Week 4 - Response to Content

The electronic gaming industry generates enormous revenue world wide each year. In 2007, a profit of 18.8 billion dollars was recorded (Seeking Alpha, 2008).  The first successful gaming console, the Atari 2600, was released in 1977.  The console used plug-in cartridge games such as Space Invaders.  The first computer games were also starting to emerge at this time.

Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game's (MMORPG) are becoming increasingly popular.  World of Warcraft (WoW), arguably the most popular MMORPG, boasts a player base of over 12 million.  While WoW is not a very violent game, there is evidence of real life danger involved in its being played.  Gaming addiction has become a real problem with MMORPG's, as evidenced by the death of several players.  The most publicised case was the 2005 death of the user 'Snowly'.  The player reportedly played WoW for several days straight, neglecting his health.  The increased number of deaths being linked to video gaming addiction sparked the act of adding an 'anti-obsession' system on several games (Softpedia, 2005).

Violence in gaming has also had ties to tragedy.  The Columbine High School Massacre involved the killing of 12 students and 1 teacher in 1999.  Evidence has arisen that the adverse effects of superfluous violence in the video game Doom somewhat encouraged the killers to conduct the massacre.


Reference List:

1.  Ivanov 2005, Softpedia, accessed 26 Aug 2011, <http://news.softpedia.com/news/Two-Fanatic-World-of-Warctaft-Gamers-Have-Died-Becouse-Of-WoW-11821.shtml>.
2. Investment U 2008, Seeking Alpha, accessed 26 Aug 2001, <http://seekingalpha.com/article/89124-the-video-game-industry-an-18-billion-entertainment-juggernaut>.

Week 4 - Tutorial Task

The social network I have chosen is Facebook.

One of the more interesting clauses in Facebook's Terms of Use is as follows:

Access Device and Browser Information. When you access Facebook from a computer, mobile phone, or other device, we may collect information from that device about your browser type, location, and IP address, as well as the pages you visit.


Simply put, if you have not completely erased your history, cookies and saved data, the Facebook system is able to not only access data about websites you have visited, on what browser, but also to retain this information.  As somebody who frequents websites such as thepiratebay.org, I find this particular clause quite worry-some.  


Another interesting clause:


For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos (IP content), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (IP License). This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account unless your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it.


Essentially this clause means that upon agreeing to the terms and conditions, the user legally signs over their right to any content that is uploaded from their profile to Facebook.  Furthermore, Facebook also has the right to sell on this intellectual property, at no gain to the user.  At the end of the clause a 'failsafe' sentence is added to make the user feel better.  However, this is almost completely null and voided by the fact that if the intellectual property in question is shared with others, and the user tries to delete it, the property is not in fact 
deleted as it is still being stored on the shared users account.


As of now, the 'Payment Terms' website is actually not available, which in itself is interesting.  




http://www.facebook.com/terms.php
http://www.facebook.com/policy.php  

Week 5 - Tutorial Task

Scavenger Hunt

1. The first University was founded in 600 BC in Bharat, India.  It was called Takshashila.  (http://veda.wikidot.com/tip:world-first-university-takshila - accessed 26 Aug 2011).  I found this information via Bing.com

2. Stephen Stockwells' band is called the Black Assassins and he plays keyboards and assisted in vocals.  (http://members.optusnet.com.au/~toxicoh/blackas.htm - accessed 26 Aug 2011).  I found this information via Bing.com

3. The largest machine ever built in the world is the Large Hadron Collider and it weighs 11,000 tonnes.  It cost around 10 Billion to make.  (weight from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-largest-machine-in-the-world.htm - accessed 26 Aug 2011) (price from http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/the-bosons-that/ - accessed 26 Aug 2011).  I found both websites via Bing.com

4. After much searching, I cannot find who the lawyer of Justin Bieber is.  Scooter Braun, his talent manager, is the closest link I could find.  According to (http://www.chacha.com/question/who-is-justin-bieber's-lawyer - accessed 26 Aug 2011) Bieber has not announced his legal representation to the public.  This information was find via Ask.com, searching 'who is justin bieber's lawyer?'

5. Hitchhiking would be the cheapest way.  However, if you would like to survive the trip, I suggest flying with either Virgin Australia or Jetstar, both of which will fly you for $99.  (http://travel.webjet.com.au/webjettsa/home.aspx?flight_search_action=http%3A%2F%2Ftravel.webjet.com.au%2Fwebjettsa%2Fhome.aspx&TripType=Return&CityFrom=OOL&CityTo=Melbourne&DateOut=dd%2Fmm%2Fyyyy&DateBack=dd%2Fmm%2Fyyyy&NumAdult=1&NumChild=0&NumInfant=0&TravelClass=ECONOMY&x=29&y=7&EntryPoint=Flight&RequestFrom=Outside - accessed 26 Aug 2011).  This information was found via Ask.com

6. Hatsune Miku is the name of a program used to synthesize a singers voice.  The program belongs to Crypton Future Media.  The birthday is 31 Aug 2007.  (http://www.crypton.co.jp/mp/pages/prod/vocaloid/cv01_us.jsp - 26 Aug 2011).  Information found via ask.com

7.  The webcam is located at http://www.webcamsmania.com/webcam/kirovastreetwebcam - accessed 26 Aug 2011.  Accommodation in Antarctica: http://www.icemarathon.com/live/155.html  - accessed 26 Aug 2011.  Information found via ask.com

8. The song 'Everything I do' by Bryan Adams was top of the charts on 24 Aug 1991.  (http://tsort.info/music/sdecad.html - accessed 26 Aug 2011).  Information found via ask.com

9. The car is a Volkswagen Beetle.  (http://www.autoblog.com/2007/06/01/take-a-look-at-the-vehicle-thats-taking-a-look-at-you/ - accessed 26 Aug 2011).  Information found via ask.com

10. (http://www.ask.com/web?qsrc=1&o=0&l=dir&q=free+online+translater - accessed 26 Aug 2011)
Questions:
1. ¿Dónde fue establecida la primera Universidad y en cual año? / Where was the first University established and in which year?
2. ¿Qué es llamada la cinta de Stephen Stockwell y qué juega él? ¿Puede usted llamar un par de sus canciones? / What is called the tape of Stephen Stockwell and what does he play? Can you call a pair of his songs?
3. ¿Cuál es el peso de la máquina del mundo más grande? ¿Cuánto costó esto para construir? / What is the weight of the machine of the biggest world? How much cost this to construct?
4. ¿Quién es el abogado de Justin Bieber, y cuál es el mejor camino (el más rápido, el más confiable) para ponerse en contacto con el abogado? / Who is the lawyer of Justin Bieber, and what the best way is (the the most rapid, the the most reliable) to get in touch with the lawyer?
5. ¿Cuál es la forma más barata de viajes de la Costa de Oro a Melbourne? / What is the cheapest form of trips of the Gold Coast to Melbourne?
6. ¿Quién es Hatsune Miku? ¿A qué compañía pertenece ella? ¿Cuál es su cumpleaños? / Who is Hatsune Miku? To what company does she belong? What is his birthday?
7. Encuentre una cámara conectada a Internet viva en Bielorrusia. Encuentre un alojamiento en Antártida. / Find a camera connected to Internet live in Belorussia. Find an accommodation in Antarctica.
8. ¿Qué canción era la cumbre de las cartas de música pop australianas esta semana en 1991? / What song was the summit of the letters of music pop Australians this week in 1991?
9. ¿Qué tipo de coche es usado para hacer ‘Vista de Calle de Google’? / What type of car is used to do ‘ Sight of Street of Google ’?

Week 3 - Tutorial Task

Task 1:

1.  The article is entitled Kuranda Police Shooting , 1981.  Stockwell, S1981, 'Kuranda Police Shooting', Legal Service Bulletin, volume 6, p. 48, viewed 26 August 2011 courtesy Hein Online Law Journal Library

2. Flaming Carrot Comics.  Slugwell appeared in issues 7, 10 and 11.   Flaming Carrot Comics, no.7, by Bob Burden. (Burbank, CA:Renegade Press, 1985). 36 page(s) .  Trial library databases > Underground and Independent Comics > Characters.  The database I used was Underground and Independent Comics.

3. Mobile and cordless phones have been proven to increase the risk of a malignant brain tumor forming.  Hardell L. Carlberg M. Hansson Mild K. (2011). Pooled analysis of case-control studies on malignant brain tumours and the use of mobile and cordless phones including living and deceased subjects. International journal of oncology. 5 (5), 1465-74

5. Walter Ong considers the main paradox of 20th century communication as "that a society given so much to the use of diagrams and to the maneuvering of objects in space... should at the same time develop means of communication which specialize not in sight but in sound"  Paul, S 2004, Communication research trends, Centre for the Study and Communication of Culture, Vol 23, p.14, viewed 24 August 2011

4. Leon's reaction is to check if Holden really asked about his mother, then offers to tell him about his mother following which Leon shoots Holden.

Leon: My mother? Holden: Yeah. Leon: Let me tell you about my mother... [Leon shoots Holden] Fancher, H. Peoples, D.W. Kibbee, R. (1982). Blade Runner. [Script]. American Film Scripts. Chicago. Task 2: Released in 1999, Napster was a peer to peer program initially designed to allow the download of MP3 tracks from other users.  An 18 year old Shawn Fanning first wrote the program and uploaded it to download.com where it fast become one of the most downloaded files.  Realising the potential of such a program, Fanning started to sink much of his time in to the improvement of the program.   It was not until Napster started to take hold that piracy issues truly came to light.  The program was banned in over 40% of American Universities, as students made up a large percentage of the user base.  This was due to a few factors, mainly that students were mostly comfortable with the MP3 format, students preferred free music rather than paying for a CD and the fact that Universities provided high speed internet access (Tyson, J. howstuffworks).   Just one year after the release of Napster, a reported 20 million users were registered (BBC, 2002).  However, it was not long until artists started to strike back at Napster and its creator.  Artists employed companies to monitor the downloads of Napster users, then delivered the results to the Napster office.  Faced with proven evidence of piracy, Napster was forced to shutdown hundreds of thousands of accounts.  This trend was soon followed by various artists. After an out of court settlement with record companies fell through, Napster was in 2001 court ordered to stop the illegal trading of copyrighted material.  The company was soon completely shut down.  (BBC, 2002) Napster irrevocably changed the music industry, internet piracy and how the world thinks of intellectual property.  Despite record companies making massive moves into digital sales, enormous amounts of money are still lost due to programs inspired by Napster.   Reference List: 1.  Tyson, J n.d., HowStuffWorks, accessed 26 August 2011, <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/napster3.htm>.2.  BBC 2002, The Rise and Fall of Napster, United States, accessed 26 August 2011, <http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A741089>.

Week 2 - Response to Content

Week 2 - Tutorial Task

a) Refer to blogroll

This video by the creators of the television show 'Mythbusters' gives a quirky insight in to Moore's Law.

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The web application, or group of applications, I have chose to examine is referred to as 'Auction Sniping'.  I found this through the imaginative method of listening to my tutor as she used it as an example.  This is the process of posting the winning big on an auction at the last possible moment, achieved either manually or with the assistance of a wide variety of software accessable online.  Whilst auction sniping is frowned upon and is often the source of great fustration, it is not illegal and programs such as 'AuctionRaptor' are very readily available for a small fee and are sometimes even free.  Whilst I think this program is obviously beneficial, I think it is something that should be used sparingly, if at all.  This is because although it is not illegal, it does take advantage of the system in with a method that is only used by few, leaving the other less computer savvy people at a disadvantage.

For more information, refer to https://www.auctionraptor.com/?source=adwords&gclid=CObAuOS0sqoCFYVLpgod5hQF8A

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Facebook -

• How long have you been using this communication technologies?
• For about two years now, give or take.
• What influenced you to start using this particular technology?
• I created a Facebook account mainly in response to the fact that most people I knew were already using Facebook to do such things as organise social events, and if I didn't have access, I would be at a disadvantage. 
• Is privacy an issue for you when using new technologies?
• Not really as I am of the view that unless the information in question is being obtained illegally, you are responsible for the posting of any personal information online.  There are certain exceptions to this, such as Facebook changing its privacy settings without notifying their users which results in all posted information being visible to the public regardless of what settings the user previously had enacted. 
• What do you think about companies like Facebook and Google who collect information about their users? 
• I am of the opinion that it is just intelligent business, as long as the 'data mining' does not delve into grey areas, such as the story about the man's search records directly effecting his health insurance.

I use programs and services such as Facebook and Skype to keep in touch with family over long distances, for example, my sister currently living in Japan.  I am happy to email and IM my sister, but I know that the experience of face to face talking, provided by Skype, is greatly valued by my parents.  When that telltale sound of a phone call over Skype goes off, my house turns into a mad rush to talk to my sister!

Week 1 - Response to Content

• What are the main issues in new communications technology?
• Two of the more pertinent issues involved with the development and usage of new communications technology are Health, Privacy and Hacktivism.  With the continual advancement in technology and its increasing presence in our daily life, several new health issues have arisen.  The extended exposure and proximity of mobile phones to our heads has been thought to increase the risk of several brain related conditions, mainly Brain Cancer.  Although this has not actually been proven, scientists have not ruled out the possibility of a small risk.
• The second issue is that of Privacy.  With the development of social networking websites such as Myspace, and more recently, Facebook, has come an increase in online privacy violation.  While websites such as these are used by millions of people world wide and are seen to be harmless, there have been cases where the personal details posted by the user have been used with malicious intent.  One such case occurred in December 2005.  "Two Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) students were able to download, using an automated script, over 70,000 Facebook profiles from four schools (MIT, NYU, the University of Oklahoma, and Harvard University) as part of a research project." (Wikipedia, 2011).

•  How do we distinguish between old and new communications technologies?
• When we consider the idea of 'old communications technology' the obvious examples would be cave drawings, story telling, the study of history.  While these things are indeed classified as such, any form of communication up to the use of Analog systems can be classed in the same way.  It is at this point that a distinction is made between these technologies and technologies produced by and functioning with the fairly recent digital system.

• Under what circumstances will new communication technologies become old communication technologies?
• With the advent of a new communication technology, such as the internet, invariably comes the slow decline and ultimately the demise, of an older, less advanced technology.  This is largely due to the new technology having several advantages over the older.  These advantages are commonly, but not limited to, accessibility, affordability and most often, speed.  

Reference List:

1) Criticism of Facebook. (2011, July 31). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 00:17, August 3, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Criticism_of_Facebook&oldid=442292375