, and as aforementioned draws from their communication skills, thus rendering it a powerful form of internet addiction that must be addressed (Young K.S, 1996). Another issue relating to Myspace, is that of predatory activity on the internet. Much like chat rooms, or messenger programs, there is no way to determine whether someone actually is who they say they are, and subsequently internet predators are able to manipulate adolescents undeterred. Alarmingly, Myspace involves not only speaking, but photo albums of each user, all of which are available to anyone online who is your Myspace “friend”. Although this behavior is sickening, and cannot be tolerated, the nature of the program allows predators to operate without worry, and therefore is an issue that cannot currently be addressed (Magrid L, 2006).

Taking into consideration all of the preceding information, it is evident that Myspace delivers both positives and negatives to both our immediate community, and our global community. It has provided the world with a new and powerful form of communication, bridges gaps between people and countries, furthering the development of new communication and technologies, whilst promoting individualism, creativity and talent. However such issues as internet addiction and predatory activity sour this innovative invention, and stand as obstacles for its future development. Both positive and negatives issues aside, Myspace simply remains to be a powerful communicating device, and will most certainly play a crucial role in future communication.




BIBLIOGRAPHY:


Armstrong B, Dingsdag D, Fogarty G, 2003, “Internet and Computer Usage: Comparisons” Southern Cross University.

Business Wire, 2007, “Myspace and Mark Burnett Unite” Business Wire, 25.4.07

Smith D, Skelley C.A, 2004, “Globalisation: Transformation” Technology Futures inc.

December J, 1996, “Units of Analysis for Internet Communication”, Journal of Communication

Granter B, 2006, “Individualism and Social Capitol In an Online Social Networking Community: “Myspace” is an Organising site for Social Construction”, 13.4.06

http://www.asso.org.au/home/obesityinfo/stats

http://www.sickpuppies.net

Magrid L, 2006, “Myspace: Your Kids Danger?” CBS News, 6.2.06.

Young K.S, 1996, “Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a Clinical Disorder”, Cyber Psychology and Behaviour, 15.8.96

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Cam's Third Uni Post

Hello again.

This week my blog will consist pretty much solely of tutorial tasks. Enjoy.

My essay topic will be on that of wireless technology and the following is a brief report on it.

Bluetooth is technology used to create interoperable operation between two devices, each containing Bluetooth. The technology itself allows the tranfer 0f technical files through airwaves in a "scatternet", and can generally be used only within a restricted range. (http://ssrnet.snu.ac.kr/course/cs4541_682-06-01/presentation/2006-03-22_bluetooth.pdf). It is unique in that it allows for ad hoc neworks that allowed for the simplest possible tranfer of technology, which is primarily used in mobile phones and has become essentially standard among the leading brands. (http://www.csie.ncnu.edu.tw/~ccyang/WirelessNetwork/Papers/Bluetooth/BTScatternet-2.pdf). Since its beginnings in may 1988 almost 10 years ago, bluetooth is being adapted in more and more forms of technology, and in doing so becoming more influential and useful (http://cnscenter.future.co.kr/resource/hot-topic/wpan/RC22109.pdf).

These academic articles and their corresponding key points have provided a springboard for me to plan and contruct ideas from, when starting my essay on Bluetooth technology.

SCAVENGER HUNT:
* The worlds biggest pumpkin weighs 1385 pounds. (http://www.usefultrivia.com/holiday_trivia/halloween_trivia_006a.html)
* The quicket most reliable way to contact Grant Hackett is through email at (http://granthackettonline.free.fr/).
* A gifaffe's tongue is 18 inches in length (http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/vecase/Behavior/Spring2002/Kawwass/giraffe.htm
* Ontology is directly relates to philosophy and is the study of the nature of being. (http://www.ask.com/reference/dictionary/ahdict/39264/ontology).
* David Cronenburg's first feature film was "Stereo". (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065036).
* The orginal hackers manifesto was written on January 8, 1986. (http://freeweb.supereva.com/crackworld/manifestoe.htm?p).
* 555 is used in Hollywood movies as the prefix was reserved for TV and movies use so the viewing public wouldn't harass customers when looking to phone stars. (http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20020826.html).
* A Flight at $229.14. (www.expedia.com)
* Steven played in a band called "Black Assassin. (users.bigpond.net.au/blackassassins/Surf.html.)

A search engine can be defined as "A software program that searches a database and gathers and reports information that contains or is related to specified terms". Search engine rank webpages through the most key words used within the site relative to the search. My favourite search engine remains to be Google, especially after my experiences today. I find it much easier to use, and the information found to be much more concise. A current news story in relation to search engines is that of "New search engines offer alternative to Google" which tells the story of up and coming search engines offering an alternative to "just googling it". Such up and coming sites are that of www.chacha.com.

Thankyou for reading yet another blog, and i hope you werent too disgustingly bored.

Cheers,
Cam.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Cam's Second Uni Post

How's it going.

Welcome to my second uni blog. The last week has been fairly good uni-wise besides the disgustingly large amount of humidity. Uni is relatively easy at the moment, but most likely because I've seldom put pen to paper. I should probably start at least one assignment in the next week or so.

This morning's lecture was relatively interesting I assume, I probably paid far less attention than I should have. However, Alphaville was relatively interesting, but i don't think my taste for movies extends back to the black and white era yet.

I am finding the tutorials for New Communications Technology really good, as while there isn't a heavy workload, its still interesting and relates directly to what i want to do in the future. Also, it's pretty funny how myspace has utilised the concept of blogging to their advantage, making something previously unknown to the majority of the general public, a cool, seemingly new thing to do, which i guess in turn is an example of the evolution of new communication.

As for the workload, maintaining a blog per week seems easy, assuming i don't have to create a new account every week as I'm too incompetent to keep my details listed somewhere. With any luck, somehow, i may be able to restrict it to about 5 new blog accounts.

The only thing i could really complain about is the behemoth 4 hour break i have between my lecture and my tutorial. Even though i have a dull marketing meeting to break it up, in the heat at the moment, even laying out listening to music on my laptop dosent kill the time. I look forward to the days where i can turn a uni break into a session in the bar.

Anyway, to anyone who is reading, sorry for the horribly uninteresting blog.

Cheers,

Cam.

Cam's First Uni Post

Hey, my name is Cam Williams and this is my blog for the subject New Communications and Technologies.

I am a seventeen year old and i am currently in my first year of a Communication degree. Ultimately I hope to become a free-lance journalist, but in the more immediate future I would like to get a cadetship at some form of surfing or music magazine, as cliché as that may come across as.

I am a fairly musically orientated person, particularly rock music; bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kings of Leon. I have been bodyboarding religiously for six or seven years, yet remain to be mediocre at best.

I graduated last year from Varsity College, and despite being a little disappointed with my OP I doubt I could have had a better year (with exception to the violent hangovers I had in most of my early morning English lessons).

So far in this subject I found the movie La Jetee interesting even though I had little no to clue what was happening. I thought it was particularly interesting that the movie managed to carry a complex plot, despite having a fraction of the technology we have today.

Back on topic, my blog page will basically provide a journal of this subject and my experiences within it, relating back to the lecture and completing assessment in regards to my tutorial tasks. In doing this subject I want to ensure that I actually do have a thorough understanding of computers, something which I obviously will need if I ever intend on becoming a journo.

In closing, I look forward to the next French film we end up watching, assuming I can follow the plotline, but don’t particularly look forward to learning a thorough history of New Communications in my next lecture. Sorry Steve.

Oh and by the way, just thought I would add I cannot hack the humidity at uni so far. Thank Christ for this air-conditioned lab.

Cheers for reading,
Cam.