Bibliography

Website

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/8841331/Happy-10th-birthday-to-the-iPod-the-little-machine-that-changed-our-lives.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16352785

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7736311.stm

http://piratebay.org/legal

http://articles.clickitticket.com/MoneyMusicandPiracy.asp 

http://www.kony2012.com/

http://www.battlefront.co.uk/get-involved/how-to-start-a-campaign

Online Journal

Ellison, N B., Lampe, C., Steinfield, C. (2007) The Benefits of Facebook "Friends:" Social Capital and College Students' Use of Online Social Network Sites [WWW] Avaliable from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x/full [Accessed:15/04/2012]

Social Networks - Our Biographies in a Click.

The dangers of social networking sites are rather clear but it’s been argued that ‘the relatively open nature of the information, and the lack of privacy controls enacted by the users, Gross and Acquisti (2005) argue that users may be putting themselves at risk both offline (e.g., stalking) and online (e.g., identify theft)’. Social Networking should be avoided if you don’t feel comfortable with the information you need to provide. I took steps in this direction when I deleted my MySpace and bebo accounts from when I used to be active when 14-16 years old. All the memories I had gathered through photographs and bulletin posts with quizzes had gone in a click, but still available across the World Wide Web for retrieval. The Internet is not a place to be immature, the dangers have been made clear and it’s up to the parents and guardians to protect their children from harm that can be caused especially with the Internet, a place where anything can be said or done.

Even with all the bad press that social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have received, there are still great ways to enjoy and be safe. Cyberspace allows those who do feel socially awkward or have lack of confidence to interact with others without damaging their low self esteem. The Internet is a portal for those who want to recreate themselves whether it’s a completely different character or a simple improvement of themselves. Whilst many others would disagree with this change, in my opinion I believe that escapism is a release for people who feel the need for conversation but within them cannot do this face to face. It’s a healthy alternative for interaction.

In summary, the dangers of social networking sites are clearly stated and most adults should know of what information is suitable to post on the Internet. Yet even so, many continue to be immature or even put themselves in danger of becoming a victim of stalking, identity theft and even damaging their careers. If treated correctly the Internet would be a place for education, news and happiness. The use of social networking sites as a portal for communication for loved ones, or even those who have low self esteem should be promoted and empathise as interaction is key for relationships with others, and the Internet allows us to do this. This benefits society and if we take care of what we post online, the Internet will remain a great source for those of all ages without damaging one another. I chose to delete certain accounts because I felt they were unnecessary and they could potentially harm myself, but I also believe to keep social network sites alive as I communicate with family and friends through one website which I find rather amazing. No matter how big the distance you are from another person at a click of the mouse you can be in their lives.

Steve Jobs: The Apple Has Fallen

Steve Jobs holding the iPhone

In life there is death but Steve Jobs will live on forever in his legacy that is Apple. Steve Jobs has given the world access all areas to the internet and it wonders through the development of the iPods, iPads, Macs and iPhones. I remember having the 1^st generation of the iPod touch glued to my hand 24/7, the app’s that helped me achieve correct spelling, learn German and even those that were quite frankly useless such as finding the nearest McDonalds’ or even those several weather apps that always have it wrong. The Apple technology available has become some of our best sidekicks and we become reliant upon them. They hold our photographic memories; the songs that make us see daylight on a gloomy day and allow us to access the most bizarre of apps.

It’s questionable whether or not Jobs could have done much more with his time at Apple by developing technologies that help benefit the military, government and health care, yet most if not all industries should have access to Apple products because they allow the freedom to be mobile yet still have all the information needed, provided. They also could benefit from many apps available. However, it clear that many apps are unnecessary and that the technology has all of a sudden got out of hand with many people developing apps that could harm us such as those that hack other peoples wireless or those that can hack into people passwords. Whilst those choose to do this it shows that many people have forgotten what Apple technology was all about as ‘Sales have started to fall, though, as more people carry their music on smart phones, which is why the iPod Touch is not just a music player but a games machine, web browser and communications device’ suggested by Shane Richmond (Telegraph article).

I would be a hypocrite if I told you that I haven’t used iPod’s for just music alone but it was vital to make that development for technology to advance and to keep Apple alive in business. With access all areas to the internet, it’s the Apple products that begin our wonder into the world of network media without having to be stuck in an office desk in front of a computer. iBelieve that Apple has made the internet far more appealing and accessible through the gadgets they have created.

Our freedom to browse, use pointless applications and explore have been made possible by the man, Steve Jobs who will always be known to me and many others as the Sir Isaac Newton of the 21^st century.

RIP Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Video Campaign

Many video campaigns surround the topic of politics especially surrounding the time of year when people are to vote. The other usual video campaigns often talk about eating disorders, the third world and child abuse etc but I decided to talk about a topic that was personal to me. Three years ago my dad fell ill in hospital and after suffering with pneumonia, septicaemia, bleeding into his adrenals, a heart attack and much more he survived but only to live on 13 tablets a day which even though he is dependant on them he is still charged to purchase them. In my opinion I find that video campaigns are successful when there is a vast amount of emotion that people can empathize with. On battlefront’s page of How to start a campaign it suggests ‘You should think about issues that are close to your heart; things that you truly feel passionate about’ and as campaigning is about making a change it’s clear that changes in your own lives for example; when you realise that someone is diagnosed with an eating disorder or someone has a rare blood type and needs a transplant it begins to make you think that change is a good thing. In my video I campaigned for more accessibility and information about entitlements in the NHS mainly to do with prescription drugs. Also it’s become much easier to campaign in the 21^st century with access to social networking sites such as Facebook and twitter that start trends especially recently with the KONY 2012 campaign that has seen worldwide praise from everyone including support from famous celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and George Clooney. Including websites such as battlefront that supports and gives information on how to campaign well and video uploading sites such as youtube help spread the word as viral videos become global with access through computers, tablets and phones. In summary great campaign ideas combined with the use of network media benefit one another and help strength the cause by making the videos available everywhere at anytime.  

The Copyright Debate: Can we salvage the damage?

Watching companies try and take on the torrent websites for imposing copyright infringement is much like watching a film about heroes and villains. We all secretly want the hero to win yet still we find ourselves wondering what the villains next move could be and once they have been struck, will they get back up to fight again. The issues surrounding copyright are hard to enforce as it’s clear with access to websites such as pirate bay and BitTorrent it’s arguable that everybody is a pirate but it also depends on what level they take piracy to. Its taboo to write on the internet yes I’ve done a couple of downloads but let’s face facts - I have, my friends have and I’m assuming the rest of the world (who have internet access) have. In fact a student from my previous college got fined for posting Arctic Monkeys album on a website weeks before its release. It questionable to know whether or not our ‘couple’ of downloads a month or year can affect industries such as music, books and film but with all our downloads put together its impact can be highly damaging. It’s extremely apparent that there are several problems with the economy and piracy in the US with 71,060 job losses and $422 million in tax revenue (Music, Money and Piracy article) in the music industry. There are also significant losses in the film industry with films such as Fast Five being the top pirated film of 2011. It has even made James Cameron pursue making more films into 3D and empathizing that ‘making movies in 3D would help put people off from downloading films illegally’ (BBC news).

Our access to the internet would benefit us greatly if we used the knowledge for education, development and to keep up to date with the news. But some pirates take this too far with the release of films that haven’t had their debut on the silver screen. It’s understandable for films that are years old and should be kept alive, even if the download is free. As a film student I find myself in the middle of the argument, unclear of what side I should really be taking. On one hand I think it’s important to see films in the cinema to have the opportunity to enjoy the film, experience others actions and reactions and the overall escapism of it all and allowing yourself to be involved with the character. Yet even so, pirate films are free, well they also technically not as you have to pay for your internet. But if a film is posted in a different country to the films release should they be punished? Pirate Bay is based in Sweden therefore when DreamWorks had issues with their posting of Shrek 2 online they found themselves in a pickle and suggested to DreamWorks that ‘As you may or may not be aware, Sweden is not a state in the United States of America. Sweden is a country in northern Europe. Unless you figured it out by now, US law does not apply here. For your information, no Swedish law is being violated… Go fuck yourself.’ In my opinion I found the language unnecessary but I also find the letter refreshing at the same time that a pirate company would stand against the film industry, an industry that makes their website highly popular. In my understanding I don’t think they realise they could work as a team to benefit one another. For example, taking an old film that is being forgotten about and make it available for the public for free, it may even again more money for both industries by promotion of old films. Piracy either way is inevitable and if we punish one person, we must punish them all.

However, when watching a pirate film you don’t feel all those feelings you have when attending a film at the cinema and all you do is save a couple of quid

It’s important to remind ourselves that people spend up to 200 days making this film for your 2 hour enjoyment, this is people’s lives at the end of the day and have people forgotten about Orange Wednesdays?

Psychogeography Project

As a group we decided to use our day to day travels to capture the changes that happen around us and analyse what are the causes of change. The changes we noticed the most was topics of conversation, the weather and in general people's body language.

We kept a diary of events that happened to help us analyse each individual photograph and draw conclusions as to what the photograph tells us about people and how they are effected by different events in day to day life.

PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY PROJECT on Prezi

DIARY

Saturday - 1.55pm - Bus station fairly busy, typical sounds of people in conversation and buses pulling up etc. As you can see people are queueing up with quite a few bags - Christmas shopping presumably. We could hear people discussing what they'd brought in their trip to town and overall general conversation, but even so wasn't extremely noisy

Sunday - 11.30am - The picture shows that the bus station wasn't very busy. Bus routes aren't so continuous on a Sunday as it's a 'chill day' on the weekend. The atmosphere was very quiet, just typical sounds like the odd buses brakes screeching, people coughing, rustling of the Sunday newspaper etc. Overall it was fairly quiet to correlate with the typical stereotype of 'Sunday'.

Monday - 6.30pm - During the rush hour the bus station was extremely loud, people queueing for the bus and several people complaining about the late buses, the cold weather and politics. The atmosphere was restless and we assume this is due to the timing of rush hour on a Monday. In a nutshell, the bus station was hectic and noisy.

Tuesday - 5.00pm - Once again as the day entered rush hour the bus station became moderately noisy, yet not as noisy as the day previously. The main product of conversation once surrounded the topic of weather. People began discussing in groups which were mainly youths. Even so, the much older people at the bus station weren't as chatty and tended to sit on their own, choosing to ignore one another rather than engaging in conversation.

Wednesday - 2.30pm - It became apparent especially around just after lunch time, particularly today that elderly people gathered at the bus station around this time to avoid the 'hustle' of rush hour in order to get home and avoid disputes with boisterous youths. Once again the topic of conversations were the Christmas season, shopping and cold weather. Again people tended to carry numerous shopping bags (presumably Christmas shopping). In general, the atmosphere was fairly pessimistic.

Thursday - 4.15pm - The atmosphere of the bus station was fairly quiet and cold as shown through what people were wearing. People tended to become more serious which was ironic due to the cheerful Christmas decorations which should cheer up people and get them in the Christmas spirit. Youths scattered around bus station as we assume they have just finished college/university, and they were huddled in groups talking amongst themselves. People seem quiet alongside the dark weather and the overall feeling of dullness. Typically people were quiet and isolated until the bus appears then they interact with the queues and get a little louder.

SUMMARY

Overall, as we analysed all photos over the space of the week it became obvious their are clear factors as to why people act the way they do at the bus station. Factors such as time of day, the weather, who their with and the atmosphere could change peoples actions within a instant. For example, when the bus station was busy due to rush hour people clearly became frustrated with the late buses and rush hour tends to come after people finish work therefore we assume most people just want to get home and into the warmth and away from the cold weather and forget about work issues
for the day. By using Prezi we could develop an online day to day interaction to see the difference between the photographs and the use of an iPhone allowed us to upload these photos in an instant. The internet has benefitted this project by making it more sociable and accessible anyway we went.
 In a nutshell different factors can change the situations we find ourselves in, whether its the people, atmosphere, weather or timing.

Pecha Kucha: Cloud Computing

Cloud Computing on Prezi
Cloud computing is a range of sources delievered as a service through the electric grid over a network usually the internet. The 'cloud' is a set of hardware networks, storage and interfaces that enables the delivery of computing as a service. Cloud computing is a development of web 2.0 and so web as a platform offers websites the use of maps and email. For example Facebook is a web application but with more websites usually advertisements. I use facebook everyday and so I find the advertisements that surround my page almost form my personality. There are several forms which are:

PUBLIC - Traditional mainstream resources the general public use
PRIVATE -  Operated soley for a single organisation
HYBRID - Two or more clouds bound together
COMMUNITY - Sharing the infrastructure between several organisations for a particular community

However I find the problem with cloud computing is the difference between what a business is providing and what a consumer requires therefore the data is conflicted. For example, recently I have been recieving several advertisements for phone when in fact i'm tied down to my contract for another 18 months.

Cloud computing is effective but also flawed, it based on assumptions and has poor architecture for 21st century software and the pressure will remain until its constantly effective.