navigational musings...

As deeply as I admittedly detest the world wide web, I do understand why it's important for sites to be easy to navigate. I took a deeper look at three sites I've been looking at lately, Seattle's website, Folio Literary Management's site, and Bill Brown's website.

For as long as I've loved rainy weather and wanted to write books Seattle has called to me. Naturally I expected to love the city's website, feeling that the great city of Seattle could do no wrong. The website was must less hip than I expected, but upon further inspection I understood how pragmatic the layout proved to be. The site is organized at the top through five different sections - Business in Seattle, Living in Seattle, Visiting Seattle, City Services and City Departments.Each section has a menu on the left hand side of the page which directs you to more specific information. The layout is the same for each section, making the site easy to navigate. Each section also includes a relevant drop down menu in the right hand corner which directs the viewer to even more information. Once you narrow down your field of inquiry, finding an answer to your question is absolute cake. The site is not as jazzy as I'd like it to be but organizationally it's pretty top-notch.

Folio Literary Management's website looks completely doable to me. All menu's are located at the top of the page, directly beneath the header. Each menu is a drop down menu with a list of options which, when clicked, take you directly to the page which deals with the specific subject matter.There aren't any hard to find links or hidden pages. The website is very straight forward and simplistic. I like the site because I don't think it's overly optimistic for me to be confident in my ability to recreate a similar layout. I think of the three sites that I took a closer look at, this one is the one I'd be most likely to follow in the creation of my own site.

Bill Brown's internet base is as different as he is. Instead of having drop down menus, or even words to direct the viewer, the website has a series of icons located at the top that take you to it's different pages. The linked words at the bottom take you to a different website entirely, a site where Bill Brown merch can be purchased.  As much as I like the creativity behind the icons this site is more difficult to navigate than the previous two. If you're looking for something specific that Bill Brown has done, or has to say, it'll take a little while to find it. I really like the single picture in the middle; I like how clean and uncluttered the home page looks. But I think the navigation is unclear, and I don't think that makes for a good website.

team tufte!!

Place me squarely in Tufte's camp, please and thank you. PowerPoint has been the bane of my existence since it was first introduced to me in grade school. I adore words. I revere words. PowerPoint takes the most sacred things on this planet and chops them into incoherent strings bouncing around by command of mouse click.

Photo By: Mike Licht

I understand that PowerPoint, if used carefully and artfully, can be an effective medium for communication.But it isn't taught that way. And it isn't (typically) used that way. PowerPoint is all about bells and whistles, about cheating about what you know. I'd much rather draw a picture on a blackboard, pass out handouts, and really communicate what I'm trying to say rather than relying on a technology that doesn't really convey what I mean.

....'cause nerd can be sexy!

And the winner is....

For my website for Computer Mediated Comm I'd like

to do a basic introduction to comic books. 

I wanted to make a site that could help ease someone 

interested in comics into the often intimidating world that

claims comic book lovers as its own.

Neil Gaiman!!: 

(Photo Credit: Mike Goren)

The plan is to divide the site by either company or popular characters:
IDW, Image, Marvel, Dark Horse, Vertigo, DC or
Batman, Superman, Spiderman, The X-Men, Fantastic Four, etc.

I wanted to include lists of important works,
writer and artist bios, reviews, and an "if you like..." section
that would recommend certain writers/series based on prior tastes.

I know it's a little scary trying to break into something that
is already so established, I just want this site to help alleviate that.

the internet is a scary place to be!!!

(basically this is the face I imagine the internet to have... yeah. it's terrifying)

(Photo Credit: bixentro)

The honest truth, I must admit, is that I'm a little intimidated by the internet. That being said I look at Computer Mediated Comm as a special sort of challenge; an adventure. For the final feat, the course's peak, the website that will be entirely up to my own design I have had a few thoughts that I've been toying around with:

• a sort of virtual closet; I have too many clothes and need to organize them and give them away to good homes! (though that could be a little too "Confessions of a Shopaholic" minus the name brand appeal)
• I was thinking of doing an online "zine" type site - of course nothing extensive or too ambitious, just a few creative pieces that people I know would allow me to use for the purpose of this course.
• I really enjoy howstuffworks.com, and pretty much anything that is really informative. I like to learn. I don't know if I could do something similar (maybe focus on comics, or cartoons, or something I know a decent chunk of information about).

Of course I am completely open to feedback and new ideas; I've hit a bit of a wall, myself. 

CNN news story commentary:

It is difficult to write a blog about this subject without becoming overly emotional and straying from data and applied theory to opinion and rant, but I do promise to do my best.

(Photo Credit: luxexmartin)

This article explains a phenomena current Americans feel they are faced with, something I have heard called "reverse racism" which the article tactfully renames "the racially oppressed majority" of white Americans. The article discusses Americans (primarily males) feeling discriminated against (there are no "affirmative action" benefits for them, they can become economically downtrodden and feel that equal aid is not available to them, etc.,) and their quest to "reclaim" the America that they see correct.

Of course this argument ignores the possibility that white is not always right, that it is not a necessary part of being Caucasian to be the majority, to be "in control". This argument ignores the struggles that the 'previously' oppressed (women, people of color, and homosexuals) have faced; it ignores the fact that opportunities are not readily awarded to these people, that these people need a leg up even now half a century after the civil rights movement. Yes, America is changing. Yes, change can be unsettling, it can be scary and it can be hard. It is understandable that white Americans are having to come to grips with their 'whiteness' but that in itself is not grounds for labeling white Americans racially oppressed. If the number of white people in this country falls to minority status even still that is not grounds for the label of racial oppression.

This argument stems from values which have become outdated. The sociological framework of this nation is changing and the hesitation of previous generations to come to terms with the times is understandable, but not excusable.

Polygamy, slavery, ownership of women, child labor - these have been (and in countries which we label "underdeveloped" still are) social norms. To argue these practices are representative of values which have somehow been lost and must be "restored" would seem absurd and carry no validity to modern Americans. Most of us have been raised to believe these practices are wrong; our belief systems, our conceptions of right and wrong are socially constructed.  My generation and the generations which will succeed me are being brought up in a country that is racially conscious and although not free of racism (and I mean racism, of course, in the sense that the empowered majority [which is still white male Americans - women are still paid less money for doing the same jobs, homosexuals still cannot marry in most states] oppresses minorities) is making strides to become more equal, to celebrate rather than demean our diversity.

"'Like it or not, the country is going to look more like it should - more brown folks, more yellow folks, more gay folks, more mixed folks,' [Gallagher) says". I could not agree more.

a semiotic analysis of dove's campaign for real beauty:

(Photo Credit)

Let's take a look at this ad (one of the campaign for real beauty employed by Dove) in relation to semiotics, signs and what they signify:

1. Her outfit (a ballet leotard) is a sign which signifies grace, beauty. 
2. Her outfit again, still acting as a sign, can also signify eating disorders in women, unhealthy views of weight and beauty.
3. Her braces are a sign which signify physical correction, a quest for beauty.
4. Again, like the leotard, her braces double to signify geeky awkwardness, uncomfortable adolescence. 
5. Her smile is a sign which signifies confidence, self-esteem and acceptance.

signs, signs, signs:

(Photo Credit)

For this post I'm taking a photograph a partner and I picked out and naming off five signs and what they signify:

1. The water is a sign which signifies vacation, relaxation.
2. The floral printed shirt is a sign which signifies vacation, often tropical.
3. The shorts are a sign which signify warm weather and vacationing.
4. The tree is a sign which signifies a tropical location, a vacation spot.
5. The frog's action of sleeping is a sign which signifies relaxation, vacation.

a look into character archetypes:

Being the super-nerd that I happent o be, I knew I wanted to analyze Batman's character archetypes more than any other characters I have ever encountered. The dark knight, of course, has a huge and varied history. He has been taken on by writers, artists, cartoonist, actors, and filmmakers over the span of decades. To make this archetype analysis more precise I'll use his most recent popular culture manifestation in the 2008 Christopher Nolan film The Dark Knight.

Examining first our minor characters, Lucius Fox (not always a DC constant) acts as Batman's donor, , he gives the vigilante the tools that he will need to be able to fulfill his quest (the lofty goal of cleaning up the streets of Gotham, but more often interpreted more sinisterly - the vengeance of his murdered parents).

Lovable Alfred, Bruce's butler and surrogate father, acts a helper. He patches up his charge, keeps him fed and healthy, and offers important insight into Bruce himself. Other helpers (not featured in Nolan's sophomore comic book film) include; Robin, Batgirl, Batwoman, and sometimes the slinky Selina Kyle, Catwoman.

Photo credit: clevercupcakes

The mysterious Joker is Batman's ultimate foe. He is not just a villan for the caped crusader, he is THE villan. He hinders Batman on his mission more than any other adversary in that he fascinates Batman, he becomes an obsession for him.

Finally, Batman is a vigilante, and although his quest is (essentially) that of the hero Batman embodies the anti-hero archetype.  It could be argues that Batman is "too tame" to be an anti-hero, but I strongly disagree. He may not kill his enemies (usually) but Batman does operate outside of the law. He challenges the justice system (as demonstrated in The Dark Knight with his opposite, Harvey Dent) and thus cannot really be called hero at all. 

I admit that I watch a little too much TV. I start watching a show from the beginning and voraciously consume it to it's entirety. My embarrassing admission is that I spend most of my time (thanks to Netflix instant streaming) doing nothing creative but rather watching characters on a screen pretend to live more interesting lives. If I had to choose a favorite I would be stuck.
I've seen though, I can say with equal pride and self-consciousness, every episode of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" too many times to count on both hands. I think this can be easily related to the Joseph Campbell's idea of the monomyth, the hero's journey, which he explained in his book "Hero with a Thousand Faces".
The series is divided into three books (seasons) just as the hero's journey is divided into three parts. The first is departure in which the hero leaves the world that he or she knows, often answering a higher calling. For young Aang, the series' hero, becoming the Avatar means leaving the monks that have raised him to bring balance back to a world that has gone off kilter. He is reluctant, as many heroes often are, and runs away, submerges himself in an iceberg to stay safe during a storm, but does not reemerge for a hundred years. He has left the world from which he came and is forced to journey onward.

Photo Credit:AndroFire

The series follows Aang (and Sokka, Toph and Katara, helpers along his path) throughout his journey as he hurries toward the realization of his Avatar destiny - to master the elements and save the world. The second part of the hero journey is Initiation, which for Aang is full realization as an Avatar. Aang does not fully master the elements within the series (give the kid a break, he's only 12) but he does begin to grow as a person and discovers how to restore balance to the world. He goes through a multitude of trials which test his endurance and his spiritual strength and gains maturity as the series progresses. He is initiated in the final season of the series when he defeats Firelord Ozai.
Finally, the return. Aang can never go back one hundred years, but he has returned the world to it's former peace. For the hero to return is to bring his new knowledge back as well as to have become a "master of two worlds". Aang exemplifies this - he has achieved balance between a material and spiritual life, he lives in the present moment and does not fear the future or regret his past.
Aang's story is the journey of the hero, cartoon charm simply a bonus.

a look into character:

To the media literate it is plain to see that characters embody values, ideals. The function of a character is to lead perception into patterns, to express power structures, to resonate. Characters are not people; they are not real although they signify the real. A character points to ideologies and mythologies, cultural phenomena. Characters can be read (as they are meant to be read) as metaphors, paradigms, archetypes. Characters are defined not by being individuals but by the functions that they preform - characters are not who they are but rather what they do.
We discussed Lagos Egri, who stated that characters needed dimension. We, as a viewing audience, must know why they do what they do and "who" they are. On television characters are established quickly and repeatedly. Their dimensions are created threefold; physiologically, sociologically, and psychologically. Physiology being the characters sex, gender, age, appearance, defects and the like. As for sociology, that includes class, occupation, invocation, religion, political affiliation, etc. Psychology is the less obvious of the three, being sex life, moral standards, character, temperament - what makes the character who they are that we cannot see or easily deduce.
We continued to discuss character archetypes - the hero, villan, donor, dispatcher, false hero, helper, and the princess and her father. We also discussed Vladimir Propp who proposed that character functions are stable, independent of whom and how they are fulfilled. Simply put, an archetype exists as it always exists regardless of the character that is filling it. There are necessary conventions to character archetypes that the character must follow. One hero, though in a different body than another, is essentially the same unless that hero is not actually a hero.
Characters themselves are a fascinating study, and though this entry simply scratches the surface I hope it provides a decent overview of a few key ideas that are pertinent to understanding characters.

didn't quite "get-cha"

These were my partner and I's ad campaign for the tween track phone/mp3 player "Gotcha".
I think to improve the campaign I would scrap it altogether and begin again targeting the kids (instead of the parents as this ad does), take out a lof of the wording (make a simpler slogan) and try to keep things more consistent. Maybe adopt a color scheme, something fun and bright (taking the orange, perhaps, from the group ad and making it fit across the campaign).

social media: reference "world domination".

It seems like a stretch to me, to imagine that ad campaigns have really made the long leap to social media. It isn't something that I think about, despite my near debilitating addiction to Facebook.

The Forbes article really hits home that advertising is inescapable, even on the internet. To think that viral videos, such as the "Will it Blend?" series by Blendtec, actually affect sales is mind boggling.

Though not a fan of videos online I can't lie and say that I haven't been enticed by advertising on the web. On the side panel of Facebook I am greeted with 'personalized' ads, some of which I can admit (without shame or hesitation) to clicking on.

Photo Credit: Gianluca Costantini


I seem to get quite a bit of greek clothing sites (of them I have liked this one best) and a slew of trendy clothing sites (of whichthis has been my favorite).
I also keep seeing jewelry (specifically engagement rings) in my ads and I wish Facebook would quit being so pushy.

ad campaigns: it's just that simple, and it's just that hard.

For someone who dreads the thirty seconds ads on Hulu, who refuses to watch TV until she can own it on DVD, the question “what is your favorite ad campaign and why?” is a difficult one to answer. I abhor advertisements, the reason being perhaps, because I’ve just seen so many. They’re absolutely inescapable; you can’t turn on a television, listen to the radio in your car, or even Facebook stalk your exes new squeeze without being constantly bombarded with “Try this, not this” and “Buy this, you’ll like it”.

Of course there are a few that I have enjoyed. One specifically, the HP “the computer is personal again” sticks out to me as being really artfully done.

(Photo Credit: Sudheer S.)


I think the ad campaign’s use of big stars (Gwen Stefani, Jerry Seinfeld, and Sarah Jessica Parker for example), and also diverse stars, in order to reach a greater demographic is a wise move that is lost on other ad campaigns. Smart cookies over there at Hp. The ad moves fast, it keeps darting about, holding the attention of an instant gratification based society. It displays the product clearly and showcases it’s more impressive features. It just works. I’d buy it, I buy into the ad completely. In my mind, yes, the computer is personal again.

dreams and aspirations:

Fist and foremost I'd like to do well in this class. As cheap as that may sound I have no shame in admitting I'd like to get a good grade. Of course that isn't the intended purpose of this introductory blog
.
Finding yourself reading this blog I can assume you'd like to know my interest in advertising and imagery, what I hope to gain from this course.

Truthfully I just want to learn how ads are "put together", so to speak. I think the industry of advertising is fascinating, how we fuel our consumerism. I am more interested in the "philosophy" of advertisement as opposed to the ways we put it into practice. That may not be as exciting as wanting to learn color schemes and flashy editing, but it is what it is.

for this blog: the cinderella story of video games, from gawky teen to macho socialite

Blog A, a genesis.
Let’s not begin by picking apart Call of Duty. Let’s not get into Modern Warfare, or various other first person shooting sprees which largely involve being yelled at over headsets by faceless opponents. Let’s take a step back.
Let’s pause and discuss the root: how the internet has made gaming a social event, a sport if you will, as opposed to the golden age of mole-characterized teenagers staring into pixilated screens alone.
Before the advent of the Sega Dreamcast, video game consoles simply did not offer built-in modems.[http://www.thegameconsole.com/videogames96.htm] Though the evolution of video games (as we know them today) spring from our great ancestor Atari’s Pong [http://www.thocp.net/companies/atari/atari_company.htm], a multiplayer game, the ability to play multiplayer games with people across the globe via the internet is a fairly recent phenomena. In 2002 “Microsoft released the Xbox Live on-line gaming service, allowing subscribers to play on-line Xbox games with (or against) other subscribers all around the world and download new content for their games to the hard drive” [http://www.thegameconsole.com/videogames01.htm] Socializing while playing video games before these new technologies involved chips, mountain dew, and face to face interaction. The ability to instant message and voice chat over services like Xbox live and the Playstation network has attracted different types of demographics; no longer just the skinny guy that gets pushed against lockers will rush home to make quick contact with a well worn controller, but the basketball stars, the show choir girls, and the captains of the football team. Says one gamer, fifteen year old Marcus; “Playing online with my friends is why I play video games. I don’t like the hard games with puzzles. I just want to shoot my friends.” Allowing for online interaction allows for collaboration during game play, as well as player to player interaction –whereas in previous history video games allowed solely for player to game interaction. It may sell more games, but two interviewee’s I spoke with were not at all impressed with the innovations; “Internet gaming has opened up a new doorway for the world to connect with each other. Unfortunately in my experience this has only allowed me to be cursed at by foreign children and hear the idiotic ramblings of our nation’s youth” twenty-something Spence notes, seconded by near thirties Ivan who states ““Agreed – however great, fantastic even, it [the use of the internet to communicate in gaming] has been plagued by children (and sometimes grown men) with “loud-mouths” who never have to “see” the people that they play with/against. The idea and availability it offers to the world of games is great! But with is, I fear that the most “popular” games are only training tools for the next generation’s army!”
A controversial topic, if nothing else, that sparks debate between all types and ages of game enthusiasts. Hardly a single blog topic, I admit, but hopefully this covers a basic introduction.
And if not, well, I guess you can bite me.

a look into gaming:

I had the idea for this blog talking to someone recently about Zelda. He mentioned how it was strange that although the original Zelda games look so rudimentary they are in fact very complex and served almost as a rite of passage for boys (and girls) his age to defeat. We talked about how kids these days have it easy. The internet is brimming with cheat codes, game f'.a.q's, and people chatting about strategies and ways to make game-play less challenging.

This struck a chord with me. Because, you see, I am a Mass Communications major and oddly enough I hate the internet.

I do, however, love gaming. I remember watching my older brother and my dad play those more difficult Zelda's. I remember throwing mini-fits when I couldn't master the game like they could. Now, as I watch my nephew Google cheats, I can't help but cringe.

I wanted to dedicate this blog to, as the blog title itself suggests, the way that the internet has changed gaming. For better or for worse, the way that video games are played has been forever altered. I wanted to really dive into that. And as much as I despise the world wide web (and as open as I am about it), I am determined to leave as much bias behind me as humanly possible before I hit "publish post". I want to shell out information without any slant. It is my goal to simply reflect on the state of affairs in the video game world today and compare it to the yesterdays some of us remember.

Each week, I'd like to research different aspects of this change; from the availability of cheat codes, to how video games have become more social, to online RPG's.

By the end of these sixteen posts, I hope to be somewhat of an expert in this area. It is my hope that the readers of this blog come away with that same accomplishment.

photo credit: http://media.photobucket.com/image/zelda/Ultima011/Decorated%20images/1290831063619356291.jpg?o=24

a brief opinion on hyper realism:

I believe this Walt Disney quote “I definitely feel that we cannot do the fantastic things based on the real, unless we first know the real” is a fine example of Disney’s push for hyper-realism as opposed to “realistic” animation. Both chapters discuss Walt preferring the look of hyper-real animation, but also that is was important for the artists to understand and exhibit realistic styles before being able to grasp and effectively draw in hyper real.

a brief look into caricature:

Caricature is an exaggeration of the truth, a sort of hyper-realism. Caricature tends to be more true because it stresses truth, it emphasizes it.
In my clip [I am using the same clip as in blog one, the clip from ”Avatar: The Last Airbender”], I believe caricature is more relied upon. The things Iroh touches he instantly helps or heals. It is unrealistic, but it communicates the feeling and intent of the episode. The flower instantly thrives in the shade, showing Iroh’s kindness and good intent. The mugger gives up his plan to assault Iroh and listens to him gratefully. These are caricatures – the display Iroh’s character in a way in which realism would fall short. In this instance, as in many others, caricature better communicates to audiences than realism. With realism, we are looking into situations as if observing the world as we do daily through our own eyes. We cannot as easily read the big picture. In order to communicate effectively, the audience must be shown what to look for.

a look into animation:

I decided to use “Tales from Ba Sing Se” (Episode 14 of Book 2 [Earth] of Avatar the Last Airbender) which lasts from 4:45 - 8:59 (in the time frame of the 24:34 minute episode) , and is called “The Tale of Ihro” [http://www.netflix.com/WiPlayer?movieid=70136326&trkid=438381] The scene opens with the principle character of the short story, Iroh himself, purchasing a basket from a vendor on the street. The audience follows Iroh throughout his day; he helps the vendor with a wilting flower, cheers a small toddler with a song, offers wisdom and practical advice to a group of young boys, mentors and encourages a mugger, and finally visits a forlorn tree atop a hill overlooking the city of Ba Sing Se. It is at this tree Iroh pulls out a photograph, the basket he purchased, and lights incense. He speaks softly to the young man in the picture saying “Happy Birthday, my son. If only I could have helped you [as I helped those people today]”. The song he sang for the toddler earlier he then sings again, tears brimming hot and falling down his face, “Young soldier boy come marching home”. The “Tale of Ihro” ends here, somberly, sweetly.
This clip communicates incredibly well, despite being deep into the series, if this clip were to be watched alone it could be very well understood. ”Conveying a certain feeling is the essence of communication in any art form. The response of the viewer is an emotional one, because art speaks to the heart” (Johnston and Thomas). I chose this clip according to this definition from the text because I believe it so perfectly illustrates this principle. While watching Iroh cry freely, singing a song to his solider son who never came home, my heart swelled and I felt empathy for a two dimensional character. For the moment, he was real, and his heartache was real because my compassion for him made it real. That is what makes this particular example such a well communicated clip.