Thursday 30 May 2013
Sunday 26 May 2013
A Class Well Spent
Journalism II focused heavily on learning tools for reporting in an electronic medium. Quick bursts, like Twitter which could be used for immediate breaking news, along with its retweet function which helped spread it faster and unaltered, to longer blogs (in this case, Blogger) which could be accessed from around the world for free, unlike print or televised news.
We used Mindmeister to brainstorm. Because I work fast, from thought to finish, I didn't have many opportunities to use that service to plan things out, but for my podcast, I took the opportunity to lay it out i my own way.
Youtube videos and custom google maps dovetailed, when we made a map of our university using video clips we took. The ability to add context this way has depths I didn't get to fully explore, but I did appreciate the possibilities. The first idea that sprung to mind was historical reports, adding sound and location to stories.
In the last week of class, I went and hurt my back. But this led to more opportunities, as I learned how to remotely participate in a setting through skype, and even got to demonstrate how to create your own online television channel.
We focused on learning the ethics and important tenets of basic newswriting, to give us a good base to start from.
I wasn't wholly sure what to do with my wikispaces page, until I realized I could use it to organize the type of work I'd been doing for class. An online portfolio. I'd been using tags on my blog, but having the entries up with summaries was invaluable to helping me realize what I was doing.
For this class, I tried out different types of journalism, to see if any were a 'fit'. For my podcast, made with audacity, I did a retrospective on a crime that had occurred in Brandon years ago, the Erin Chorney case.
From there I moved onto regular articles:
Electronic reporting! I spoke about forums, which didn't go as I planned from when I started writing it. Originally my intention was to portray forums as archaic methods of electronic communication, but in writing I realized they still very much had their place, even if some of their original purpose had been supplanted by the much more immediate commenting systems many pages have now.
I tested out criticism, on the Brandon Sun's reporting of a terrorist attack, using a photo I had fortunately taken that day.
I tried commentary on double standards in media and regime changes, regarding the Dixie Chicks and Ted Nugent and the responses to their criticism of the president of the united states.
And finally, I tried product reporting on My Little Pony merchandise, and found the method of reporting that suited me best. I was more passionate about toy reporting than I had been about crime, death, and the faults of others. Apparently the time of reporting for me was definitely entertainment journalism.
And that was how I learned to journalism.
We used Mindmeister to brainstorm. Because I work fast, from thought to finish, I didn't have many opportunities to use that service to plan things out, but for my podcast, I took the opportunity to lay it out i my own way.
Youtube videos and custom google maps dovetailed, when we made a map of our university using video clips we took. The ability to add context this way has depths I didn't get to fully explore, but I did appreciate the possibilities. The first idea that sprung to mind was historical reports, adding sound and location to stories.
In the last week of class, I went and hurt my back. But this led to more opportunities, as I learned how to remotely participate in a setting through skype, and even got to demonstrate how to create your own online television channel.
We focused on learning the ethics and important tenets of basic newswriting, to give us a good base to start from.
I wasn't wholly sure what to do with my wikispaces page, until I realized I could use it to organize the type of work I'd been doing for class. An online portfolio. I'd been using tags on my blog, but having the entries up with summaries was invaluable to helping me realize what I was doing.
For this class, I tried out different types of journalism, to see if any were a 'fit'. For my podcast, made with audacity, I did a retrospective on a crime that had occurred in Brandon years ago, the Erin Chorney case.
From there I moved onto regular articles:
Electronic reporting! I spoke about forums, which didn't go as I planned from when I started writing it. Originally my intention was to portray forums as archaic methods of electronic communication, but in writing I realized they still very much had their place, even if some of their original purpose had been supplanted by the much more immediate commenting systems many pages have now.
I tested out criticism, on the Brandon Sun's reporting of a terrorist attack, using a photo I had fortunately taken that day.
I tried commentary on double standards in media and regime changes, regarding the Dixie Chicks and Ted Nugent and the responses to their criticism of the president of the united states.
And finally, I tried product reporting on My Little Pony merchandise, and found the method of reporting that suited me best. I was more passionate about toy reporting than I had been about crime, death, and the faults of others. Apparently the time of reporting for me was definitely entertainment journalism.
And that was how I learned to journalism.
Interview with an assault victim
The creator of the facebook page 'I was assaulted by the Vancouver Police' made an appearance via the internet in our class last friday.
I wasn't 'present', as they say, as I was residing in a classmate's computer like a skype sprite, but because I was tethered in I could participate and listen just like a student physically present.
It got me thinking about how the internet has been good for bringing crimes against people to light. From being able to shed light on police abuse, it also keeps other injustices from being swept under the carpet, like the case of Kiera Wilmot who was expelled and charged with a felony for a science experiment gone wrong, which burned up the internet. The charges were dropped, and she and her twin sister are getting a trip to space camp thanks to a NASA scientist. But it's not really a happy ending (Kiera Wilmot tells us what happened in her own words), because she's still expelled and is attending an expulsion school where she is unable to take the classes she once had the opportunity for, and the challenges she once enjoyed.
It's a lot harder to go unheard now, thanks to the internet. This goes for victims and for perpetrators alike.
I wasn't 'present', as they say, as I was residing in a classmate's computer like a skype sprite, but because I was tethered in I could participate and listen just like a student physically present.
It got me thinking about how the internet has been good for bringing crimes against people to light. From being able to shed light on police abuse, it also keeps other injustices from being swept under the carpet, like the case of Kiera Wilmot who was expelled and charged with a felony for a science experiment gone wrong, which burned up the internet. The charges were dropped, and she and her twin sister are getting a trip to space camp thanks to a NASA scientist. But it's not really a happy ending (Kiera Wilmot tells us what happened in her own words), because she's still expelled and is attending an expulsion school where she is unable to take the classes she once had the opportunity for, and the challenges she once enjoyed.
It's a lot harder to go unheard now, thanks to the internet. This goes for victims and for perpetrators alike.
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Distance Education
Throwing my back out hasn't prevented me from attending class, even if I can't leave my house. I've been skyping in to participate. The sound isn't so great for hearing the rest of the class, but I can hear the professor perfectly.
It has made me a bit self-conscious, because I can see myself in the little video in the corner. So far I've noticed my chin seems to be inflating like a bullfrog attracting a mate AND my hairline is uneven. Then I get distracted by how many funny faces I can make.
I am a terrible student.
The next day I skyped in, I actually got to be useful and set up a ustream channel to show how easy it was for someone to set up their own internet television channel. From account creation to broadcasting, it took five minutes and most of that was waiting for the confirmation email to come to my email account.
I did the trick again with my ipod. In fact, everything we've done in this class except anything heavily flash-based, I could have done on my ipod, a tiny device as small as my hand. And my hand is tiny.
Like the professor said: We're our own press on the internet. We can present any way we want. The only thing we don't have automatically is an audience.
Try out making your own channel over at Ustream (or one of its many competitors).
It has made me a bit self-conscious, because I can see myself in the little video in the corner. So far I've noticed my chin seems to be inflating like a bullfrog attracting a mate AND my hairline is uneven. Then I get distracted by how many funny faces I can make.
I am a terrible student.
The next day I skyped in, I actually got to be useful and set up a ustream channel to show how easy it was for someone to set up their own internet television channel. From account creation to broadcasting, it took five minutes and most of that was waiting for the confirmation email to come to my email account.
I did the trick again with my ipod. In fact, everything we've done in this class except anything heavily flash-based, I could have done on my ipod, a tiny device as small as my hand. And my hand is tiny.
Like the professor said: We're our own press on the internet. We can present any way we want. The only thing we don't have automatically is an audience.
Try out making your own channel over at Ustream (or one of its many competitors).
Monday 20 May 2013
Forums
Two weeks ago, I set up forum software (phpBB to be specific) for a group writing project with my friends.
I like forums. A lot of sites I've used over the years have phased out their forums for a variety of reasons. In some cases they weren't frequented enough, in others there was trouble hosting it elsewhere, or the major reason is that they've changed how their pages are served. Webcomics specifically have been moving to more dynamic web software like wordpress, comicpress, which allows them to use plugins for special commenting software on each individual update.
Forums have their place. They're indispensable to sites for videogames, for players to bond over the product and tech support. I could lose hours reading the arts forum for City of Heroes, back before the game was shut down. Which is leading me to something I need specify.
When I say forum, I'm talking about a messageboard, which can be divided into several subsections with their own boards and childboards. Writing this, I realized how flexible the term forum actually is.
The one I used, phpBB, I created in two sections. The first section was the important details of the world we were writing in and contained two boards inside of it. One, for biographies, writing details, and scenario details. The second board for resources and actual information we needed for it.
The second section I created is gaining boards as we work, a new board with every leg we complete to keep everything in chronological order. This is the same for most messageboards. Many or few sections, containing boards inside dedicated to a specific purpose.
I enjoy these, as they keep communication organized. But that doesn't mean I dislike the new discussion methods that have sprung up as messageboards become less common. Tumblr, blogspot, twitter, facebook, and to a lesser extent sites like Livejournal, all have native commenting systems instead of dedicated discussion forums away from the page. Some, like tumblr, have plugins you can use to allow even more communication if the site itself is limited. The result is something much more intimate and timely than a dedicated messageboard.
And that's what the internet is becoming, a much more personal, interactive experience. Instead of having to remove yourself to a special area, you can interact directly with the creator of the content.
But if you're running an interactive site that the discussion is the forefront of the site's reason to exist, messageboards definitely still have their place.
I like forums. A lot of sites I've used over the years have phased out their forums for a variety of reasons. In some cases they weren't frequented enough, in others there was trouble hosting it elsewhere, or the major reason is that they've changed how their pages are served. Webcomics specifically have been moving to more dynamic web software like wordpress, comicpress, which allows them to use plugins for special commenting software on each individual update.
Forums have their place. They're indispensable to sites for videogames, for players to bond over the product and tech support. I could lose hours reading the arts forum for City of Heroes, back before the game was shut down. Which is leading me to something I need specify.
When I say forum, I'm talking about a messageboard, which can be divided into several subsections with their own boards and childboards. Writing this, I realized how flexible the term forum actually is.
The one I used, phpBB, I created in two sections. The first section was the important details of the world we were writing in and contained two boards inside of it. One, for biographies, writing details, and scenario details. The second board for resources and actual information we needed for it.
The second section I created is gaining boards as we work, a new board with every leg we complete to keep everything in chronological order. This is the same for most messageboards. Many or few sections, containing boards inside dedicated to a specific purpose.
I enjoy these, as they keep communication organized. But that doesn't mean I dislike the new discussion methods that have sprung up as messageboards become less common. Tumblr, blogspot, twitter, facebook, and to a lesser extent sites like Livejournal, all have native commenting systems instead of dedicated discussion forums away from the page. Some, like tumblr, have plugins you can use to allow even more communication if the site itself is limited. The result is something much more intimate and timely than a dedicated messageboard.
And that's what the internet is becoming, a much more personal, interactive experience. Instead of having to remove yourself to a special area, you can interact directly with the creator of the content.
But if you're running an interactive site that the discussion is the forefront of the site's reason to exist, messageboards definitely still have their place.
Sunday 19 May 2013
News for My Little Pony collectors
Good news! After a dry spell of main 6 releases, new ponies are starting to make their way into stores and pre-orders!
First up is Sunset Shimmer, a yellow and red unicorn, who is the only unique pony in her wave (the other three being repeats):
If you're looking for her, you can find her at the Hasbro online toy shop, at BBTS, or in your local big box store that stocks ponies. The best part of Sunset Shimmer is she features a new eye mold type for unicorns, along with a unique colour scheme.
Last, and certainly not least, is a pony set featuring two brand new ponies!
The Princess Celebration Bakery, featuring Mrs. Dazzle Cake (just Mrs. Cake in the show. In the set her two children and husband seem absent) and a new never before seen filly named Twirly Treats! Not in stores yet, but up for pre-order on BBTS.
It's good to see that Hasbro is still making interesting new ponies, even if it's not close to the volume of unique ones in previous generations. The constant influx of blind bag ponies has soothed the pain somewhat, however.
First up is Sunset Shimmer, a yellow and red unicorn, who is the only unique pony in her wave (the other three being repeats):
Last, and certainly not least, is a pony set featuring two brand new ponies!
It's good to see that Hasbro is still making interesting new ponies, even if it's not close to the volume of unique ones in previous generations. The constant influx of blind bag ponies has soothed the pain somewhat, however.
Thursday 16 May 2013
Lots of discussion of terrorism-related issues
A youtube video contrasting Dixie Chicks and Pussy Riot was the cornerstone of journalistic slant today.
The Dixie Chicks were vilified for saying that in the Bush administration, but years later Pussy Riot has wide western support for their own protests. It was our object lesson in Worthy and Unworthy victims. The Unworthy were the Dixie Chicks who insulted president Bush, while the Worthy were Pussy Riot, who insulted the untrustworthy Russian government.
Of course, according to the American media, Bush was a Worthy victim, while Obama is an Unworthy victi. I see regular death threats to Obama from public sources that seem to see no consequences:
I like Obama a lot more than Bush, to explain my bias, although I'd like him a lot more if he wasn't, you know, droning people to hell, but it's still an interesting contrast.
Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas
The Dixie Chicks were vilified for saying that in the Bush administration, but years later Pussy Riot has wide western support for their own protests. It was our object lesson in Worthy and Unworthy victims. The Unworthy were the Dixie Chicks who insulted president Bush, while the Worthy were Pussy Riot, who insulted the untrustworthy Russian government.
Of course, according to the American media, Bush was a Worthy victim, while Obama is an Unworthy victi. I see regular death threats to Obama from public sources that seem to see no consequences:
Nugent, who last April said, "If Barack Obama becomes the president in November, again, I will be either be dead or in jail by this time next year," and in 2007 stated, "Obama, he's a piece of s**t. I told him to suck on my machine gun. Hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless b***h," (Source)Nugent saw no jail time, no media demonizing, no wide-scale boycotting, and was even invited by a Republican politician to sit in on Obama's state of the union address.
I like Obama a lot more than Bush, to explain my bias, although I'd like him a lot more if he wasn't, you know, droning people to hell, but it's still an interesting contrast.
The Wayback Machine
Over at Archive.org, there is a magical device called the Wayback Machine, which contains a lot of the internet of days past. I've used it extensively, but not exactly for scholarly purposes.
I've actually had an easy time in this class learning all the materials, because due to my particular internet prescence (spending too much time on the computer since 1998), I've actually used most, and if not all some very similar services, over the course of my internet 'career'.
It's my mom's fault, really. When I was 12 she told me about fanfiction. And being as into X-Men as I was, I immediately alta-vista'd it. The first result was a story about the New Mutants character Wolfsbane committing suicide. Apparently that wasn't traumatizing enough to keep me off the internet.
Anyway, how this relates to the Wayback Machine is I've read (and written) and enjoyed a variety of fanworks and original fiction over the past decade from that inauspicious beginning, but! Nothing is permanent on the internet. Sites and posts go away. Hosting isn't renewed. Files are deleted. People leave. But the Wayback Machine has helped me re-find almost all of them, if I can just dig up the original link.
Webpage building, file organization, information organization, information sharing, are all part of participating in fandom and anytime what I've done all these years as a hobby turns out to be useful I'm a little surprised. But it's good. It means you're always learning.
Also, it turns out I can't write so great when there's other voices going on.
I've actually had an easy time in this class learning all the materials, because due to my particular internet prescence (spending too much time on the computer since 1998), I've actually used most, and if not all some very similar services, over the course of my internet 'career'.
It's my mom's fault, really. When I was 12 she told me about fanfiction. And being as into X-Men as I was, I immediately alta-vista'd it. The first result was a story about the New Mutants character Wolfsbane committing suicide. Apparently that wasn't traumatizing enough to keep me off the internet.
Anyway, how this relates to the Wayback Machine is I've read (and written) and enjoyed a variety of fanworks and original fiction over the past decade from that inauspicious beginning, but! Nothing is permanent on the internet. Sites and posts go away. Hosting isn't renewed. Files are deleted. People leave. But the Wayback Machine has helped me re-find almost all of them, if I can just dig up the original link.
Webpage building, file organization, information organization, information sharing, are all part of participating in fandom and anytime what I've done all these years as a hobby turns out to be useful I'm a little surprised. But it's good. It means you're always learning.
Also, it turns out I can't write so great when there's other voices going on.
Wednesday 15 May 2013
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