Handwriting as technology

If I'm lucky enough to teach this class again, maybe I should start further back. Say, with handwriting? Here's a review of a book that deals with the issue.

Scary...

So if you aren't paranoid yet, here's a video that will make you paranoid. (Also, mind the background noise, camera angles, and editing of the "news" piece as you watch it.)

How Assignments Should Be (?)

So I saw this article about Kurt Vonnegut's creative writing class and thought of you all. Since we've read some Vonnegut and some of you have professed love for his artwork, I figured I should post it. Is this how all writing assignments should be? Does he have enough constraints? Too many? Perhaps we'll talk about it on Tuesday...

Some notes on how to conduct your showcase

As you all prepare to showcase your works-in-progress, I ask you to keep a few things in mind:

• You'll have 12-15 minutes- Use your time wisely! Think of how we would do analyses in class. Preface the pertinent parts of what you're going to show us, then show us what you have. Tell us about your process and how your written portion is going. (If you are doing a project by yourself 8-10 minutes will suffice.)
• Solicit for feedback- I am expecting your projects to be INcomplete at the time of the showcase. I am also expecting you to have some pointed questions for your peers to help gather some helpful feedback. 
• Make sure everyone in the group has a part- I know some of you don't like to speak in front of the class--that's fine. Just make sure that if you are not talking in front of the class, we still know what everyone did to contribute toward the final project. 
• Make sure your media works- Please make sure your DVD, flashdrive, file etc. works before the presentation. It helps to save your files in more than one format. 
• Don't self deprecate- You (hopefully) worked hard on your projects. You invested your time, thoughts and emotions. Don't cheapen the experience by prefacing your showcase by saying what you did is not any good. It is good. You're smart. And we're interested. 

I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to our showcases! Don't forget to sign up for your day on Google Docs. 

Why watch the debates? This is more fun!

So I've been continually amazed by the speed which things are taking flight during the debates this year. (Not to mention the "interactive features" provided by CNN on their livestream.) It seems that no sooner than someone says "Big Bird" than memes are being produced. Then my wife shows me this video. Twenty-four hours of geeking out about politics with some autotune and a video editor. Whoa. Mind: blown.

My Letter to Nintendo

Here's a letter I wrote to the folks at Nintendo about a concern I had this morning. Hopefully they are willing to talk to us--it would provide for some really good insight from outside the classroom.


To Whom It May Concern:

My six-year old daughter recently received a 3DS for her birthday. In the last year of my doctoral studies I have come to embrace video games in our household as a system of learning with great potential. Unfortunately, many video game companies seek only to profit from these systems (because they are fun), but eschew all responsibility for the social values being instilled by the game.

Which brings me to Face Raiders: As I sit eating my breakfast before church, my daughter takes my picture and then says she is "going to shoot me." Keep in mind that her favorite game is Nintendogs; she plays with dolls, and loves singing--not exactly a personality predisposed to violent behavior. I asked her to show me the game and it looks innocent enough. Bubbles pop up--some in the shape of butterflies--and Nerf-like balls are thrown at the images of the people you've photographed. But it's what is implicit in the game that bothers me. Face Raiders is a kiddy first-person-shooter. Shrugging this off as no big deal is as irresponsible as its creation. Saying that it does not fill this role is also unrealistic; the music in Nintendogs is merely a riff on the Mario music and makes for a great implicit marketing tool. I teach the students in my Humanities and Technology course about media values across several types of texts--TV, movies, written work, video games, etc. Face Raiders has social implications and teaches values.

I hope you can see my concern. And you're probably wondering what I want you to do about it. Already I've instated a "No Face Raiders" policy in my household because it teaches disrespect. As a parent, my problem is solved at home. But the larger societal issue still remains. I would like to discuss the implications of Face Raiders, if possible. So I'm extending an invitation. I teach my Humanities and Technology course on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:10-5:25. Would a Nintendo representative be willing to Skype or Google Hangout with my class? I promise a respectful exchange if you agree; my goal is for my students to gain insight into how video games are designed and how they end up influencing society. It's only fair that they hear out your perspective. I'll be reposting this letter to my class blogsite: 171a.blogspot.com to help preface any conversation we might have. I'll be eagerly awaiting your reply.

Thank you for your consideration,

Ryan Ireland'
PhD student in Composition and Rhetoric and parent of three
Miami University, Oxford OH

Blog adjustments

Our blog now has a new page ironically titled, "Old course schedule." On this page you will find the days on the course schedule from days since-passed. Check it out if you need a refresher or if you're feeling nostalgic.

The wonders of fonts

Saw this article and thought this was pretty cool. Apparently, a font has been designed that helps people with dyslexia read more easily. Whoa.

Bacon Number

So Google has a new function. If you are familiar with the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, this function pretty much sucks all of the fun and ingenuity out of it. Just type "bacon number" and then the name of an actor/actress and hit enter. Boom. Bacon number. Try finding someone with a Bacon number of higher than 3.

So now the academic-y question: How does this change the way we interact with search engines? Are we asking for media to become more transparent? A recent article on Google's bacon number app said this will make people realize that search engines are more for learning and browsing rather than matching an answer to a question. What do you think? Is this like the explanation tabs we get on Pandora or coupon generators? Are we as a society asking for more explanation as to why we are consuming the media we have?

I, by the way, have a bacon number of 3. Funny story.

"Good" Media?

So here is an uber-creepy psa that I'm on the fence about.

Is this good media? Is it ethical? Is it moral? What's your reaction?

YouTube video sparks Middle East turmoil

So if you're still not convinced that YouTube is a major societal force in the world, look at the upheaval created by the anti-Muslim film, Innocence of Muslims. The film's message has stirred anti-American sentiments in the Middle East, leading to the attacks on US Embassies as well as sieges on several more Embassies.

So how did something like this happen? Are there really that many organized Anti-Muslim folks with the financial backing to make a feature-length film? The answer is surprising. [Disclaimer: The information I am about to repeat comes from the less credible sources of Wikipedia, Yahoo, CNN, and WSJ.] Not everyone involved in the film knew exactly what they were filming, believe it or not... Here's the Wiki article if you're interested.

So, I'm curious, what do you all think about this? Is film the driving force here, an inciting incident? Is it possible to be involved in the production of something and not know what its true motives are?

Some things to consider for class on 9/13

For class today we are going to be watching a large portion of the The Greatest Movie ever sold. As you’re watching, I want you to pay special attention to who has control over what aspects of the movie. Hear what advertisers are saying, what consumers say (especially the teens at the high school), and what the artists say. What are some of the incongruences?

You should also be looking at the movie on a meta-level. That is, are you paying attention to how the documentary itself is constructed? This is far from an accidental film. What does Spurlock want us to believe and how does he use the grammar of cinema?

Really, this gets at a larger issue of language. Is the filmic language of Meshes of the Afternoon, the same as a McDonald’s commericial—and are these the same as Spurlock’s documentary. The next step is to turn that question inward and ask how you are going to use this language—what are your ethical, moral, social, and personal responsibilities in creating media? In stringing together others’ footage, can you subvert or change their motives for your own? If so, is this ethical?

Video clips from class

Here's some of the video examples of assemblages we saw in class today: 

Duck and Cover (remix) 

Scary Mary (remix)

Library Supercut 

Quentin Tarantino vs. Coen Bros. (mashup)

No Country for Scooby Doo (remix)

Not from class, but worth a look:

Heteronormative Friends supercut

Saul Bass visual history (really cool, especially if you like design)

Beatles/House of Pain/Joan Jett mashup (more of music video, but pretty cool)

Remix of George W. Singing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (un-freaking-believable student work right here)

Google is cool

If you get the chance to play interact with the Google logo today (use your Chrome browser), it will end up being a topic of interest when we get to interactive media in a couple of weeks...