Procrastinating IN class...

I cannot find any good internet released short films. I must suck at searching (we did learn this fact in the scavenger hunt exercise). Also when I do things in class I feel like people are watching me... its creepy. I do not enjoy it!

Also, it's quite annoying watching films and tv shows now because i keep trying to figure out what the shots are trying to say to me. I find on tv shows that you don't get a lot of long shots or wide shots... probably because i mainly watch sitcoms and they are ALL about the people not the location. Also the space they are filming in is relatively small...

I have decided that I will finish this task at home when i don't suspect people of creepily watching me. Isn't that arrogant of me ? That I think people are watching? Hmmm anyway, I apologise that you have to read this Kaya... haha PROOF. my friend michelle just creepily read this over my shoulder and was like OMG im creepily watching... although she is my friend... so i forgive her...

Fifty billion weeks later...I keep my promise!

So finally I ring you my "shot analysis" (for want of a better term) of an episode of The Office! I used one of my favourite episodes, Casino Night (I can't pick one, its like choosing your favourite french fry out of a billion french fries, totally impossible you guys! Also, I just ate McDonalds, and the fries were delicious. P.s. is that how you spell the singular of fries...fry? It seems wrong...). This episode is also directed by Ken Kwapis who is awesome...he's directed a lot of The Office eps and also directed License to Wed and He's Just Not That Into You. So I like romantic comedies, is that a crime? Anyway, sidetracked once again. Here is my shot analysis!

Shot One: So this MS is pretty much at the very beginning of the episode-it occurs amongst a sequence of other MSs, MCUs and CUs. We find out a lot in this shot.

Having Dwight (in the Tux) walk in and place his coat on the rack (blocked from view by Jim) establishes that this shot occurs at the beginning of the day, answering the WHEN question.

Shot Two and Three: These are shot/reverse shots in a Dwight vs. Jim sequence. Going back and forth between shots of the two shows pretty clearly that they are on opposite sides, ALWAYS. They never agree.

This helps us to know WHAT is going on, WHO is part of it and WHY they are reacting in such a way. They are mostly MCU's. Note how they obey the 180 degree rule!!

Shot Four and Five: I would call these MLSs. These are perfect for The Office because we get to see everyone's reactions to events...well not everyone, but a few people at once, which is usually hilarious.

These usually follow an event or action (WHAT is happening) and answers WHO is reacting in such a way and WHY.

Shot Six and Seven: These two shots fall amongst a mix of MCUs and MSs that are all essentially establishing shots. I thought these two were the most important. The first one answers the question of WHO. Pam and Roy (foreground) are happy, playing a game as Jim watches on in the background. Poor Jim is always in the background. Such a waste of his handsome face...

ANYWAY, the next shot moves in closer to Jim and Ryan (to Jim's right), and we see Michael emerging from the background. (You can't really see him that well because Ryan blocks him in this shot. It was the best I could do you guys!). After this shot, we follow Michael into his storyline with the two ladies...

Shot Eight and Nine: LS to CU. The LS establishes WHAT and WHO-there is about to be some kind of encounter between Michael (on the left) and Billy (on the right). If you have ever watched The Office you will know that Michael will say something inappropriate to Billy about his wheelchair. Terrible but true.

True to form, Michael says something inappropriate, at which point the shot moves in to a CU of him to show WHO is left looking stupid.

Shot Ten and Eleven: These are both MCUs and work simultaneously to answer WHO and WHAT is going on. The first shot shows Carol (left) and Jan (right) talking awkwardly, and the closeness of the MCU allows the viewer to see how similar the two are in looks and clothing - in a way it establishes Michael's "type" of woman.

The second shot cleverly establishes WHAT the source of the tension between them is: Michael, who accidently invited both of them. Seeing him hovering in the background, literally situated between them in the shot conveys WHAT is making things so awkward.

Shot Twelve: This MCU is a clever rearranged version of Shot Eleven. It lets us know WHO is being booted out of the Michael/Jan/Carol love triangle : Jan.

Shot Thirteen: LS firstly establishes WHERE this scene is taking place, outside the office and the casino night party. We also find out WHAT is coming between Jim and Pam, literally and figuratively: Roy (in the car), Pam's fiance. It also answers WHY Pam rejects Jim in Shot Fourteen and Fifteen. She is torn between Roy and Jim. In a way we also find out HOW Jim manages to tell Pam, as we see Roy leave and we know everybody else is at the party.

Shot Fourteen and Fifteen: Both of these are MSs. These shots basically just convey WHAT is going on with Jim and Pam. We know too, that something mutual is going on, because they are constantly included in each others shots.

For something as personal and revealing as this, you'd kind of assume that CUs would be used, particularly on Jim as he confesses his love to Pam. But I think by constantly having them in the same shot, we know that its not unrequited love...Jim and Pam are in it together, even if she hasn't accepted it yet.

God, this episode just breaks my heart! Poor Jim.

My Lecture Notes from Week 4

So these are the notes I took in class this week! I am actually quite proud as I not only copied what Josh wrote on the board... I also added some extra things he was talking about! I think I am finally getting the hang of this 8am start thing... I should be considering I have three in a row every week. (Insert sympathy for Laura here). Anyway, here they are!

BIG SCREEN TO THE SMALL SCREEN

1895- Birth of cinema, Lumiere Bros, 28 December first commercial viewing.



1906- First feature length narrative film. (60-70 mins long). Fully self-contained story. Made in Australia by Australians! It was about the the Kelly gang. It is nice to know Australian's are good at something artsy.




1927- Birth of "Talkies", sound film. First being "The Jazz Singer".




1929- First all colour movie. "On With the Show" it was called. Previously films were shot in black and white and 'colourised'. (Not sure if thats a word, but Josh said it so I'm going to go with it.) "On With the Show" was shot in colour and shown in colour.


1933- First "Drive-In" Theatre in New Jersey. Cost $0.25 to get in.

(Image Sourced From: http://www.pophistorydig.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/1937-snow-white-poster2.jpg)

1937- Disney release "Snow White", first full length, colour, all singing, all talking animated film.


1939- TV was introduced at the New York Trade Fair. End of that year television sets were being sold. Weren't popular initially as there was nothing that great to watch on them.


IN THE YEARS BETWEEN, 1939-52 was a crucial turning point. Lots of movies came out, but TV began stealing cinema audience.


1952- Birth of 3D. Still not widely used today. Will it ever be widely used?


1955- Hollywood started to see TV as a moneymaker and therefore started releasing their back catalogues of movies to TV networks.



1956- AMPEX makes first VTR, video recorder. Cost about $50,000. Used by TV stations and the government.


1959- Hollywood tries to get movie audiences more involved. "Percepto vision", "The Tingler"-electric shock devices installed in a few seats which gave audience members a mild electric shock at crucial parts of the movie to encourage screaming etc, upped audience participation. "Smell'O'Vision" (aromarama) also employed. For $0.50 an appropriate smell would be made and put in front of air-con vents etc. to add to the atmosphere of a film.


1963- AMPEX release consumer VCE. Cost $30,000. Not many people bought them. No big secret why.
- Multiplex theatre born, at first there were only two screens. This allowed Blockbuster movies to have national release and allowed theatres to be able to play the same movie at the same time and same place. At this stage the Box Office starts to skyrocket.



1967-69- Sony introduces the VCR and Portapack. Allowed people to take VCR over their shoulder with a camera and record images. Big time for independent filmmakers.


1970- Screens start to get smaller. People begin accepting TV. (I do not know how people could ever be anti-TV. I love TV. Most of the time my attention span isn't long enough for a movie. People of the 70's must have been very patient and more inclined to sit still.)
- IMAX makes its debut.



1972- PAYTV introduced in US. Not many people had to begin with. Hollywood sees opportunity to first distribute movies to PAYTV and then filter them to free-to-air TV. Allowed them to make more money from films by extending the distribution line. The Box Office was not the most important form of revenue, distribution was also important.

1985- First Blockbuster video store opened.

(Image Sourced From: http://molestandoahodgkin.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/luxo-jr01.jpg)

1986- Pixar premieres first full CGI, animated short film, "Luxo Jnr". I had no idea what this was until I googled it!



1995- Pixar make "Toy Story". First full length, full CGI animated film. Blockbuster release.




1997- DVD released as format to watch films. Also Laser Disc.

-Hollywood struggled to grasp concept of Internet. Still haven't really grasped it today, they missed it in a BIG WAY. Glaring error made by H'Wood. Illegal downloading of films on the internet has downsized cinema viewing.
-Kevin Rubio releases Star Wars parody "Troops". This was ridiculously funny. I'm so glad Josh showed us. There was some line when a Stormtrooper says, "Yea man, I've got a wife and kids too but you don't see me dealing in illegal droids". Something like that anyway. Classic.





2001-High watermark in Internet films.

-BMW CEO (some head honcho. yes i did just say honcho), hires top directors (Ang Lee, Guy Ritchie, amongst others) to make eight short films, about 10 mins each about a character called "The Driver" (Played by Clive Owen, yum). Used different BMW's in each as internet advertising campaign. Were allowed a huge amount of money to make them. Guy Ritchie's was awesome. Although I am not overly fond of Madonna. I wish she would wear more clothing.




I looked up Ang Lee's short film and I loved it. I am a huge fan of his Sense and Sensibility and Brokeback Mountain was good too. The music in it is really beautiful and the story is simple, but really clever. It just made me smile! It's called Chosen.







AND THAT is the end of my lecture notes. I actually thoroughly enjoy learning about Screen history. I'm also doing Screen History and Research so I get a double dose of history a week now. It is surprisingly not so bad.

Procrastinating further...

Seriously, how can you not love Andy Samberg?

It is just not possible.

Procrastinating

Just got home from work. I hate work. Should totally be getting my blog up to scratch but I am tired and instead

I am watching the Cosby Show. Yes, the Cosby Show. And writing a useless blogpost about watching the Cosby Show.


I am also praying that my Great Books essay will magically write itself. The Cosby Show is currently using the 180 degree rule. Just thought you would like to know. I cannot stop listening to I'm Not Alone by Calvin Harris. So good. Same with Dance With Me (It's actually spelt Dance Wiv Me, but I am too white and uptight to actually spell it like that. It goes against everything I stand for, you

guys!) You should listen to it. Right now.

However, if you are reading this you probably have no life. Just kidding. Except Kaya, as you kind of have to read this...





Promise I'll do something productive and university related soon...

(Image Sourced from: http://roubalot.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/calvinharris.jpg)

Scavenger Hunt From Hell (No, I did not enjoy this exercise).

1. What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin? How long did it take to grow?

I used Ask Jeeves for the answer to this question. I found a website called Pumpkin Nook, and apparently the World's Biggest Pumpkin weighs 1689 pounds! This record was set in 2007. I could not find ANYWHERE where it says how long it took to grow. NOT COOL.

2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Lily Allen?

Hmm...i have a strong (ie. 99.93% chance) feeling that this is not the correct answer. But I would have to say Twitter. Not that she would actually ever reply to you, but in an interview i watched she said that she occasionally replies to peoples tweets if she feels the urge. I actually follow her on Twitter so that was how I knew this answer...although i went and searched her website (Lily Allen) and it seems to think that Twitter or other social networking sites is the best way to contact Lily! This would have to be the most reliable answer. I looked at a few websites which claimed to have celebrity directories...didn't seem overly reliable.

Here is one such site (found after searching Yahoo.com):

http://www.contactanycelebrity.com/trial/do/celebrityView?name=Lily+Allen

3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?

Okay so I searched this question on Ask Jeeves and just by looking at the results, I am going to take a wild guess and say approximately 18 inches..The following sites all back me up:

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=length+giraffe%27s+tongue&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sandiegozoo.org%2Fanimalbytes%2Ft-giraffe.html

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=length+giraffe%27s+tongue&page=1&qsrc=0&ab=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwiki.answers.com%2FQ%2FWhat_is_the_average_length_of_a_giraffe%27s_tongue

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_is_a_giraffe%27s_tongue

http://www.chacha.com/question/what-color-is-a-giraffe%27s-tongue

All of these were accessed on the 19th August 2009.

4. How would you define the word 'glycomics'? In your own words, what does it really mean ? What does the term 'seagull manager' refer to?

According to Wiktionary Glycomics is: "the study of the biological role of carbohydratesoligosaccharides) and glycosides." (H-Ref 1) As far as putting that in my own words goes... I've got nothing. I read another definition on Reference.com and got no further. In fact I got more confused. I'm relatively certain that it has something to do with carbohydrates and sugar levels. Maybe. I don't know.

I do however, understand the 'Seagull Manager' reference! I looked up 'seagull manager' on ninemsn.com and it took me to Wikipedia which told me that the term 'seagull manager' refers to managers that "fly in, make a lot of noise, dump on everyone, then fly out." (H-Ref 2)Ken Blanchard's 1999 book Leadership and the One Minute Manager...well, thats what they say anyway.) (Wikipedia stole that from

5. What was David Cronenberg's first feature film? Which of his films Had 'Blondie' in it?

This question was easyyyyy for me, especially compared to the others. I went straight to trust IMDb (The Internet Movie Database) and searched David Cronenberg. His first film was Transfer which he directed in 1966.

ANNNNDDD Blondie, otherwise known as Deborah Harry was in Cronenberg's film Videodrome, made in 1983. To find this I had a quick squiz (totally a word) at the films Cronenberg made until I found the one with Debbie Harry in it! Success!

6. When was the original 'Hacker's Manifesto' written?

The original Hacker's Manifesto was written in 1986. For this question I thought Wikipedia would be a good search engine, and it was! These two sites confirm this answer too, I found them searching Yahoo.

http://www.mithral.com/~beberg/manifesto.html

http://adimitrov.net/main/docs/manifesto.html

Both accessed on 24/08/09.

7. Why do phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?

So I searched this very question on Yahoo and I found this site guardian.co.uk which provides a few different answers! I'm not sure if there is supposed to be one concrete answer, but eh, speculating is more fun. A lot of people seem to think it's because in the US, for directory inquiries you call 555-1212. Apparently there are quite a few people stupid enough to call the numbers that pop up in movies from time to time, and I guess this avoided bugging the poor people who actually have those as their home phone number. Using a false one would make sense, but it kind of lacks authenticity. I hope that makes sense...

8. What is the cheapest form of travel from the Gold Coast to Sydney?

Look, this question is a big fat pain in the you know where. I'm sure it would be cheap to walk , or ride a bike. But if we are being realistic flying is going to be a pretty cheap way to travel. I recently got a flight to Sydney for $52 which is WAY cheaper than what it would cost to hire a car and then pay for petrol etc etc etc. As you can see this question has made me mad. For cheap flights check Virgin Blue or Jetstar. If you sign up for their emails, you can find out about cheap flights without searching for years on their websites too.

Perhaps I am just crap at searching without Google. I have made peace with this fact. Google and I are just very good friends and no Yahoo is going to come between us.

9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?

So I kind of cheated and searched this on Wikipedia... Although the other answers I have from Wikipedia weren't originally searched through there. So therefore this is legit. The answer to this question is "Help/I'm Down" by The Beatles; it was the top of the charts for 8 weeks! I searched the ARIA charts on Wiki and followed the links from there til I found THIS week in 1965...it was pretty foolproof.

10. Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?

Stephen Stockwell plays in a band called No Fixed Address. I found this out by searching "Stephen Stockwell plays keyboard" on Google. YES I CAVED OKAY. I couldn't find the answer anywhere else. Is using the Internet not about being able to find and access things easily? Well that is why I use the Internet. I was going to try and lie to you but Catholic guilt would eat away at me. So there. Anyway, found the answer on Revolution Rock.

I answered these questions out of order by the way, so if you can see my mood change randomly between questions that is why.

H-Ref 1- Wiktionary: Glycomics

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/glycomics

Accessed 19th August 2009

H-Ref 2- Wikipedia: Seagull Manager

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seagull_manager

Accessed 19th August 2009

Just had to share this...

This is one of the digital shorts The Lonely Island made for the MTV Movie Awards 2009. It's sooooo good. Featuring Andy Samberg (Hot Rod, I Love You Man, Saturday Night Live), Will Ferrell (Anchorman)and JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Alias).

Lecture Notes Week 3: The Language of the Screen

Understanding Film/Cine-Speak

We should think of shots as a way of answering a question; shots as words (what? where? why? how? when? who?)

(Image Sourced From: http://andrewsidea.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/vlcsnap-6593687.png)

VLS/WS: Very long shot/Wide Shot - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very small; a building, landscape or crowd of people will fill the screen. (Bordwell & Thompson)This shot (as well as the CU) helps us to answer the when? question...time is apparently quite a difficult thing to capture on screen. It's important to show the passing of time and what this means for our beloved/hated characters.

(Image Sourced From: http://images.teamsugar.com/files/users/1/13839/27_2007/license-1.preview.jpg)

LS: Long Shot - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is small; a standing human figure would appear nearly the height of the screen. (Bordwell & Thompson)

This helps to answer the where? question, mainly at the beginning of a scene; aka the establishing shot (pretty self-explanatory).

MLS: Medium Long Shot - A framing at a distance that makes an object about four or five feet high appear to fill most of the screen vertically. (Bordwell & Thompson)

(Image Sourced From: http://www.virginmedia.com/images/1keira-gal-pride.jpg)

MS: Mid Shot - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is of moderate size; a human figure seen from the waist up would fill most of the screen. (Bordwell & Thompson)

This show helps to answer the what? question by showing your subject performing an action.

(Image Sourced From: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1itwat5pc-P83zgSP0vmaML09tvFGEtGZLYuKVafpZRUHep1JSLhyiX5N1rPPqEwmNGPt6DFM_aQzq3gJjah7NYwwOF50IgVD_5proGLEmJooklRPSRp2uZH7q3L0rHq3GFKZIltzqQ0/s400/Jim+Halpert.jpg)

MCU: Medium Close-Up - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is fairly large; a human figure seen from the chest up would fill most of the screen. (Bordwell & Thompson)

A single MCU or a series of CU's can explain an event and answer the how? question.

(Image Sourced From: http://blog.nj.com/entertainment_impact_tv/2009/04/large_office-michael-scott-paper.jpg)
CU: Close-Up - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is relatively large. ; most commonly a person's head seen from the neck up, or an object of a comparable size that fits most of the screen. (Bordwell & Thompson)

This shot helps us understand the question of who? by showing a character in detail. (Also see VLS/WS and MCU for more questions that the CU helps us to answer).
(Image Sourced From: http://i36.tinypic.com/33lktpg.jpg)

[Example is the bottom-left quarter of the image]

BCU: Big Close-Up - a shot taken very close to the subject (closer than would be necessary for a close-up), revealing extreme detail. (H-Ref 1)

This shot can help us answer the question of why? because it helps to reveal more about a character and their actions. Josh explained that this question is usually directly tied to a character as opposed to an action.

As an aside, I would just like to say I am not overly fond of Twilight. However, this was the best example I could find of a BCU. I swallowed a rather large amount of pride in putting this picture up. This is totally irrelevant but I have to have my say!

(Image Sourced From: http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumb_350/1231129082bb75Cg.jpg)

ECU: Extreme Close-Up - A framing in which the scale of the object shown is very large; most commonly, a small object or a part of the body. (Bordwell & Thompson)


Note about this image: I also struggled to find an example I liked of an ECU, but I thought this was appropriate as Jenna Fischer loves cats. (Jenna plays Pam on The Office). I'm not creepy, you guys! I found out because I read her blog. You can follow her blog on MySpace: Pam/Jenna.

So, this afternoon I am going to watch an episode of The Office and show how the shots used answer the questions: who? what? where? why? how? when? Stay Tuned!

REFERENCES:

Bordwell, David; Thompson, Kristin (2008) Film Art: An Introduction Ed. 8. New York: McGraw-Hill.

H-Ref 1: Film/Editing Terms

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&rlz=1G1ASUS_ENAU340&defl=en&q=define:big+close+up&ei=yn6KSsTfB4fOsQO97dnDDQ&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title

Accessed on the 18th August 2009.

All other info comes from the notes I took in Josh's Week 3 Lecture.

My Video with Kelly and Michelly

Here is the much anticipated video of Kelly, Michelly and Me! We made a three minute one a while ago but it was too long to upload (MORE LIKE TOO AWESOME!) so we made this short version.

Peace OUTTTTTT

What do these mean? ECU, WS, MS?

Please, come on my journey of discovery as I attempt to discover what ECU, WS and MS stand for.

Let us being with ECU.

Typing ECU Language Screen into Google. No good results.

http://www.acronymgeek.com/ECU

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=ecu+computer&btnG=Search&meta=

http://www.abbreviations.com/ECU

http://www.ebooksquad.com/search/ECU+programing+language

http://gandolfs1stblog.blogspot.com/ FOUND IT!!!

So with Kelly's help I ended up finding it on the above blog of one of my fellow students! HOWEVER, THIS ANSWER WAS ON THE FIRST PAGE I VISITED!!! I am clearly too stupid to know that that was the answer. Yes, big fat loser am I. I even did introduction to SCREEN analysis last semester. How embarrassing.

OKAY, so definitions :

ECU: stands for extreme close up. "Extreme Close Up ("ECU" or "XCU"): The shot is so tight that only a fraction of the focus of attention, such as someone's eyes, can be seen." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-up)
WS: stands for wide shot, but better known as a long shot. "In photography, film and video, a long shot (sometimes referred to as a full shot or a wide shot) typically shows the entire object or human figure and is usually intended to place it in some relation to its surroundings." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_shot)

MS: stands for mid shot or medium shot. "In film, a medium shot is a camera shot from a medium distance." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium_shot)

EXAMPLES:

So I had to use this darling picture of BJ Novak (Ryan the Temp from The Office. I've got to keep the theme going you guys! Don't think I'm crazy, cause I'm totalllllly not at all.)

Wide (Long Shot):
















(http://www.givememyremote.com/remote/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/BJ_ew.jpg)

Mid/Medium Shot:









(http://vanderwalt.ca/mediashare/websites/staff/dvanderwalt/filmandmedia/shotcomposition/_images/twoshot_1.jpg)

Extreme Close Up:

(http://ferdyonfilms.com/deren_02.jpg)

Lecture 2: History of the Computer aaaaaaaand the Internet!

The History of the Computer:

1791: Charles Babbage Born. Conceived difference engine in 19th Century. "He sketched out the logical structure of the modern computer". Also conceived the analytical engine.

Image Sourced From: http://www.rabbitmail.co.uk/comp/images/babbage.jpg

1815: Ada Byron born. Conceived the idea of a machine that can do all the things we now do on computers everyday!

1912: Alan Turing Born. "In 1948, he moved to the University of Manchester to work on the Manchester Mark 1, then emerging as one of the world's earliest true computers." (H-Ref 3)

1950's: Computer first commercially produced by IBM.

1965: Gordon Moore put forward Moore's law: "the capacity of microchips doubles every two years".

1970's (early): Think-tank developed concepts such as mouse, GUI (Graphical User Interface) and pull-down menus.

1975: First PC Released. Bill Gates writes language called BASIC for the Altair so that it could be used for word processing, basic accounting, games AND started MICROSOFT.

(Image Sourced from: http://www.coins.ro/images/economic/Bill_Gates.jpg)

1978: Apple II launched at West Coast Computer Fair.

1980: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak make enough money of Apple to never have to work again (heaven on earth!).

Image Sourced From: http://www.silvermac.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/steve_and_steve.jpg

1985: Steve Jobs resigns from Apple due to conflicts with the board of directors. Apple's fortunes are not so great from here on in... (H-Ref 4)

1998: Steve Jobs returns and Apple's fortunes turn around.

1991: Linus Torvalds builds his own operating system. GNU/LINUX.

1995: "Windows '95 was launched by Bill Gates & Microsoft. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows '95 is an entire operating system - it does not rely on MS-DOS (although some remnants of the old operating system still exist)." (H-Ref 6)

2001: "Windows releases XP" (H-Ref 6)

2001: "Apple released Mac OS X" (H-Ref 7)

2005: "Apple announces they are going to use Intel processors in upcoming Macintosh computers" (H-Ref 7)

2006: Apple Computer introduces the MacBook Pro, their first Intel-based, dual-core mobile computer, as well as an Intel-based iMac. (H-Ref 7)

2007: Microsoft Corporation launches Windows Vista more than 5 years after their last major, new operating system, Windows XP, was released. (H-Ref 7)

Note: All information found in this section, aside from what is already referenced, was found at H-Ref 1.

The History of the Internet

Definition of the Internet:

"The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standardized Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP). It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private and public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope that are linked by copper wires, fiber-optic cables, wireless connections, and other technologies. The Internet carries a vast array of information resources and services, most notably the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support electronic mail, in addition to popular services such as online chat, file transfer and file sharing, online gaming, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) person-to-person communication via voice and video." (H-Ref 2)



1960's: "idea of the internet conceived by RAND corporation (while considering nuclear war situations) Group of researchers in the US already working on the concept of "Packet Switching which is essentially breaking down messages into small chunks and transmitting them from one computer to another." (H-Ref 1)

1965: "First Network Experiment: Directed by Larry Roberts at MIT Lincoln Lab, two computers talked to each other using packet-switching technology." (H-Ref 5)

1989: "100 000 hosts on the Internet." (H-Ref 5)

1990's: Concept of the WWW emerged "as people generally began to see the potential for computers to communicate with each other as a matter of course. The Web merges the techniques of (i) internetworking and (ii) hypertext to make an easy-to-use, but powerful, global system that shares all information accessible as part of a seamless hypertext space." (H-Ref 1)

2000: "Fixed wireless, high-speed internet technology is now seen as a viable alternative to copper and fiber optic lines placed in the ground." (H-Ref 5)

2005: "YouTube launches." (H-Ref 5)

2006: "There are an estimated 92 million Web sites online." (H-Ref 5)

2007: "1.114 billion people use the Internet according to Internet World Stats." (H-Ref 5)

Seemingly Important Point:
1. "It is important to understand that the internet is not the same thing as the web. The web is just one part of the broader internet which includes many other things as well as the Web. If this sounds confusing it helps if we think of the internet as a collection of computers." (H-Ref 1)

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

H-Ref 1 - Nct09 Blog, Stephen Stockwell

http://nct09-gc.blogspot.com/2009/08/short-history-of-computing-and-internet.html

Accessed on the 12th August 2009

H-Ref 2 - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

Accessed on the 12th August 2009

H-Ref 3 - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing

Accessed on the 12th August 2009

H-Ref 4 - Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_jobs

Accessed on the 12th August 2009

H-Ref 5 - Webopedia: Brief Timeline of the Internet

http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/timeline.asp

Accessed on the 17th August 2009

H-Ref 6 - A Brief History of Computing Timeline

http://trillian.randomstuff.org.uk/~stephen/history/timeline.html

Accessed on 17th August 2009

H-Ref 7 - Wikipedia: Timeline of Computing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_computing_2000-2009

Accessed 17th August 2009

Never fails to make me laugh...

Four Examples of Convergent Technologies...

1. The iPhone! You can use the iPhone: -to text and call people (duh) -to access the internet and therefore facebook, myspace, twitter...etc -to store photos -to play games -as an iPod -as a camera -for all the other functions a normal mobile phone provides.

You can find out more about the iPhone here

(Image Sourced from: http://www.igizmo.co.uk/files/apple_iphone.jpg)

2. GPS (Global Positioning System) GPS's: -Provide directions via satellite. -Find specific restaurants, sporting arenas and any other specific places you need to go, even if they are new (the white pages sucks at this job)

Find out more about GPS devices in Australia here

(Image Sourced From: http://i.bnet.com/blogs/gps.jpg)

3. Control4 "By connecting an iPod, external USB or network hard drive, the controller can distribute and manage digital music, and, with a few affordable extras, climate, lighting and security."
(http://www.control4.com.au)

You can find out more about Control4 here.

(Image Sourced From: http://venturebeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/control4.jpg)

4. Robot Housekeeper ...I think it pretty much speaks for itself! This one seems to do dishes and move trays... hopefully it can do a little more than that though!
(Image Sourced From: http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sch/cn/v/v12/w235/4270478_640_480.jpeg)


Check out the video below!






And here are some edited pictures:

I adjusted the exposure and contrast on these little robot pals of mine...

On my little iPod pal I inverted the colours and adjusted the exposure levels.

Convergence woohoo!

Soooo my definition of convergence is : different technologies converging, resulting in technologies which are capable of EVERYTHING... i.e. mobile phones that have access to the internet and therefore facebook and email and basically anything you could do on a computer.

Convergence is B A D for me... I am on facebook enough on my computer! If I had it on my phone I would have no life. No friends. Nicht Gut, as the Germans say.

OKAY, so I just found this definition of Convergence which is clearly better than my terrible attempt:
"convergence - a representation of common ground between theories or phenomena" (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/convergence)
So imagine that in relation to technology. All relevant technologies working to create a convenient, common technology. Sort of. It makes sense in my head anyway...

Week One Lecture...and more blog recommendations

I actually managed to take notes in my first NCT lecture, despite tiredness due to the hideous 8am start! The main focus of this lecture was to establish what NEW Communication Technologies are. Firstly we were introduced to what are considered the old communication technologies: oral, graphic, written, radio, telephone(landline) and television. While most of these technologies do still exist, they are fast being overtaken by NCT's: computers, mobile phones, the internet (email, message boards, IM, Twitter, Social Networking, blogging...).

The concept of the "smart phone" was also introduced as a very powerful NCT. These are essentially phones that can do everything (within reason), i.e. the iphone. But we musn't let these technologies narrow the scope of our communication! Using facebook shouldn't come at the cost of simple spelling and interpersonal skills with REAL human beings.

Also, apparently the key to NCT is convergence- which I assume means all NCT's meeting and becoming one technology. But to be honest, it was early in the morning and I can't exactly remember how he explained it so in my next post I'll explain that further.

And finally, before I go to bed, I will recommend to you another of my favorite blogs. This blog is called http://thingsiboughtthatilove.com/ and its written by Mindy Kaling of the greatest TV show ever, The Office (she plays Kelly Kapoor). The title is pretty self-explanatory and while this is mainly for girls, it is always hilarious and I'm sure some boys will love it too =)

>>There's Mindy. She is the girl. In case you were confused. >>>>>>>>>