LambdaMOO!

Last class we all took a trip to LambdaMOO - an extensive mansion and grounds all contained on the internet and made up entirely of text. It was kind of interesting to read the descriptions of the different rooms. Later that day I went back to LambdaMOO to give my sister a tour (she ended up getting lost, swallowed by a giant who spit her out down a tunnel.) Anyway, I got a chance to meet a couple of members on LambdaMOO (I actually thought that they were permanent fixtures in the room until they spoke to me).

What is interesting about LambdaMOO is that people get so caught up in their imaginary personalities that they let their real lives slide. (One example would be Stewart in this article) All in all, relationships formed on these MUDS (multi-user dungeons) ususally boil down to nothing and the people who participate are left with less than they started with. all the time they could have spent cultivating real life relationships was spent in accumulating fake ones in a world that does not even exist. It's food for thought.

Harps, Harpists, and You-tube

We will probably talk more about You-Tube later in the course, but I just wanted to say a few words about one of my favorite websites.

IT'S SO AWESOME!!!!!!

By accessing you-tube, I have music, videos, movies, and anything else you can think of at the touch of a button. I find it to be one of the most useful sites on the web. Right now I'm listening to a professional harpist play "La Source." Not one of those chinsy homemade videos, but a professional one. While all of the videos are not top quality, it very handy when you need free music on-demand. I primarily use you-tube to look up songs that I'm learning to play or something that I'm curious about.

Check out La Source!

Another one of my favorite you-tube videos. Since I'm planning to do my on-line ethnography on a harpist forum, I'll probably be posting some other harp stuff.

Identity

Our class discussion about identity was very interesting. I can see why there was such an explosion of groups, and forums, and social networking site on the internet. People who feel that they want to be someone other than who they are have an easier time changing their identity in an internet chat room than they would in real life.

For me anyway, making a unique identity for myself has always been, well, slightly difficult. Since I have a twin who looks and thinks and acts exactly like me, people always get us confused (even friends who have known us for years). Its not like I would ever want to be different than my sister, but people tend to think of the two of us as a single unit, which is annoying.

Even though we are so similar, we have distinct identities and personalities. (we actually don't even look that similar anymore.) It still is amazing how many people confuse us. (yes, my twin sister goes to school here too. you've probably already mistaken her for me without even realizing it.)

I could fill the rest of this post with stories on how fun it is to be a twin, but I will get back to my original topic -

The internet is just another way to leave the stress of our real-life behind us and become the person we've always idolized.

Friends and Facebook

I'm relatively new to Facebook. When I first joined, it was actually kind of scary - I don't think I have ever managed to make that many friends in a matter minutes! I soon discovered that friends on Facebook have a different personality than they do in public. People who are quiet and introspective tend to write outrageous statuses - weird. Friends on Facebook, even if I know them personally, seem rather superficial. You really can't have those heart to heart chats over a cup of tea (I know you can try, but its not as much fun). Nevertheless, I still think Facebook is a good way to connect with people you haven't seen in ages and to keep in touch with friends. Technology is cool!

A few months ago I came across this video that I thought you might enjoy...

...if I can figure out how to post it...

Internet: The Curse of a College Education?

I would have to disagree with Mark Bauerlin. This is definitely NOT the dumbest generation (although there are some people out there who are trying very hard to make sure that it becomes just that.) True, computers may have carved the path that leads outside of traditional teaching/learning methods, but just because something is new and different, is that reason to disregard its potential?

We may not be the smartest generation ever, but that does not mean that we are any less competent to face the world than any other generation before us. Using internet effectively is yet another thing that must be added to the college student's plethora of skills. While not every student uses this new technology to further knowledge, the internet has given everyone a chance to access knowledge like no generation ever before.

What kind of TV watcher are you?

In Chapter 2, Buying into American Idol: How We Are Being Sold on Reality Television, Jenkins classifies three kinds of TV viewers. Which one are you and why?

1) Zapper - a person who sits on the couch with one finger poised threateningly over the channel button on the remote ready to switch stations every two seconds. A zapper almost never watches an entire show.

2) Casual - a person who is willing to watch a whole show - if it's interesting or impressive enough. A casual watches TV to kill time, to relieve boredom, etc. but is not usually a die hard fan of any particular show. Casuals are more likely to do other things - like talk to friends - while watching TV.

3) Loyal - a person who picks out their favorite show and watches it loyally each week. If they have to miss a show for whatever reason, they will record it and watch it later.

Google Mania

Before class yesterday, I didn't realize that Google was that big. (ok, I thought it was maybe half the size, but I never realized that it was international.) Yesterday I used Google about 15 times. Normally, I use it even more to find websites that I have forgotten the URL to, and to find random movies on You-Tube. It was fascinating to see the number of people "Googling" North Central's website throughout the school year.

One of the readings we had for Friday was about freedom of expression and creativity on the internet. My question is, since Google ranks all the pages that it indexes, how can all pages be treated equally? Even on other search engines, Amazon pays money to be on the first page, and since no one really goes beyond the first page anyway, people are more likely to click on anything that seems relevant on their first page of results.

Freedom of expression? Sure, but if your page ranks at the bottom of the list, no one is ever likely to see what you've done (unless you do something to change your rank.)

What would I do without the internet?

Last class we talked about the beginnings of the internet and email. What is kind of fascinating about the creation of the internet is that it is all somewhat recent (like the creation of Amazon.com and Google)

I can remember the first time I sent an email. I was replying to one a friend sent me (and hardly knowing what you do with an email to be honest). I used angel stationary that one of my friends had accidentally gotten the angels to flap their wings on.

Since then, it's amazing how much I've come to depend on the internet (and computers). Encyclopedias and paper journal articles are becoming rarer and rarer when I go to do research for a paper (although, since I'm an English major, I like to say that I won't read anything unless a tree died to make it). I almost never go into bookstores, and a lot of the books that I do read are purchased online at Amazon.

So what would I do without the internet? My life would be barely functional. Sure, I could go without it for short periods of time, and gain time to do things that I never seem to have time for - like practicing my harp. (yes, I play a 47-string, 7-pedal, ebony, concert-grand, pedal-harp). But for the most part, it would be like going back to card catalogues (search engines are so cool!).

The internet has been the gateway to knowledge and the way that people share creative ideas, customs, and opinions. Where would we be without it?

Cell Phones and Jenkins

After reading the introduction to Henry Jenkins Convergence Culture:Where Old and New Media Collide I can tell that I'm going to be learning a lot in this course! Jenkins talks about convergence in media that no one seems to notice anymore - like cell phones. Cell phones, Jenkins notes in his introduction, are no longer for just making phone calls. On today's phones you have movies, music, games, and Internet access all at the touch of a few buttons. While Jenkins finds these phone options frustrating, it's food for thought. The extra 'frills' on phones these days are ridiculous! (I mean, you can do just about anything but wash the dishes from your phone!) We are all getting used to instant access to everything that sometimes we forget about the world around us. When was the last time you were annoyed at the slowness of your Internet connection, or when that stop light was just a few seconds too long?

I can't wait to read the rest of Jenkins' book. He's sure to have some insights into this media crazy culture of ours.

A Well-Crafted Blogger

Megan Reardon is a well-rounded individual. In her interview, she mentions her love for crafts and doing things with her hands. She created her blog, not so much for other people, but as a way to remember things - like the lip balm recipes she taped to the front of her refrigerator. She is not particularly boastful, although she enjoys the attention that her blog receives. She likes to think of herself as an ordinary person with a blog that has useful things on it - like how to make a pumpkin party favor, when to cut lavender, and her very own cupcake designs. She blogs because she enjoys it and has found blogging a good way to meet other online users (who, Megan says in relief, are a lot kinder and weirder than most people allow themselves to be in public).
Megan's blog, Not Martha, shows that a blog can be about anything. In a very practical way, Megan reminds me of Martha Stewart (although she hints at quite the opposite in her blog title.) Megan's crafts and tidbits are meant to be actually used, (whereas the 'other Martha' generally makes crafts that are appealing to the eye and not so much for wear and tear.) She doesn't spend a lot of time posting, but her results are fabulous (check out her blog and you'll see what I mean.) Not only is she good with her hands, but her creativity sparks her blog into something extra special. Her recipe for success is a good one - practicality, creativity, and just a pinch of down-to-earth realism.

Welcome!

Welcome to Mary's Media Blog! I will be using this blog to discuss topics related to media, for the class IMS/SPC 260, Introduction to New Media.