Lecture
-We all have a choice to know
-If technology is available we should be able to use it
ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATIONS (Based in US)
Rights for Internet
They insure we don’t get bullied by companies etc over the internet
Defend some issues
Internet neutral - so anyone can go on there
Networking Intellectuality - internet should be free -form of censorship
NSA SPYING - Through filters e.g. Myspace, Messenger, Facebook etc.
WHAT IS EFF?
The leading civil liberties group defending your rights in the digital world
CREATIVE COMMONS
C - Copy right
CC - Creative Commons - available to use it as long as it’s not used commercially (making money from it) “some rights reserved”
PD - Public Domain (freely available)
RO - Read Only
Source Code - Language - Instructions for programming
Proprietary Software - Software that you cannot change.
We also watched a presentation by Lawrence Lessig about the need for the law to change, and the reasons why he started the Creative Commons
_____________________________________________
READING: Why Software Should Not Have Owners
By Richard Stallman
Digital information technology contributes to the world by making it easier to copy and modify information. Computers promise to make this easier for all of us.
However, not everyone wants it to be easier. The system of copyright gives software programs “owners”.
The copyright system grew up with printing—a technology for mass production copying.
Four practices of the Software Publishers Association (SPA):
-Massive propaganda saying it is wrong to disobey the owners to help your friend.
-Solicitation for stool pigeons to inform on their coworkers and colleagues.
-Raids (with police help) on offices and schools, in which people are told they must prove they are innocent of illegal copying.
-Prosecution (by the US government, at the SPA's request) of people such as MIT's David LaMacchia, not for copying software (he is not accused of copying any), but merely for leaving copying facilities unguarded and failing to censor their use.
All four practices resemble those used in the former Soviet Union
We deserve free software.
READING: FLOSS Is Not Just Good For Teeth
'FLOSS is not just good for teeth' is a collaboratively produced introduction to the concepts that underlie free and open source software.
While open source software proponents believe that this methodology of
software creation tends to create the best software, proponents of free software believe that
even as a “mere user”, the freedom to be a co-creator and co-sharer of software you use
should be protected and sustained.
READING: Cory Doctorow: Creative Commons
Since 2003, the Creative Commons movement has ridden a worldwide revolution in creativity and sharing, inspiring the authors of over 160 million copyrighted works to adopt a "some rights reserved" approach that encourages sharing, remix, and re-use of their works.
Copyright's scope has expanded through technology — the PC and the Internet.
_____________________________________________
TUTE
Spent time on essays
Told where to post our assignmnet - both on our blog and email to tutor with our blog address
Revision for exam
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Assesment Item 3: What affect do video games have on young people?
Video games are prominent in many households both nationally and internationally. However, there is a concern in today society on ‘What affect do video games have on young people?’ whether it is a positive or negative affect? Originally games began with very simple ideas. However, as society develops so do the graphics and story behind the games of today. These changes have effects on our youth in society. Some of these changes are violence within games, which many children become addicted to, and followed with anti-social behavior. However, video games don’t always have a negative effect on young people, as there are many educational games available.
Video games were first introduced in the 1970s (Digest, 1994).These games have changed society in the similar way in which television did. Society once again has adapted to new technologies and with it has come concerns whether it is a positive or negative change. Until the recent resurgence in interest in video games in the past decade, research on the topic was minimal (Kooijmans, 2004). The first generation of video games involved simple geometric shapes and had little interaction. Now however, games involve better graphics and more capabilities. These changes have eventuated in graphics that appear extremely similar to reality, with the added effect to choose from equipment and weapons, skills and techniques. All of which generally involve violence within the games. The impact of the multi-million dollar video game culture on children and young adults is now clearly acknowledged – but generally its impact is viewed negatively (Howard, 1998, p.95).
Anti-social behavior is just one of the concerns when discussing video games and their effect on children. Social isolation occurs in some cases with children spending majority of their time playing video games rather then playing sport or with other children. This becomes a large concern because it harms their social skills and ability to interact with peers which are necessary to develop at a young age. According to Cahill, Elkin, and Handel (2007, p233), the simulating world that is experienced in video games and on the Internet can prove so seductive that the real world comes to seem so boring that it loses appeal.
Addiction to video games is another cause for anti-social behavior, and according to the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry (2006), children and adolescents can become overly involved and even obsessed with videogames. It has been suggested that ‘computer game addiction’ is like any other behavioral addiction, in that it consist of compulsive behavioral involvement, a lack of interest in other activities, association mainly with other addicts, and physical and mental symptoms when attempting to stop the behavior – e.g. the ‘shakes’ (Soper & Millar in Harris, 2001, p.2). This is of large concern when a child constantly chooses to play a video game at the expense of other activities, then becoming distraught if they are unable to play the games. Another major concern has been the question of whether heavy viewing of violent content causes or contributes to anti-social behavior (Jones, 2007, p.212)
Marketing violent games to children appears to be common. In the September 2000 Report, the Commission found that game companies’ marketing documents revealed plans to advertise M-rated games repeatedly in magazines with substantial readership under 17 (Jones, 2007, p.33). There is a system for rating games and that is known as ESRB. This system is designed to give parents the information they need to evaluate a computer or video game before making a purchase (KCTS, 2008). However according to research, in some cases the children themselves purchase the software and generally are accepted even when underage. The commissions prior nationwide undercover surveys in 2000 and 2001 found that unaccompanied children ages 13-16 were able to buy M-rated games 85% (2000) and 75% (2001) of the time (Jones, 2007, p.40).
Many of the most popular games emphasize negative themes and promote criminal behavior and disrespect. Some studies have shown that the playing or observing of violent games does affect young children negatively as they show increased levels of aggressive behavior – at least in the short term (Harris, 2001, p.v). The level of aggression and violence in the games of today is astonishing. A whole game will surround the intention and object to kill and destroy. Characters can consist of a human figure, extremely lifelike and having the target to kill another human character. Studies have also shown that the more realistic and repeated the exposure to violence, the greater the impact on children (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2006). The concern with children playing violent games is that it can give them the idea that violence is an acceptable way to solve a problem.
Some video games however, may promote learning, problem solving and help with the development of fine motor skills and coordination (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2006). There are many programs that are directed to children as young as three years of age, which contain fun and interactive learning programs for children. These programs promote learning in an enjoyable way for those who struggle with perhaps English or Math. Kids also get to learn new skills or experience something that their own personal skills or the laws of gravity won’t allow them to do (Martin & Oppenhiem, 2007). Research has found that in general among most youth, there is no significant impairment in psychological functioning caused by game playing (Barnett, 2005).
In conclusion there are both negative and positive factors when considering the question ‘What affect do video games have on young people?’ however, evidence provided suggest that long-term gaming for young children have a negative effect towards their development. The confusion is between the gaming world and reality, when children become obsessed and involved in the gaming world it causes in some cases anti-social behavior and violence. According to Poole (2002, p.109), videogames manipulate the imaginative involvement for the player, in the ruses and paradigms of their unreal worlds.
Video games were first introduced in the 1970s (Digest, 1994).These games have changed society in the similar way in which television did. Society once again has adapted to new technologies and with it has come concerns whether it is a positive or negative change. Until the recent resurgence in interest in video games in the past decade, research on the topic was minimal (Kooijmans, 2004). The first generation of video games involved simple geometric shapes and had little interaction. Now however, games involve better graphics and more capabilities. These changes have eventuated in graphics that appear extremely similar to reality, with the added effect to choose from equipment and weapons, skills and techniques. All of which generally involve violence within the games. The impact of the multi-million dollar video game culture on children and young adults is now clearly acknowledged – but generally its impact is viewed negatively (Howard, 1998, p.95).
Anti-social behavior is just one of the concerns when discussing video games and their effect on children. Social isolation occurs in some cases with children spending majority of their time playing video games rather then playing sport or with other children. This becomes a large concern because it harms their social skills and ability to interact with peers which are necessary to develop at a young age. According to Cahill, Elkin, and Handel (2007, p233), the simulating world that is experienced in video games and on the Internet can prove so seductive that the real world comes to seem so boring that it loses appeal.
Addiction to video games is another cause for anti-social behavior, and according to the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry (2006), children and adolescents can become overly involved and even obsessed with videogames. It has been suggested that ‘computer game addiction’ is like any other behavioral addiction, in that it consist of compulsive behavioral involvement, a lack of interest in other activities, association mainly with other addicts, and physical and mental symptoms when attempting to stop the behavior – e.g. the ‘shakes’ (Soper & Millar in Harris, 2001, p.2). This is of large concern when a child constantly chooses to play a video game at the expense of other activities, then becoming distraught if they are unable to play the games. Another major concern has been the question of whether heavy viewing of violent content causes or contributes to anti-social behavior (Jones, 2007, p.212)
Marketing violent games to children appears to be common. In the September 2000 Report, the Commission found that game companies’ marketing documents revealed plans to advertise M-rated games repeatedly in magazines with substantial readership under 17 (Jones, 2007, p.33). There is a system for rating games and that is known as ESRB. This system is designed to give parents the information they need to evaluate a computer or video game before making a purchase (KCTS, 2008). However according to research, in some cases the children themselves purchase the software and generally are accepted even when underage. The commissions prior nationwide undercover surveys in 2000 and 2001 found that unaccompanied children ages 13-16 were able to buy M-rated games 85% (2000) and 75% (2001) of the time (Jones, 2007, p.40).
Many of the most popular games emphasize negative themes and promote criminal behavior and disrespect. Some studies have shown that the playing or observing of violent games does affect young children negatively as they show increased levels of aggressive behavior – at least in the short term (Harris, 2001, p.v). The level of aggression and violence in the games of today is astonishing. A whole game will surround the intention and object to kill and destroy. Characters can consist of a human figure, extremely lifelike and having the target to kill another human character. Studies have also shown that the more realistic and repeated the exposure to violence, the greater the impact on children (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2006). The concern with children playing violent games is that it can give them the idea that violence is an acceptable way to solve a problem.
Some video games however, may promote learning, problem solving and help with the development of fine motor skills and coordination (American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 2006). There are many programs that are directed to children as young as three years of age, which contain fun and interactive learning programs for children. These programs promote learning in an enjoyable way for those who struggle with perhaps English or Math. Kids also get to learn new skills or experience something that their own personal skills or the laws of gravity won’t allow them to do (Martin & Oppenhiem, 2007). Research has found that in general among most youth, there is no significant impairment in psychological functioning caused by game playing (Barnett, 2005).
In conclusion there are both negative and positive factors when considering the question ‘What affect do video games have on young people?’ however, evidence provided suggest that long-term gaming for young children have a negative effect towards their development. The confusion is between the gaming world and reality, when children become obsessed and involved in the gaming world it causes in some cases anti-social behavior and violence. According to Poole (2002, p.109), videogames manipulate the imaginative involvement for the player, in the ruses and paradigms of their unreal worlds.
By April Turnbull
30 May 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
11th Week - The Ethics of Peer-to-Peer Filesharing...
Lecture
Steal This Film 2
Nabster - global party- everyone suddenly had access to the largest music library in the world
Entertainment industry now go after individuals who download - tens of thousands are getting sued
Printing:
Printers were hunted down - associated with rebellion
Printing was considered un-holey work of the devil
Printing threatened the ideas and protection of literature
During the 1970s, printing was distributed underground
Urge to communicate - ideas pushed to the limit - and then becoming even better
ARPA net
Each machine shares resources
Joseph Lickliter - created the concept of networking computers
Networking: no hierarchy - all equal - no body in charge
Reproduction and distribution of data in milliseconds
Information copied from one network to the other
Copying on information is out of control - to many people involved to be able to shut everything down
Companies might be shut down, but there are still networks
Human’s are constantly sharing information and wanting to communicate
We all reproduce and distribute information
_____________________________________________
READING; When Pigs Fly: The Death of Oink, the Birth of Dissent, and a Brief History of Record Industry Suicide.
In 1999 he began working for a major recording label, it was hear he realized how many people are involved in creating a CD and that is why they cost approximately $18.
When music became available to download for free, musicians and the companies who help create their fame lost money. People lose interest in buying their CDs and having a stack of CDs piled up; instead downloading is cheaper and can be stored on small mp3 players etc.
Unlike newspapers, record companies own the distribution and the product being distributed, so you can't just start your own website where you give out music that they own - and that's what this is all about: distribution.
Oink- a fast downloading site with access to music. World’s largest music store. Gives viewers the opportunity to listen to music they wouldn’t have listened to in the beginning. Maybe taking the money out of music is the only way to get money back into it.
_____________________________________________
Tute
This week we continued working on our essay's and blogs.
At half time we were showed how to use Windows Movie Maker, using the basic tools we had available. Windows Movie Maker is a basic program that would be best used for beginers and simple movies that can be posted on you tube.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
10th Week – Blade Runner
Lecture
The lecture for this week was watching the movie Blade Runner. The movie took up the whole of the lecture, with no time to discuss the movie.
Blade Runner –
Science Fiction Film
It is an examination of the impact of technology on human society, existence, and the very nature of humanity itself.
Blade Runners are specialized police who are trained to kill escaped replicates on earth.
Phillip K Dick - Common themes in Dick's work include artificial intelligence, cities out of control and post-industrial dystopia dissected with a film noir sensibility.
_____________________________________________
READING; An exploration of what it is to be human.
Dick urges that to be human, one has to relate to all humans, not just one particular political segment.
These people in the future judge themselves on empathy, yet they cannot identify with the experiences of others, and so are less human themselves.
Some of the androids are examples of what it is to be human, or rather what Dicks impressions of what humans should be as opposed to what we are.
All of the androids have an innate desire to survive, even though they only have a limited lifespan.
In 'Bladerunner' Dick offers the view that our society as a whole assesses people by what is known about them, instead of finding out about them. The people who know you, your personality, your job, the stereotype of what you are makes you human to the rest of society.
'Bladerunner' is not just 'an exploration' of humanity, it examines our pathetic qualities at present, mistakes in the past and our tragedy in the future. The sum of these is what it is to be 'human'.
_____________________________________________
Tute;
The Assessment Item 2: Essay Outline Presentations where due this week so there was no tutorial task.
In the tute our class spent time finalizing their Essay Outline, in preparation to discuss with class, followed by emailing it to our tutor.
The lecture for this week was watching the movie Blade Runner. The movie took up the whole of the lecture, with no time to discuss the movie.
Blade Runner –
Science Fiction Film
It is an examination of the impact of technology on human society, existence, and the very nature of humanity itself.
Blade Runners are specialized police who are trained to kill escaped replicates on earth.
Phillip K Dick - Common themes in Dick's work include artificial intelligence, cities out of control and post-industrial dystopia dissected with a film noir sensibility.
_____________________________________________
READING; An exploration of what it is to be human.
Dick urges that to be human, one has to relate to all humans, not just one particular political segment.
These people in the future judge themselves on empathy, yet they cannot identify with the experiences of others, and so are less human themselves.
Some of the androids are examples of what it is to be human, or rather what Dicks impressions of what humans should be as opposed to what we are.
All of the androids have an innate desire to survive, even though they only have a limited lifespan.
In 'Bladerunner' Dick offers the view that our society as a whole assesses people by what is known about them, instead of finding out about them. The people who know you, your personality, your job, the stereotype of what you are makes you human to the rest of society.
'Bladerunner' is not just 'an exploration' of humanity, it examines our pathetic qualities at present, mistakes in the past and our tragedy in the future. The sum of these is what it is to be 'human'.
_____________________________________________
Tute;
The Assessment Item 2: Essay Outline Presentations where due this week so there was no tutorial task.
In the tute our class spent time finalizing their Essay Outline, in preparation to discuss with class, followed by emailing it to our tutor.
9th Week – Cyberpunk
Lecture Notes:
Cyberpunk is a science fiction genre based in the possibilities inherent in computers, genetics, body modifications and corporate developments in the near future.
The term cybernetics comes from the Greek kybernetes which means steersman or pilot and the concept developed during and after WWII to indicate the use of a systematic approach to complex issues such as managing a large number of computers at distributed sites or understanding the operations of the brain.
Cyberpunk developed as a reaction against the over-blown and predominantly safe stories pf 'space opera' such as Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy and George Lucas's Star Wars.
William Gibson is a US/Canadian writer whose fictional work has spawned a number of key concepts like 'cyberspace' and 'virtual reality'. His work sits uncomfortably in the sci-fi genre because its gritty realism about the near future makes it too close to the truth.
Matrix pushes the boundaries of computer-generated effects as it explores apossible future world where machines dominate humans but keep them inignorant bliss of their real state.
Cyberpunk Themes
1.Technology & Mythology
2.Utopia & Dystopia
3.Cites as Machines
4.Technological change
5.Modernism to Postmodernism
___________________________________________________
READING; The Allegory of the Cave
Prisoners would mistake appearance for reality. They would think the things they see on the wall (the shadows) were real; they would know nothing of the real causes of the shadows.
Plato’s point: the general terms of our language are not “names” of the physical objects that we can see. They are actually names of things that we cannot see, things that we can only grasp with the mind.
We would be mistaken if we thought that the concepts that we grasp were on the same level as the things we perceive.
_______________________________________________
Tute:
This week was revision of content and working on assignment.
Cyberpunk is a science fiction genre based in the possibilities inherent in computers, genetics, body modifications and corporate developments in the near future.
The term cybernetics comes from the Greek kybernetes which means steersman or pilot and the concept developed during and after WWII to indicate the use of a systematic approach to complex issues such as managing a large number of computers at distributed sites or understanding the operations of the brain.
Cyberpunk developed as a reaction against the over-blown and predominantly safe stories pf 'space opera' such as Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy and George Lucas's Star Wars.
William Gibson is a US/Canadian writer whose fictional work has spawned a number of key concepts like 'cyberspace' and 'virtual reality'. His work sits uncomfortably in the sci-fi genre because its gritty realism about the near future makes it too close to the truth.
Matrix pushes the boundaries of computer-generated effects as it explores apossible future world where machines dominate humans but keep them inignorant bliss of their real state.
Cyberpunk Themes
1.Technology & Mythology
2.Utopia & Dystopia
3.Cites as Machines
4.Technological change
5.Modernism to Postmodernism
___________________________________________________
READING; The Allegory of the Cave
Prisoners would mistake appearance for reality. They would think the things they see on the wall (the shadows) were real; they would know nothing of the real causes of the shadows.Plato’s point: the general terms of our language are not “names” of the physical objects that we can see. They are actually names of things that we cannot see, things that we can only grasp with the mind.
We would be mistaken if we thought that the concepts that we grasp were on the same level as the things we perceive.
_______________________________________________
Tute:
This week was revision of content and working on assignment.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
8th Week - "Are Games a Waste of Time?"
Notes on Lecture:
Spacewar – one of the first games, mid 1960s
Games are part of our Cultural life – we all at least know about games
Games are now influencing movies, as in the past movies would influence a game
Moral Panics – games influencing young children, Violence in Games. However, people are influenced by many things
Some games have STORIES
LUDOLOGY – the study of games, they don’t play games to hear stories but play for fun
NARRATOLOGY – the study of games – Story Element
Some game players would argue that story is just decoration to a game
History of video games might help us move forward
SEMIOTICS – Games as media – Cinema & Technology
In a video games world rules can change, different to everyday life
Aesthetics in a game – what makes a game fun?
Design – Virtual Reality
Fun doesn’t always equal real.
_______________________________________
READING; Trigger Happy
Notes
Video games aren’t always realistic
E.g., shooting lasers in a game are slow and if the target moves the laser will miss it, however in real life lasers are as fast as 300 million meters per second.
Why, then, do videogames get it so wrong? The answer is they get it wrong deliberately, because with “real” laser behavior it wouldn’t be much of a game. It would be far too easy to blow things up. The challenge of accounting for an enemy craft’s direction and speed, of aiming appropriately off-target, and the concomitant satisfaction of scoring a fiery hit, are artifacts of this unrealism.
______________________________________
Tutorial-
There was two parts to this tutorial.
The first was a Microsoft Office and Excel task. The task was a set of instructions within the programs that may not be known by many people. E.g. Mail Merge, Formulas and graphs. The task was interesting and re visited the skills I was taught during Business class at school.
The second part was comparing chat rooms such as msn to a 3D environment.
Q. What is different about the kinds of socialising that happens in these spaces? Does the 3D aspect make much difference?
There is a noticeable difference with the two types of socialising.
Socialising with someone through chat rooms can be deceiving. People don’t have to be themselves.
Whereas in a 3D environment, although it can be challenging for some to be open with new people, I believe it is important to socialise in person and learn how to deal with different situations.
Spacewar – one of the first games, mid 1960s
Games are part of our Cultural life – we all at least know about games
Games are now influencing movies, as in the past movies would influence a game
Moral Panics – games influencing young children, Violence in Games. However, people are influenced by many things
Some games have STORIES
LUDOLOGY – the study of games, they don’t play games to hear stories but play for fun
NARRATOLOGY – the study of games – Story Element
Some game players would argue that story is just decoration to a game
History of video games might help us move forward
SEMIOTICS – Games as media – Cinema & Technology
In a video games world rules can change, different to everyday life
Aesthetics in a game – what makes a game fun?
Design – Virtual Reality
Fun doesn’t always equal real.
_______________________________________
READING; Trigger Happy
Notes
Video games aren’t always realistic
E.g., shooting lasers in a game are slow and if the target moves the laser will miss it, however in real life lasers are as fast as 300 million meters per second.
Why, then, do videogames get it so wrong? The answer is they get it wrong deliberately, because with “real” laser behavior it wouldn’t be much of a game. It would be far too easy to blow things up. The challenge of accounting for an enemy craft’s direction and speed, of aiming appropriately off-target, and the concomitant satisfaction of scoring a fiery hit, are artifacts of this unrealism.
______________________________________
Tutorial-
There was two parts to this tutorial.
The first was a Microsoft Office and Excel task. The task was a set of instructions within the programs that may not be known by many people. E.g. Mail Merge, Formulas and graphs. The task was interesting and re visited the skills I was taught during Business class at school.
The second part was comparing chat rooms such as msn to a 3D environment.
Q. What is different about the kinds of socialising that happens in these spaces? Does the 3D aspect make much difference?
There is a noticeable difference with the two types of socialising.
Socialising with someone through chat rooms can be deceiving. People don’t have to be themselves.
Whereas in a 3D environment, although it can be challenging for some to be open with new people, I believe it is important to socialise in person and learn how to deal with different situations.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
7th Week - Cronenberg: Cinema & Technology
Unfortunately I couldn’t attend this lecture, but after reading through lecture notes and watching in my own time the movie eXistenZ I have a few notes myself…
David Cronenberg was the director of many films that melded horror and ski-fiction with a deep inquiry into the human body’s interaction with technology and how that affects our description of reality.
eXistenZ is a film that explores the difference between reality and games. The film suggests that because of the addiction to a game that creates another world sometimes reality can be blurred and eventually the knowledge of what is real and what isn’t becomes lost.
The film begins with the invention of a new game, in this world when you enter a game you are no longer awake in reality. There is a group in the film that are against the game makers and there is an attempt for assassination towards one. This then forces the game maker to hide out, while doing this she enters the game world with her protector. Eventually both worlds become out of control and it is almost impossible to distinguish what is reality.
_________________________________________________
READING; The Military - Entertainment Complex: A New Facet of Information Warfare.
Notes:
The words of one senior White House official sums up the approach: 'Boom, boom, we're going in hard and fast,' the official said. 'By this time next week, sit by your TV and get ready to watch the fireworks' (Coorey and Schlink, 2003).
The military have always found a use for entertainment. Recruiting songs and marching songs prepared the soldier's mind to over-ride the self-preservation mechanism in the heat of battle. Propaganda has always been best served as entertainment.
The military also used the entertainment industry's radio broadcast and marketing expertise in psychological operations (PSYOPS) to build support for the Allied war effort behind enemy lines.
Satellites gave the military the opportunity to gather signals intelligence (SIGINT) including radio and television signals from anywhere in the world.
By the first Gulf War, the military had re-exerted control so effectively that journalists were physically constrained from approaching the front lines and had no option but to cover the prepared story.
The military are very familiar with the reality of simulation, particularly as games – they have been part of their training about strategy as long as commanders have coordinated groups of people for large-scale combat.
During the twentieth century, air crew training came to depend on the use of simulators that allowed pilots to practice flying without putting their lives, or more importantly, their expensive aircraft in danger.
The historic relationship between the military and the entertainment industry has firm foundations in an economic-ideological trade that both sides find mutually beneficial.
The second Gulf War saw the military-entertainment complex move to an even more heightened level of information war that seeks to use mass media channels systematically to massage reality not only for home consumption but also, and most significantly, as part of an integrated weapons system aimed at the enemy.
One of the most significant developments in the mediasphere between the first and second Gulf Wars was the emergence of reality television.
_____________________________________________________
Tute for this week was cancelled due to public holiday on Friday.
David Cronenberg was the director of many films that melded horror and ski-fiction with a deep inquiry into the human body’s interaction with technology and how that affects our description of reality.
eXistenZ is a film that explores the difference between reality and games. The film suggests that because of the addiction to a game that creates another world sometimes reality can be blurred and eventually the knowledge of what is real and what isn’t becomes lost.
The film begins with the invention of a new game, in this world when you enter a game you are no longer awake in reality. There is a group in the film that are against the game makers and there is an attempt for assassination towards one. This then forces the game maker to hide out, while doing this she enters the game world with her protector. Eventually both worlds become out of control and it is almost impossible to distinguish what is reality.
_________________________________________________
READING; The Military - Entertainment Complex: A New Facet of Information Warfare.
Notes:
The words of one senior White House official sums up the approach: 'Boom, boom, we're going in hard and fast,' the official said. 'By this time next week, sit by your TV and get ready to watch the fireworks' (Coorey and Schlink, 2003).
The military have always found a use for entertainment. Recruiting songs and marching songs prepared the soldier's mind to over-ride the self-preservation mechanism in the heat of battle. Propaganda has always been best served as entertainment.
The military also used the entertainment industry's radio broadcast and marketing expertise in psychological operations (PSYOPS) to build support for the Allied war effort behind enemy lines.
Satellites gave the military the opportunity to gather signals intelligence (SIGINT) including radio and television signals from anywhere in the world.
By the first Gulf War, the military had re-exerted control so effectively that journalists were physically constrained from approaching the front lines and had no option but to cover the prepared story.
The military are very familiar with the reality of simulation, particularly as games – they have been part of their training about strategy as long as commanders have coordinated groups of people for large-scale combat.
During the twentieth century, air crew training came to depend on the use of simulators that allowed pilots to practice flying without putting their lives, or more importantly, their expensive aircraft in danger.
The historic relationship between the military and the entertainment industry has firm foundations in an economic-ideological trade that both sides find mutually beneficial.
The second Gulf War saw the military-entertainment complex move to an even more heightened level of information war that seeks to use mass media channels systematically to massage reality not only for home consumption but also, and most significantly, as part of an integrated weapons system aimed at the enemy.
One of the most significant developments in the mediasphere between the first and second Gulf Wars was the emergence of reality television.
_____________________________________________________
Tute for this week was cancelled due to public holiday on Friday.
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