Catching Up on Some ANTM

THANK GOD FOR CWTV.COM!

On Wednesday nights I have class from 7:10 to 9:40. So this entire semester I missed the new episodes of America's Next Top Model Cycle 11. Luckily cwtv.com allows you to watch old episodes that you've missed or want to watch again. It seriously saved my life because America's Next Top Model is by far the best show on television. I might be exaggerating...but I do love it.

The best part about it is there are far fewer commercials. True, they do need to sneak in an advertisement in there so the site can profit from sponsors, but the clip is only 30 seconds which cuts down on watching time...hence, more time to do "my school work."

Peace, Love
Evan

The Cell Phone Incident

Yesterday was a great day. Admission to the National Aquarium was only a dollar! Obviously I went.

It was packed...and I mean PACKED! The aquarium was crawling with people, kids, parents, grandparents. I stood in line for a solid 45 minutes before I was able to get in. While my friends and I were standing in line I noticed this lady with her two kids. They were twin boys and extremely rambunctious. I noticed this woman because she was on her cell phone, speaking rather loudly, and letting her sons run amok.

Currently Under Construction

Peace, Love
Evan

A Suggestion

If I had to make a suggestion for next semester I would want the "choice blogs" to have certain due dates. For example, it would keep more students on track if it was required that a certain number of the choice blogs needed to be done by certain dates throughout the semester. I'm assuming most students like myself saved the other blogs until the last minute.

Peace, Love
Evan

The Books for 370

This semester we read four books for MCS 370: The Wisdom of Crowds, Millennial Makeover, The Cult of the Amateur, and iSpy. Of the four I found The Wisdom of Crowds to be the least relevant to what we discussed in class; however, I did enjoy the book and there definitely were relevant subject areas in the book. The one book that I did not like was The Cult of the Amateur. Keen seemed to be too much of an elitist for my taste and his theories didn't seem to be based in anything factual. His theories seem to be the easiest to refute, especially due to the overuse of ridiculously strong language; however, the book was relevant because it brought a different perspective than the first two books.

On the whole, I think the books for the course were diverse and allowed me to see arguments from every angle.

Peace, Love
Evan

Online Christmas Shopping

I love to shop online. It's the most convenient way to shop. You never need to leave your house. Lately I've been doing a lot of my Christmas shopping online. I've bought almost all my gifts already, but I haven't bought anything for Taylor yet. I had texted him last week asking what he wanted for Christmas. He said he just wants something simple, so I decided I would get him a new cologne.

As I started to shop online for cologne I realized I was going to have a problem. I couldn't smell the fragrance so how was I going to choose?? I ended up heavily relying on customer reviews. I'm sure I read at least 200 reviews of about 20 different colognes. In the end I chose Very Irresistible for Men by Givenchy.

Peace, Love
Evan

Relationship Troubles

Taylor, my boyfriend, is currently with out a cellular phone. It's driving me crazy and I can't even imagine how he feels. When I do get to talk to him he says he feels like his life is a mess without his phone. This is a testament to the emotional attachments people develop to their electronic media.


Peace, Love
Evan

My Digital Boyfriend

So I have a boyfriend...and I have never met him in person.

Yes, I am very embarrassed to admit this, but it's true. And if you are curious...yes, this is the same boyfriend that I met on dList, and yes, this is the same boyfriend whose phone records I contemplated buying over the internet (if you've read my previous posts). His name is Taylor Johnson. He lives in Tyler, Texas, a small city outside of Dallas. He is 23 years old. His birthday is May 1st. He is a Taurus. He is 6'5" and 215 lbs. He has dark brown hair and eyes. He is a third degree black belt. He is the director of marketing for Suddenlink Inc. which is a cable company. I talk to him on the phone every day at least twice a day usually for an hour or so at a time. We text each other constantly, as well as send each other picture and video messages on a regular basis...

You're probably thinking, "This kid is NUTS!" That is debatable. Some of you might also be asking, "How do you know you're not being tricked?" Well, sometimes I wonder the same thing (hence, I almost bought his phone records). However, I do trust him and I do have ways of finding out if he is lying to me or not. This, though, is not my point.

Without the advent of the internet, as well as other technologies, this relationship would be non-existent. I would never even know Taylor existed. My friends often make fun of me about this whole thing and refer to my cell phone as Taylor, and in a way it's true. My phone is Taylor. It is the only way I can reach him. He's kind of like a digital boyfriend, and I'm totally fine with that.

Peace, Love
Evan

Online Dating

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Surveillance

Surveillance drives me crazy...and not in the way that you might guess. I am a total internet stalker! It's bad. Especially when I date.

Once I dated this guy, we will leave him unnamed. He was very good looking and it made me very insecure (not about myself, about the guys looking at him). This led to a lot of distrust in our relationship. It got so bad that one time I went on the internet and tried to buy his phone records. This may paint a bad picture of me, but if it was only because the opportunity was there.

I didn't buy his phone records...in case anyone is wondering.

I charted my surveillance habits recently. Lately I use facebook to keep tabs on what the people around me are doing. I go on facebook about 10 times a day for about 10 to 20 minutes at a time. I usually surf the pages of those who are significant to me, like those I'm in a relationship with. My friend Erin and I actually joke about how much of a stalker I am.

Peace, Love
Evan

Evan on Google

Earlier today I decided to Google myself. All of the results were of me personally and not of possible "Googlegangers," people who I share the same name with. The vast majority of the sites that popped up under my name dealt with my swimming career, from very early to very recent news. Other results displayed work from my blog. In general, I would say that I google quite well.

The digital impression available of me over the internet, in my personal opinion, is rather good. I have a very unique name so all the results pertain to me personally and almost all the results display highlights of my academic and athletic careers. I am quite happy to have such a unique digital profile. I believe that most employers would be impressed with the results they would find should they Google my name.

Having such a unique profile could potentially raise a threat to my potential career path should bad information trickle onto it. For example, an ABC News article came up under news results form this summer. It was about a drowning that occurred at the UMBC pool of which I was the guard on duty. The article stated I was complacent. Information such as this could pose a threat; however, I am mostly pleased with my digital profile.

Peace, Love
Evan

Keen vs. Lessig

In his book The Cult of the Amateur, Andrew Keen presents an elitist argument against the democratization of the internet. He firmly believes that Web 2.0 is a fatal flaw in our society and will eventually lead to our downfall. His language is strong and his opinions are quite extreme. In his book he makes rebuts arguments made by Lawrence Lessig, a professor of law at Stanford University. Lessig in turn created a blog and wiki site to rebut Keen's arguments. He points out major fallacies in his arguments and further accuses Keen of creating an ignorant and sloppy work.

If I was asked to choose a more convincing argument I would definitely side with Lessig. Lessig rebuts arguments intelligently and his use of crude sarcasm ironically makes his argument endearing. Keen's use of overly strong language left me extremely turned off. I was further put off by his elitist attitude. As Lessig notes, "Who is Keen to define what 'taste' is?"

What I found most appealling about Lessig's argument was his final fallacy, the Amateur Fallacy. He notes Keen's traditional definition of an amateur and points out his disgust by the rise of amateurism. Lessig counters this by citing John Phillip Sousa in his lament for the disappearance of the amateur. He notes "What Keen misses is the value to a culture that comes from developing the capacity to create -- independent of the quality created."

Peace, Love
Evan

For the Love of It

Approaching adult life, we as college students are forced to make a decision: follow a passion or walk down the path of practicality. The answer may be quite obvious to some, but for others it is not always so easy.

I've always considered myself the "artistic" type. I absolutely love singing, writing, drawing...you get the idea; however, being a gifted math student, my parents were constantly pushing me down that path. Engineering was the future my parents sought for me, but I wanted nothing to do with that. I hated math and I will continue to hate math as long as I live; it's simply far too structured for my liking. So as I began my college career I decided that it was imperative that I follow a true passion of mine, writing.

Now, the question to be asked is "Do I consider myself an amateur writer?" and the answer is "Absolutely." Writing is most certainly not what I'm most gifted in, (though I do believe I'm able to put together a few decent sentences) but it is something I feel extremely passionate about. I firmly believe that if you love what you do then the work done will be far more valuable than any work for a meaningless obligation. Your career should be your passion. It should be a vocation not a job.

Peace, Love
Evan

The Millennial Generation: The Electronic Communicators

In their book Millennial Makeover, Winograd and Morley call the Millennial generation the new Civic generation in the generational cycle. A Civic generation is "dominant and outerfixated." (Winograd 25) We are problem solvers much like the GI generation of the previous cycle. However, what distinguishes our generation from that of previous Civic generations is the overwhelming boom in electronic communication that has taken place over the past several decades. In fact, if I were asked to coin a name for our generation I would suggest the ElectroniComs.

Winograd and Morley make several points throughout the book suggesting Millennials are making their mark on the political forefront, and in higher numbers than previous generations of voters; however, the impact is achieved in very a different manner. They note most of the information gathered by the Millennial generation is taken from friends and internet sources and combining these two sources sparks even more interest. Through the use of Net sites such as MySpace and Facebook, young voters can network and blog about politics as well as participate in cross country debates.

Clearly these observations have truth to them; however, I do believe the apathetic side of our generation has been overlooked. Family Guy is a prime example of the perspective of our generation. This sitcom, though it may have certain political undertones, uses mostly incoherent, nonsensical, and listless humor to achieve its goals...or lack there of. This invitation towards the asinine and lethargic has become increasingly appealing and has been broadening the gap between the apathetic and politically minded of our generation.

Peace, Love
Evan

Campaign Ads

I recently browsed YouTube for the campaign channels for each of the presidential candidates. Each channel presented a different facade. The Democratic channel featured mainly news reels and amateur videos of speeches by Barack Obama and Joe Biden. There were some polished commercial ads for the campaign, but these were few and far between. The Republican channel featured many more polished commercial ads. These often used emotional themes in attempts to sway the vote. The Republican channel seemed much more biased as opposed to the more objective approach of the Democratic site. The Republican channel also had far fewer videos. The Democrats boasted almost 1,600 videos while the Republicans showed a lowly 309. The Democratic channel was surely the more convincing of the two.

Democratic Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/BarackObamadotcom

Republican Channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnMcCaindotcom

I also browsed some user generated videos. The majority of these were taped speeches. One video stood out to me. It was in support of Obama.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

I'm not quite sure how I feel about these videos. Clearly there is some definitive goal to the posting of any of the videos and ultimately bias is inescapable; however, if I were to choose which videos seemed most authentic and genuine it would be videos that were simply of the candidates giving speeches...authentic and genuine are most likely not the right words though.

Peace, Love
Evan

Expert vs. Crowd Opinion

To experiment with James Surowieki's idea that a group of average people will often derive a solution to a problem that is equal if not better than that of an expert I decided to compare Dan Savage's "Savage Love" sex advice column to sidetaker.com, a website which poses both sides of a lover's quarrel and asks the public to decide what to do.

As I read "Savage Love," I found myself disgusted often; Savage is one of the raunchiest columnists I have ever come across. However, besides being extremely vile, his advice is incredibly biased. I disagreed with almost every piece of advice he gave. I personally found his response to Another Needing Anal Lessons about anal sex appalling. It seems almost as if he gives responses the women based on his own sexual fantasies.

Sidetaker.com, on the other hand, is completely unbiased. Both sides of a problem are shown and the public can comment and vote on whose side they would choose. Comments and advice are given on each page allowing the quarreling couple to a sound judgment based on a collective opinion. Clearly this is the more trustworthy option.

Peace, Love
Evan

Crowdsourcing

I recently browsed several websites which used crowdsourcing as a business model. I first checked out www.threadless.com, a website selling graphic T's designed by the site's members. Consumers submit graphic designs, surrendering all rights to the design, other users make comments allowing designers to improve designs, Threadless picks designs, presses them, and sells them for profit. Clearly this is an extremely effective business model because all R & D is done by the collective rather than paid designers.

Intrigued by this idea, I googled 'crowdsourcing' and 'open-source design.' The results of the 'open-source design' search yielded a lot of websites involving open-source web design. I browsed 5 different sites in this category. Each offerred free web templates designed in conglomerate by the users of the site. The site didn't stand to gain any profit from these designs. Everything was free. I was a bit thrown by this. The very idea behind this website completely outsources professional web design. In fact, one could say it diminishes the economic value of the business completely. It seemed almost anti-capitalistic.

Personally, I haven't used or purchased from a site using built-in crowdsourcing. I can firmly state that I would definitely not participate in these projects either; however, I would buy from them. The products turned up by businesses using this model are not only original, they are abundant. Sites like this also cater to the generic consumer as well as the individual. The consumer is given exactly what he or she desires...and we all know everybody loves a crowd-pleaser.

Peace, Love
Evan

I Am So Proud of This

The Shift to Postmodern Cinema

Cinema, the most dynamic cultural media, is undergoing a drastic systematic transformation. The incurring change is a shift from modern to postmodern themes. This transformation has been an ongoing process, rooted in the societal changes of the 1960s, and though modernism has not completely decayed as its themes still appear in all media forms, the prevalence of postmodern values are more than apparent. The shift toward the postmodern is instigating immense cultural changes demonstrated by the recurrent trends postmodern films have followed; however, the theme most translated across media boundaries is the absolute distrust of society derived from an omnipresent paranoia and portrayed as a motif of chaos.

The beginnings of modernism are generally believed to have taken root during the Enlightenment. Modernism is characterized by optimism, a focus on progress, realism, grand narratives, a return to the classical, a focus on education, and creativity. As film popularized in American culture during the years following World War I, one can see modernist values reflected in American cinema. “Looking at the twentieth century, we view the evolution of American cinema within the intricate web of modernity that includes Enlightenment values, industrialism and urbanism, liberal-capitalist ideology, patriarchy, bureaucracy, and the expansion of technology.” (Boggs & Pollard 5) As the values of modernism became more and more ubiquitous with American cinema an optimistic view of progress became an intrinsic part of national thought and thus was the birth of classic Hollywood filmmaking.

Modernist ideology remained dominant in American cinema at least until the 1960s. (Boggs & Pollard 5) It is here that we first begin to see the shift from modern to postmodern in film as it was during this decade that studio control first began to break down allowing for more creativity on the part of writers, directors, actors, etc. (Boggs & Pollard 7) “Given extraordinarily deep changes at work in American society, it was now possible for innovative, experimental movie production to develop alongside the quest for mass audiences.” (Boggs & Pollard 7) As ingenuity surged, the quest for the mass audience was indisputably met with success. The public was extremely receptive to these new cinematic undertakings, and the impact postmodern film made upon its audience was unarguably noteworthy. “The postmodern shift tore down, gradually but inexorably, some well-established boundaries...between realism and formalism, between establishment and progressive, and between and among the many conventional genres...” (Boggs & Pollard 8)

Postmodern themes have been present since the 18^th and 19^th centuries, manifesting in the Romanticism, in Nietzche’s philosophy, and in surrealist art and literature. (Kvale 19) “Postmodern thought is characterized by a loss of belief in an objective world and an incredulity towards meta-narratives.” (Kvale 19) There is debate whether postmodernism is modernism’s continuation or rather a total split from it; nonetheless, in film, there are obvious distinctions.

The postmodern shift in cinema involves a weighty criticism of modernity and an almost complete rebuff of it as well. “Postmodernism gathers strength by virtue of the increasing fissures and contradictions within modernity, fueled by economic globalization, corporate domination, bureaucracy, ecological crisis, and the personal alienation that pervades everyday life.” (Boggs & Pollard 6) In this sense postmodernism is the polar opposite and end of modernism. This can easily be demonstrated through the consistently different thematic ideals depicted within these two opposing “genres,” especially in terms of their respective heroes. “Within modernism, the hero is invested with the power to decisively influence or transform society...or at least to stand tall against enormous odds...” (Boggs & Pollard 6) On the contrary, a postmodern film would depict a protagonist fail in his or her struggle to beat the odds. James Cole, played by Bruce Willis in Terry Gilliam’s film 12 Monkeys (1995), is a prime example of the postmodern hero while Peter Parker, played by Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s film Spiderman (2002), is Cole’s modern antithesis.

Peter Parker is the feeble nerd, bullied by his classmates and ignored by his “dream girl,” Mary Jane; however, after being bitten by a genetically engineered spider, Peter gains superpowers and becomes Spiderman. Peter uses his superpowers to fight crime and promote justice. Throughout all of the Spiderman films, Peter overcomes enormous obstacles and internal struggles to incessantly come out on top. His character is a testament to the universal narrative of the triumph of good over evil. Furthermore, the story of Spiderman’s heroics reflects themes of classical Greco-Roman heroes (an orphan is gifted with divine powers which he uses to beat the odds, overcome the antagonist, and get the girl). He is the archetype of the modern hero.

James Cole is the polar opposite of Peter Parker. Cole is the tough, brawny “bad-ass,” imprisoned for violent behavior, but given a chance at redemption if he can “save the world.” He is sent into the past by a group of scientists, dangling a full pardon over his head, to get as much information as he possibly can about a virus that nearly killed the entire human race in the year 1996. Cole does gain his pardon; however, he becomes stricken by what seems like paranoid schizophrenia, an apparent side effect of time travel, and struggles to determine what is true reality. In his final trip to the past, he attempts to stop the man who released the virus that nearly ended humanity, but he is shot and killed in an airport while in pursuit of the villain. Cole’s failure bestows the film with an ending in which good does not triumph over evil, negating the prominent meta-narrative. Moreover, Cole’s lack of success in finding an objective reality further depicts postmodern themes.

There are five recurrent trends in postmodern film. First is the “blockbuster spectacle.” (Boggs & Pollard 16) This trend features “hyperreal, supercommodified media spectacles extending well beyond the movie experience itself.” (Boggs & Pollard 16) A prime example of the blockbuster spectacle is George Lucas’ series of Star Wars films. Each episode of Star Wars has skyrocketed to become a culturally iconic film, and the subsequent success of related manufactured products reinforces this idea. The second trend is the abundance of existential morass as seen in the work of Woody Allen. (Boggs & Pollard 16) Third is the emphasis on American representation of historical quagmire. Along with this comes the disappearance of the modern hero demonstrated above. (Boggs & Pollard 16) The fourth trend deals with the mass portrayals of world chaos spurred by paranoia seen in films such as Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994), Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys (1995), and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002). (Boggs & Pollard 16) The final trend is theatrically playful cinema. (Boggs & Pollard 16) These films often mock and satirize societal values. Examples of this kind of film would be John Waters’ Hairspray (1988) and even Keenan Ivory Wayans’ Scary Movie (2000)

In contemporary culture, the greater sociohistorical context grants postmodern cinema its wealth of imagination, ingenuity, and liveliness. Fredric Jameson believes, “there is an undeniably powerful linkage between globalization of the capitalist economy and growing concentration of corporate power within the film industry, a linkage that recasts virtually every cinematic development in the United States and elsewhere.” (Boggs & Pollard 8) However, this creativity, spawned by the afore-mentioned linkage, is habitually manifested as paranoid narratives of social control and restriction, pointed out as one of the recurrent trends in postmodern film above. This is exemplified in the reactions, both live and cinematic, to the attacks of September 11^th.

The 9/11 attacks, to date, are the most devastating terrorist attacks carried out on American soil; furthermore, it was the first instance that the hegemonic superpower, the United States, had been attacked with such violence and efficiency. (Boggs & Pollard 9-10) These actions are considered “blowback” against the U.S. “empire.” Chalmers Johnson wrote before the attacks, “Terrorism must be seen as the inevitable product of U.S. global domination – violent reactions born of horrendous imperial deeds and spurred by the deep alienation and sense of powerlessness felt among the diverse victims of [an] empire...” (Boggs & Pollard 10) Tariq Ali notes the psychological blow of the attacks on the U.S. was unprecedented. (Boggs & Pollard 10-11) A sense of vulnerability now seemed to befall American culture; the economy plummeted, daily life was drastically changed. It can easily be argued that the September 11^th What’s left to resonate is what Ray Pratt describes as an “age of paranoia.” (Boggs & Pollard 13) attacks fortified the “ideal” conditions for a postmodern societal transition epitomized by “a world of heightened atomization, chaos, violence, and dystopia.” (Boggs & Pollard 11) The media images of a postmodern society are exactly what help produce these chaotic and dystopian ideas.

“Paranoia is increasingly a binding force for the whole nation.” (Boggs & Pollard 13) Pratt believes that the pressures of the increasingly bureaucratically dominated system we live in lead to distrust and fear of the system and its constituents. More and more films, such as Tony Scott’s Enemy of the State (1998), portray such notions of constant surveillance, obliterated privacy, and diminished social autonomy. (Boggs and Pollard 13) This point is exemplified with another reference to Terry Gilliam’s film 12 Monkeys.

The group of scientists in the film 12 Monkeys represents the bureaucratic system; they are Cole’s “governors.” The consistent insincere and corrupt portrayal of this group, as well as their perpetual surveillance of Cole, throughout the film is meant to garner distrust for its members and the ideas they symbolize. The scene in which this is most apparent is the final scene on the airplane. The villain releasing the virus boards the plane and is seated next to the sole female scientist dressed appropriately for the era as a businesswoman. She strikes up a conversation with the villain and ironically states, “I’m in insurance,” referencing her “profession.” The viewer is supposed to gather that the group of scientists desired this ending. The female scientist had been sent into the past to ensure the virus was released in hopes of getting a sample possibly, or at least as much information about the virus as she could. The scientists, the bureaucrats of their system, wanted to use the information for their benefit and the benefit of the citizens of the future. The goal was never to change the past, as Cole believed, and it is now blatantly clear that Cole was simply being used. To the scientists, he was completely expendable. The question must now be asked, “What kind of moral character do these people have?” Furthermore, “Would the leaders of the system I live in act similarly?”

Recurrent paranoid themes in postmodern film are further touched upon by Tudor in his framework for the “paranoid horror film.” In “From Paranoia to Postmodern,” Tudor asserts that contemporary horror films show characteristics of postmodernism, specifically in use of pastiche and comedy. Yet, most notable is the distinction created between contemporary paranoid horror and its predecessor, secure horror. The paranoid horror film displays postmodern qualities and is characterized by failed human intervention, ineffective expertise, unreliable authorities, escalating disorder, internal threats, organization of victim groups, diffuse boundaries, and open narratives. (Tudor 108) Secure horror films preceded paranoid horror, and its characteristics are the opposite extremes of paranoid horror films. Tudor uses the films Frankenstein (1931) and Halloween (1978) to exemplify the distinction:

“In the former, the narrative’s central threat is a consequence of human volition, is external to the human body and mind, is clearly distinguished from normality, and is finally defeated. Human expertise is effective; authorities are broadly legitimate. In the latter, the threat is unexplained, it is internal in the sense that it emerges from the psyche and is located in an ordinary everyday world, and the boundary between normality and abnormality is not clearly marked. The monster survives, and experts are unable to deal with it. At every turn, the world of Halloween and its many successors is thoroughly unreliable and insecure.” (Tudor 108)

Clearly Tudor is distinguishing Frankenstein as the secure horror and Halloween as the paranoid as the “world” of Halloween is thoroughly insecure. He further notes, “This was a major change in emphasis...prior to the emergence of the psycho-killer [horror movie threats] were externally derived.” (Tudor 108)

A “paranoid horror film,” and certainly a postmodern film, Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later (2002) not only reflects many of the themes presented in Tudor’s article, but also Boggs and Pollard’s collaboration “The New Cinematic Society.” The premise of the film is that a virus has been cultivated, Rage, in experimentation to develop a biochemical weapon. This virus is then released onto the streets of England after a group of animal rights activists attempt to release a test lab full of chimpanzees which have been infected. The onset of the virus is not shown, but the aftermath is depicted as the protagonist, Jim, awakes from a coma. He is in complete solitude until he realizes his entire nation has been “zombified.” The film further depicts his struggle to stay alive in this new environment as he encounters other survivors.

28 Days Later, like Halloween, fits Tudor’s framework of a paranoid horror film entirely. The film opens with a portrayal of failed intervention of humans, ineffective expertise, and escalating disorder as the “triumph” of the animal rights activists over a wimpy scientist leads to a world shrouded in total chaos. Furthermore, the resultant zombie threats are internal and inescapable; the survivors can do nothing except try to stay alive even though death seems inevitable. The scenes involving the military men depict a corrupt totalitarian authority, especially exemplified through the scene in which the military men attempt to “procreate with” (rape) the two female characters. This film further makes this situation seem like a possible and potential reality for our constantly warring world.

The drastic transformation occurring in film, the shift from modern to postmodern, cannot be denied. Postmodern film will be the next generation of cinema as it shapes American society, revamps creative vision, and reworks the face of auteur theory. As it has been a slow-moving process, one may wonder will modernist values fully diminish as the transition concludes...most likely not. There are certain modernist values that can be seen in the themes of postmodernism; however, the current domination of postmodern sentiments in media would lead one to conclude a steady decline in modernist values, especially those of trust in the system. Dystopia, chaos, disorder, distrust have already begun to run rampant. The postmodern “age of paranoia” is truly in an onset.

Works Cited

Boggs, Carl and Tom Pollard. “The New Cinematic Society.” A World in Chaos: Social
Crisis and The Rise of Postmodern Cinema. Boggs, Carl and Tom Pollard. p. 1-24. Lanham MD. Rowman and Littlefield. 2003. Electronic.

Kvale, Steiner. "Themes of Postmodernity". The Truth About The Truth. Walter Truett
Anderson. p.18-25. New York. Putnam. 1995. Electronic.

Tudor, Andrew. “From Paranoia to Postmodernism: The Horror Movie in Late Modern
Society.” Genre and Contemporary Hollywood. Neale, Stephen. p. 105-1 16. London, England. British Film Institute. 2002. Electronic.

Peace, Love
Evan

Paglia vs. Postman

As a student of media and communication, I am expected to sustain the utmost detachment from the world in order to incite critical analysis of the environment I live in. Many would argue that it was print medium that allowed me to obtain such a skill; and furthermore, that the preference of television and other visual media over the written word may have hindered this process. Neil Postman has stated, “Television, with its random, unconnected images, works against the linear tradition and breaks the habits of logic and thinking” (Postman & Paglia 283) Well, Neil, I could not disagree with you more. Camille Paglia presents a point of view I relate to much more, “Watching TV has nothing to do with thought or analysis.” (Postman & Paglia 289)

Harper’s Magazine had the chance to witness some dinner conversation between these two conflicting theorists. The arguments posed by each made for some intriguing intellectual discourse. The major point asserted by Paglia is that a new literacy (visual literacy) has emerged from the traditional form of literacy (print literacy). As is apparent in his above statement, Postman fully disagrees. He would not call visual literacy a form of literacy at all; moreover, if this new literacy does exist, Postman believes it is robbing people of traditional literacy and the decline in favor of print media cannot at all be beneficial.

Postman, who is stricken by a pre-WWII upbringing, consistently criticizes television, but Paglia defends her argument for visual literacy making points such as, “Watching television…[is] a passive but highly efficient process of storing information to be used later.” (Postman & Paglia 289) Further, to refute Postman’s criticism of visual literacy as not literacy due to lack of cognition, Paglia argues information is still drawn from visual media; however, the process is more sensorimotor than cognitive. She states:

“It’s like the...driver cruising down the interstate at high speed, always scanning the field, looking for the drunk, the hot rod, the police…None of these people…is thinking. They’re only reading the field and working by instinct, deciding in an instant where to ….steer the jet or car. The decision is made by intuition, not by ratiocination.” (Postman & Paglia 289).

I would tend to agree with Paglia. A new literacy has emerged out of the traditional literacy, and this literacy encompasses our use of visual media. This literacy is real and we must note that the next generation of adults, the millennials, will be constantly relying on the technology available to make societal advances. It’s increasingly apparent that visual literacy is dominating the media sector and the use of print media is in decline; however, I’m not too sure this is such a bad thing. An experiment was conducted at the University of Toronto testing levels of learning through the use of different media to convey lecture material. The results showed students who viewed lecture on television did the best, while, students who read the lecture manuscript did the worst. One may ask are these results valid. Are they displaying an absolute fact that humans truly learn better visually, through the context of television, or rather are these results demonstrating a trend in the decrease in print literacy? Has the use of print media decreased so much that these students could not pick up the blatantly diminishing slack? I believe the answer, though slightly irrelevant, is obvious.

Works Cited
Postman, Neil and Paglia, Camille. "Two cultures—Television versus print." In D. Crowley and P Heyer (Eds.). Communication in history: Technology, Culture, Society. 5th Ed. New York: Pearson Education, Inc. 283-295.

Peace, Love
Evan

One of My Favorites

A Bitter Taste: A Brief Analysis of Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt

Jon Lewis, in American Film, argues the film Shadow of a Doubt embodies the fight to preserve the ideal small-town life. He describes the film as a sort of self-discovery piece in which the protagonist, a young heroine – Charlie – yearns for reprieve from her small-town prison; yet, after unearthing a murder mystery centered on her demented uncle, she ultimately decides to defend the ideals which she previously despised. (Lewis 167) Lewis further expresses his belief in a possible metaphorical connection to the fight occurring overseas in World War II. (Lewis 167) Robin Wood on the other hand finds the film to be subversive to middle class values and the small-town family ideal. Though he does suggest that Hitchcock may have not totally slandered these ideals, he states the film leaves the viewer with a “bitter taste.” (Wood 63)

According to Wood, Shadow of a Doubt presents the image of the very typical suburban family with an atypical member, and this tactic is used in the process of undermining American babbittry and small-town values. (Wood) The Newton family has the stereotypical patriarchal family dynamic; Joseph is the provider and Emma is the homemaker. Their image is meant to symbolize familial perfection until an addition is made: Uncle Charlie. Prior to his introduction he is discussed as quite the incredible gentleman. Young Charlie speaks of him as a sort of hero to her; however, after his arrival to Santa Rosa, he is almost immediately portrayed in a different light during the “survey” scene. He discusses his dislike of being photographed and he also has random fits of psycho babble throughout the film which seem to go unnoticed by all but Young Charlie. Wood asserts Uncle Charlie represents evil. His arrival to Santa Rosa displaces his wholesome male counterpart, his brother-in-law Mr. Newton, and darkens the purity of the Newton family. (Wood)

The motif of incest, though not overt, is prominent in the film as well as Young Charlie seems to idolize her uncle to the point of possible infatuation. It seems Hitchcock purposefully paired these two characters to build a “pure vs. evil” contrast between two seemingly similar individuals.

Wood points out there are many features of the film that work against Hitchcock’s subversion. For example, Uncle Charlie is from the city, not from Santa Rosa. This exemplifies an invasion of evil in small-town life rather than a preexistence of it. (Wood 69) Furthermore, Uncle Charlie’s psycho pathology is linked to his childhood head injury rather than his upbringing, and his death at the end of the film depicts the purging of evil and the perpetuation of familial purity. (Wood 69) This idea is further enforced by Young Charlie’s definitive relationship with Jack Graham. (Wood 69) Despite these examples, Shadow of a Doubt ultimately portrays a dim view of the “All-American” family. Sin, perversion, incest, and death leave this pure small town shrouded in darkness, and depart the viewer with what Robin Wood refers to as a “bitter taste.”

Works Cited
Lewis, Jon. American Film. 1st ed. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. 164-168.

Shadow of a Doubt. Dir. Alfred Hitchcock. Perf. Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten. DVD. Universal Pictures, 1943.

Wood, Robin. “Ideology, Genre, Auteur.” Film Genre Reader II. Ed. Barry K. Grant. University of Texas P, 1999. 59-73.

Peace, Love
Evan

MCS Lecture Series: Jed Dietz & Laney Solomon

"Preparing for a Career in the Media: A Media Professionals Talk"

I attended another MCS lecture last night in the Skylight Room at the Commons. Jed Dietz was the first to talk. He spoke about a film festival moving to Baltimore and he also gave some tips about getting ahead in the film industry. His main points were "show up on time and do more than you are asked." I had never thought of pursuing a career in visual media, I think of myself as more of a writer; however, he made the industry sound quite appealing. His lecture made me wonder if I could dabble in visual arts and I began reflecting on my experience in Digital Multimedia...I think this could be a stimulating side project.

Laney Solomon spoke second. I found her lecture was uninspiring and boring. She talked about gearing a print media focus toward advertising. This didn't seem to be a very tempting career path. I honestly had very little desire to listen to her.

Peace, Love
Evan

Media Deprivation

In the spring semester of 2007 Danna Walker, a professor at American University, gave her students an assignment she was unsure of. This was her first time assigning the “electronic media fast.” The task was to “live” 24 hours without any kind of electronic media; no television, no radio, no computers, no iPods, and especially NO CELL PHONES. Her goal was to have her students “think about the media-saturated world they live in and what its effects on them might be.” (Walker) Her article “The Longest Day,” her own personal and reflective analysis of the assignment, appeared in the Washington Post on August 5, 2007 and has since inspired certain professors to follow suit by assigning the same task. We were asked to complete the “grueling media deprivation challenge”…my experience was not quite successful.

My daily routine had to be changed drastically in order to complete the assignment and the members of my family had been prepped beforehand. My day began around 11:30 in the morning; I figured it would be best to sleep in considering the day ahead of me. I started my day with a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

My mother had left to go to work around 10 a.m. and she had left me a list of errands she wanted me to do that day. She wrote:

“Evan, please come to the office before you do anything this morning. Your father and I need you to pick up the deposit and take it to the bank. You’ll be getting $100 to go grocery shopping. I know you won’t be going to the gym to work out today so please try to have this done before Bobby gets home from school and please feed your niece and nephew. Adrianne will be dropping Kierra off from daycare around 4:00 but she has to go to class at 4:30. Make sure the puppy doesn’t pee anywhere also. Sorry this is so much, but I figured you wouldn’t have too much to do today since you have to do that silly assignment. Thank you.”

“Damn,” I thought. My mom was right about the gym. I had planned to work out a lot that Tuesday, but I couldn’t go to the gym; it’s filled with TVs and the radio is loud enough to rupture an ear drum. To top it off, it was freezing outside so there was no way I was going running. During my incurring let down, I decided to have a few more bowls of cereal. I figured I should take this day as slowly as possible; it was going to be a long one.

I hopped in my car and said to myself, “Hah! This will be a piece of cake. I’ll hang out in my car for most of the day and drive around.” My radio had been stolen a few months ago so there was nothing to tempt me while I was driving. I had actually gotten used to not having a radio in my car; I actually may even prefer it, especially during long drives. It gives me a lot of time to think.

I took a detour to my father’s office; I really wanted to drive through town, smoke a cigarette, and think about my day. A long, silent car ride was exactly what I needed. As I was driving I began doing some analysis of the assignment. I began thinking about the connection between the development of new media as means of communication throughout history and human dependency upon advances in communication. I find it so interesting to think about man’s need to transcend his isolation and I believe this is where the invention of language, written and oral, stems from. Human beings have this desperate desire to feel connected, whether it be to a person or thing, so we began communicating with one another in order to achieve this feeling of connection; however, it’s only a transient feeling. Once the communication ceases we revert back into our isolation; and so, in an effort to minimalize these feelings of isolation, we created more ways to communicate. We invented written language, we invented new communications media, we mass produced and industrialized and as time passed we created a world in which communication across the largest of distances is possible instantaneously. Walter Ong discusses points pertinent to my thought process in his article “Orality, Literacy, and Modern Media.” He writes:

“Before writing, oral folk were group-minded because no feasible alternative had presented itself. In our age of secondary orality, we are group-minded self-consciously and programmatically. The individual feels that he or she, as an individual must be socially sensitive. Unlike members of a primary oral culture, who are turned outward because they had little occasion to turn inward; we are turned outward because we have turned inward. In a like vein, where primary orality promotes spontaneity because the analytic reflectiveness implemented by writing is unavailable, secondary orality promotes spontaneity because through analytic reflection we have decided that spontaneity is a good thing.” (Ong 69)

The rant occurring in my head ended abruptly when I arrived at my dad’s office. I ran inside, got the deposit slip from my parents, got back in my car, and started driving to the bank. Since I had taken the liberty of moving extremely slow that day, I was now in a rush. It was 2:00 in the afternoon and I still had much left in my agenda which needed to be completed by 4:00.

After I had finished running errands, I headed home to cook dinner and babysit. Mac and cheese and chicken tenders! I fed Kierra and put her up for a nap and then pigged out while Bobby played gameboy in the family room. When I was done eating I curled up on the couch with my new puppy and took a well deserved nap.

I had been sleeping like a rock when I woke up to my younger sister watching The L Word. Only semi-conscious I asked if it was the new season. Syd replied, “Yea man! We have it On Demand.”

Half-asleep, I started watching and as I slowly became more aware I screamed, “F**K!”

Syd looked at me confused. She had been in Philly for the past few days so she didn’t know I was doing an assignment. I explained. All she said was, “Well, you already started watching it and it’s a really good season.” Realizing she had a valid point I gave up on the assignment that day, planning to complete it another day that week. It didn’t happen. Syd and I finished watching the episode of The L Word and went out that night to a hookah bar.

Though I did fail to fully complete the assignment, I definitely was able to gain insight as to the difference between having electronic media available for use and not having it. I did think I would easily be able to complete the assignment and to reflect on the experience, I don’t believe there was a time when I truly was struggling with the task at hand. However, the practicality of the assignment seemed to be non-existent. I do realize that humans made it through thousands of years without any electronic media; yet, these media forms have become so normalized in our culture that it’s impossible to avoid them for a lengthy amount of time. I often felt that day that I was being catered to because my family knew I had to do the assignment; hence, my family acted as my electronic media. Had there been an emergency that day, and this was a possibility because I was babysitting a 6 year old and a 1 year old, the assignment could have created a conflict, and in that sense it seems that the technology we use is absolutely essential.

Works Cited
Ong, Walter. "Orality, Literacy, and Modern Media." Communication in History. Ed. David Crowley and Paul Heye. Pearson Education, Inc. 64-70.

Walker, Danna L. "The Longest Day." Washington Post 5 Aug. 2007. 30 Mar. 2008 . http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/01/AR20070 80101720.html.

Peace, Love
Evan

MCS Lecture Series: Jackie Regales

"The Future of the Internet: Utopian and Dystopian Possibilities"

I attended the extra credit lecture by Jackie Regales in the Commons last night. The subject of the lecture was "which direction is the internet taking us?" She brought touched upon topics such as techno-utopianism, the troubles of wikipedia, MIT open course ware, and the trend of scholarly research being published online with free access.

Peace, Love
Evan

Dear Susan Jacoby: Call me a naive idealist...I'm certainly calling you an elitist snob!

Over the past few decades there has been a mass influx and integration of different technology and media into our world. As a current college student, I walk across campus and it is a rare occasion that I find someone who is not talking on a cell phone. Should I be at the RAC, I’ll find MTV-U being broadcasted over every television. When I go to class, a large percentage of students are using their laptops, myself included, to take notes and to also connect to the Internet through wireless servers putting immense amounts of information at their fingertips. In short, it is essentially impossible to avoid one’s daily dose of media and technology; however, the question at hand - and the question being posed by many - is should we be worried for our nation’s future? Has “easy-access information” overload taken a toll on our work ethic as a society? Are the technologies available to us ultimately making way for “generation sloth”? Has our nation reached an intellectual stand-still? In all honesty, and you may call me idealistic, there is no need for such worry.

In her article “The Dumbing of America” Susan Jacoby writes, “Dumbness, to paraphrase the late senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, has been steadily defined downward for several decades, by a combination of heretofore irresistible forces. These include the triumph of video culture over print culture…” (Jacoby) Jacoby has a valid point, video culture has certainly triumphed over print culture; she points out the proportion of 17-year-olds who read nothing unless required to do so for school more than doubled between 1984 and 2004; however, she later states she cannot prove reading for hours in a tree house, something she used to do when she was 13, creates more informed citizens. (Jacoby) Jacoby is trying to argue something she admittedly cannot prove. The article continues with similar sentiment; Jacoby truly does believe we are facing a crisis. She asserts technology is fostering ignorance in our culture and it is leading us to a dismal future. I beg to differ.

As is human nature, with progress also comes resistance: Plato feared writing would inhibit human memory capacity, the church criticized the printing press because they wanted to protect and be the sole interpreters of the "word of God." Throughout time, and especially in the past 150 years, every new technology has evoked some form of criticism. (Gardner) Jacoby’s argument is reminiscent of this kind of criticism, and though there is validity to her argument, I believe her anathema toward these new technologies stems from misjudgment of the future.

Howard Gardner has a different take on the subject. In his article “The End of Literacy? Don’t Stop Reading” he states, “Let me suggest a third possibility: Literacy – or an ensemble of literacies – will continue to thrive, but in forms and formats we can't yet envision.” (Gardner) Gardner takes a stand against dualistic thinking. He is asserting that since we have no idea what the future holds we may as well embrace the media present, and rather than focusing solely on the pro and con dichotomy that occurs simultaneously with the integration of new media, we must “triangulate.” We must “bear in mind our needs and desires, the media as they once were and currently are, and the media as they're continually transforming.” (Gardner)

As media transform and spawn new media, drastic cultural changes do occur, the majority of them being positive. In ancient Egypt, papyrus replaced stone as a writing medium leading to increased literacy, the development of script writing, and a more democratic system. The development of written language was met with opposition and scrutiny as stated above, yet we could not picture ourselves without such a system. All these developments in communications media caused great change, and though some may have not been well-received, through the course of time these changes became accepted as positive; it just takes a transitional period.

So enough with the pessimistic, elitist attitude; our culture has not yet lost its intellectual spark. Yes, print culture is in decline, but it isn’t something that will ever be completely lost. Our world is in a transitional period; we are still getting accustomed to mass media. This, however, by no means implies we are getting dumber. There is much time before us. We must accept the inevitable integration of new media and embrace the cultural changes that will accompany them. Step forward with a positive attitude and an open mind. After all, a bad attitude never got anybody anywhere.

Works Cited
Gardner, Howard. "The End of Literacy? Don't Stop Reading." The Washington Post 17 Feb. 2008. 2 Mar. 2008 .

Jacoby, Susan. "The Dumbing of America." The Washington Post 17 Feb. 2008. 2 Mar. 2008 .

Peace, Love
Evan

BipolarNation.com

The blog I have chosen to follow is Bipolar Nation. Here is a link to the site: BipolarNation.com

Bipolar Nation is a political blog created and owned by Dan Kenitz. Kenitz is a 2006 college graduate of Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee. He, along with Aaron Robertson, a college buddy and Vice President of Marketing for the blog, co-authors Bipolar Nation. The site has been up and running since 2006. It boasts over 1,200 subscribers and over 7,000 blog posts. The blog has active forums and message boards. The goal of the site is to bring "people of every race, religion, creed, color, belief, gender, sexual orientation, sports team loyalty, astrological sign. personality, nation, continent, planet, and political affiliation to discuss current events." Kenitz believes "our political beliefs should not force us to segregate each other."

Peace, Love
Evan

My First Post

Hey!

What's up, guys? I'm Evan Roseberry. I'm creating this blog as a part of my Introduction to Media and Communication Studies class. For those who are not in my class, I attend UMBC. I am 20 years old and a Junior in college. I recently switched majors. I was an American Studies major with a focus in communications; however, now I am a Media and Communication Studies major. In the future I hope to become a journalist.

After graduating, I hope to join the Peace Corps for a few years and then attend grad school. After grad school, I want to move to New York to try to make it as a journalist. Eventually I'd like to write a novel.


I'm on the UMBC Swimming and Diving Team. Our record this season is 6-1. We will be competing in our conference championships at the University of Maine in 2 weeks. Here is a link to the UMBC Athletics webpage: www.umbcretrievers.com

Peace, Love
Evan