Bound By Law - Duke Edition

               
             Nowadays it seems that everything in the world is copyrighted and owned by someone else. As David Guggenhaim stated in the introduction of the book "Bound By Law", he told of one of his films had the soundtrack "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin in one of the scenes which he was not allowed to be screened because he didn't have the legal rights to. I completely agree with what he has to say about the law, quote  "when I lift my camera and look through the lens, there is less and less that is free to use: do I have to clear that soda can, that poster, that car or that highrise? What happens to our culture when some of us can pay and others can’t?" This means that any work done by an artist, film-maker, studio maker etc. has to be original.

           

Documentary Films
 Documentary's are films of our culture, but as it states in the comic, our culture nowdays are full of artifacts protected by intellectual property rights,for things such as music, art, films, anything. When making films we don't know what should be copyrighted and what not, which is why the law has changed it now that creative arts are now automatically copyrighted, however the only way you can use copyrighted work without permission is if it's already in the public domain. It is even that if you film something that is copyrighted and it's just in the background, not actually on purpose, you still need to get permission to show this or pay for it.

Terry Gilliam had borrowed plenty of images for his work and 20 years later a court distribution of his movie "12 monkeys" he was then faced with a 6 figure payment to use the set design. It's not become a vicious circle, simply because if you're going to be made to pay for using other work, you're going to want people to pay you for your work. As Judge Kozinski stated " Overprotecting intellectual property is as harmful as under protecting it. Creativity is impossible without a rich public domain... Overprotection stifles the very creative it's supposed to nurture."

Post 9/11 Horrors -Part 2

War and Terror

           President Bush had the influence on the people that you are either "With us or against us" and there was no in-between. This was definitely even more so after the 9/11 took place, when the birth of Islamaphobia took place. Bush made the people feel that if you weren't voting for him, a true born American, fighting for his country then you were seen as supporting terrorists. He was the kind of man that made his opposition out to be "evil" just to make himself look like the good guy, this was through the use of his words, calling America "home" and suggesting that "they'll take our children" when speaking of terrorists, simply mind washing Americans and whipping them in to vote for him.

             
           However it's not the point of Bush's Presidency, it's the fact he criminalised such a horrific event and used 9/11 as a propaganda. Bush's patriotism was nothing but a myth, and his idea of the only thing to solve the problem is by using guns and violence to sort it out, which in reality is completely not the right answer.Also Dixie Chicks music was Boycotted due to the lead singer Natalie Maines told the audience during a London Concert

"We don't want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States (George W. Bush) is from Texas"

This was on the 10th of March 2003, 9 days before the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. The band was denounced by talk-show conservatives,while their albums were discarded in public protest.  

          Bush is a powerful person, he always plays for rural due to his background and he makes himself relatable and comes across as masculine. As a man from Texas and coming from a well known family for their richness and rural background, he had to keep up the masculine image. 

The Devil's Reject (2005)

 The Devil's reject is a Rob Zombie film based in a rural landscape. The characters in the film are a family of Rednecks/Bluegrass, similar to the Bush family, and they are completely crazy, murderers who have no moral compass. The montage makes you give empathy with the victims. Also like I mentioned previously it is a post 9/11 horror, meaning there are various images throughout the film relevant and related to the 9/11 event, such as news clippings of the victims in the film, which was a common factor for many of the victims family's and just worldwide after 9/11 occurred.It was scenes like this that are continuously recycled because of their relevance and connection people have with them.The music throughout the film makes you feel sorry for the monster and it is even seen that their enemies (the law) were just as sinister and backwards, because of such a diseased and polluted region.However this film shows us that even the law is corrupt and just as twisted as the enemies, which Bush called "Evil" and "against" his ways, yet there are conspiracy theories that Bush was involved and knew about 9/11 before it happened, however we will never find out the truth.

          Wrong Turn is where Civilised versus Uncivilised. It was based in a barbaric land with poor economy, and the films storyline was based on an economic metaphor. 

            Our infatuation with misrepresented "monsters" is in everything we are watching now, such as true blood, where they're called the "fang bangers".These represent how trauma is left in our culture, it plays with our perception of the family and makes us feel empathy with the monsters like in the Devil's Reject. They are Demonised in the film but the final scene has the Lynrd Skynrd - Free Bird sound track with the lyrics "bird that cannot change" representing how these monsters have been born like this will never change for anything. Here is the final scene showing this. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOadx4ZICaQ

Post 9/11 Horror 4/12/15

               

                 For our lecture today we had Victoria McCollum talk to us, a new lecturer in Magee. She studied Post 9/11 horror for her PHD, so she based the lecture on what she knew best, Horror films and why we watch them.

What are the best horror films made?

The best horror films are the ones that challenge us and make us question the norm. Take Psycho for example, its culturally relevant and has something to say about the world. Texas Chainsaw Massacre though, took 5-10 years for healing process to be accepted by the public. It was too gory to be accepted at the time it was released and the public couldn't understand or accept Hooper and Henkels work. 

Post 9/11 horror

This is evidently the time period after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in which horror films were released. Most, if not all films, not just horror were related and linked back to the horrific event. The majority of films that were ranked high, were all terrorist related or linked back to the time period of 9/11. This is because the public can sympathise with it and have more understanding of the emotion and terror caused in such events. 

Popular Culture 

Pop culture is seen as a bad thing by the majority of people. It kills brain cells because of how unoriginal and repetitive pop music is, it's made for masses. All music these days are the same when broken down and this has been proven by scientists. However, we're all brain washed to listen to it because it's relevant. It's more than likely that the next new horror films released will be based on Syria in Britain, a culturally relevant issue. All of the images used however are constantly recycled just like Pop Culture.

"If movies are the dreams of the mass culture- horror films are the nightmares"- Stephen King.

Clover Field is a good example of a story that is not seen or heard but felt. Watching a video from the film made me feel on edge. The imagery from 9/11 are used, skyscrapers falling and the statue of liberty beheaded ( After 9/11 the Statue of Liberty wasn't open for 14 years. ) The movement of the camera found footage make the viewer uneasy due to the amateur cam perspective, below is the scene where the Statue of Liberty's Head was knocked off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkFcHUvyJ-k

How horror has changed and developed

• In the 1920's people thought that the people in horror films were ghosts because of this Gothicism time period.
• 1950's was more of the time period of mutated monster mash, this was at the time of invasion of body snatchers making the films culturally relevant. There was nuclear tension and fear made by the characters.
• 1960's 14% of films were horror films, and people related to them because it showed that anyone could be a killer.For example Rosemary's Baby, is a horror film about the new technology used for reproduction and this was the fear of people in the 1960's, the fear of the new generation being born, making them once again culturally relevant.
• 1970's was the time of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it showed the social cratigue, immorality of the youth and drug/alcohol abusers etc. making this all relevant during this time.
• Horror films now, Post 9/11 are all based in rural areas, featuring a rural monster, usually a hill-billy.

It was evident after 9/11 that Die hard's views increased due to it being relevant. There was also a 90% increase of population voting for the president whilst conspiracy theories began. Majority of horror films were based in urban areas because the landscapes look apocalyptic, decimated, relevant after 9/11.

The Internet of things 13/11/15

                       Deb Roy,the MIT researcher wanted to understand how his baby son learned language. He wired up his house with video cameras and recorded every 8-10 hours a day for 3 years. This footage then gave them the ability to use motion analysis to review what has an affect on his son learning language and the speech environment he's in and how his parents and nanny are having an effect on his learning. Not only did he apply this technique to his own living room, but he then decided to apply this research on the living room of  America. They realised that just the way there were analysing how language connects to events, providing common ground for language for his son, they took TV shows and social media and analysed the language showing how public media effected our language. They started off by analysing tv content and their language and as he did with his son analysed the language, but of the public by just looking at social media. With about 3 billion comments a month they structured events and language used to show data of  the American nation discussing the one thing at the one time, Roy used Obama's speech as an example.(Here is a link of the speech- The birth of a word) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE4ce4mexrU
                         It's evident that his speech starts with personal data , his own family and then applies it to the public and the nation, he again goes back to personal, giving us an emotional bond to the story. None of the data was complicated, it was just all information found on social media.
                     
How do we apply big data in our lives?

Social media is one way, we do this ourselves by joining global space such a Facebook and compromising our privacy. The question is though, what is privacy?

Every year since 2007 Pew institute do surveys around the new use of technology. Research found that in the USA 42% of 14-17 year olds didn't know you could make a phone call on a mobile phone because they only used texts or messaging on the internet.

Pew institute surveyed 13-18 year olds and asked "What do they want to do when they grow up?"

• Over 60% answered "rich and famous"
• 52% of them think that they can fulfil this by being on a reality TV show.

It is evident that big data is controlling the flow and data of the world.

The internet of things(IOT)

We have gone from internet in just computers to internet being tagged in objects, the world is now a connected place. However, Is it OK not to be connected? As much as some people don't want to be connected they are anyway. They can't be disconnected in today's society as the whole world's entirely connected. This lifts the notion of the internet being something we can visit but an internet about real things tagged to the internet.


We are living in an entirely connected environment. This is a list of things connected in homes today :

1. Smart appliances
2. smart media
3. Air con.
4. Surround sound systems
5. Central Heating
6. Safeguard
7. Lights and curtains
8. Telephones

Due to how advanced we have become, in 2040 is it estimated that 50% of jobs now will not exist, because of the changing economy. Also by the time we finish Uni (3/4 years) the jobs that we will go to will not be invented, which in a way is really scary but exciting at the same time.

Data all runs on a cloud system, basically data farms. Even though people fear how dangerous and unsafe this sounds, the cloud is the best form of encryption. Without the cloud the internet of things won't work. It's also possible for anyone to get their own personal cloud space, a 2nd level encryption.

How might it play out on our lives? Google glass for example, an amazing invention that I would love to get has affect on our everyday lives. For example, these glasses may disconnect us from the public however it connects us to our own friendship circle on the internet. It's really interesting as it enables you to be in 2 places at the one time, your own virtual space.

Wearables

Fitness- fit-bit bracelet, you record your body measurements etc. and the bracelet measures your calorie intake, steps taken in a day, heart rate, sleeping pattern and further.

Clothing- for example the apple watch, connecting us to the world.

Embedded Tech. -  This is basically embedded media. Stelarc is the best example, he is an Australian Performance artist. He created a 3rd arm and connected it to his nervous system enabling it to work, e also got an ear attached to his arm very strangely.His work is an example of Avont Garde and will be mainstream in the future.

We need to think in the future, as Einstein quoted

"We won't solve the problems we have with the same ideas that created the problem."

Digital- Part 2

The New New
We need to think of the space as an ecology, a Rhizome (roots of a plant). When there were only 3 TV channels, everyone talked about television  but twitter wants us to use them to talk about TV because they own a TV station.


If social media is free, someone is selling you. We should try to avoid these networks. If it can be digitised it is worthless.

 BIG DATA
THE NEW OIL, counting what counts- Funded by NESTA
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily counted everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted."
Albert Einstein
Sometimes it's not easy to measure things. But first: Data is going from closed and controlled towards open and complex. We can claim our data at any time but when you get that data you need to think about

1. Volume
2. Variety (comparing patterns)
3. Velocity ( the speed you get the data, the agility)

So this means you need to have a pattern of usage.

BIG DATA is the glue that holds these trends together is a present context. It tells us about the future and where we are going, It offers 3 possibilities :

• We can analyse the macro and the granular vast things and very small things. We can see what 1 individual and what 10,000 are doing, and you can see if the 1 individual is representative. 
• We can 'curate' and measure
• Move from causality to patterns

Data is not: 

1. Replacing experience (skills)
2. It is not objective
3. Technology driven
4. Uncreative - When you get the data you need to be making info. graphics.

Social Capital and measurement, Social or cultural capital is the power you have that is not economic. The trick is to have both. 

Digital 6/11/15

2005

The Above image is a photo of a new Pope in 2005, but the event is not the important part. Below is the same event of a new Pope. It is evident that in 8 years that mobiles and technology are taking over, with only 2 mobiles visible in the image in 2005 whilst in 2013 most people in the room are holding up a device.

2013

For our generation mobile is the key to going forward. In our everyday work and lives, mobility of technology and carrying it around with us is important. These people are collecting memories in the photo above, it's a key part of history for many all by just holding these devices.

Data

Most people nowadays have a smart phone, some may choose not to have one. 

 At the start of the Industrial Revolution, there were a group of men called Luddites who thought that they would lose their jobs when the loom was invented , so they went around destroying looms. So it's now seen that anyone who is against technology is a luddite.

It's scary to think that if you have your Bluetooth and location on your phone that anyone could track you during the day. We don't think about the way that companies can use our data, we're very public with our data even though the majority of people aren't aware of it. Personally I don't like having my location turned on, on my phone, mainly because I'm very conscious of my privacy.

This issue of data is crucially important, we need to learn how to use data and how to protect  our data.

1. Twitter- 17 :Personal use 11 and Professional Use 6
2. Facebook - 57 : Personal 53, Prefessional 4
3. Youtube- 23 : Personal 13, Professional 10
4. Google+ - 9 : Personal 8, Professional 1
5. Snapcat 57 all personal use

These statistics show us that it's never about the numbers it's about the questions and how to get that data out.

An example of this is NEST: this is a smart thermostat that's on your wall and collects data of your home, such as the activity between certain times and programmes itself. It will control the central heating and only 4 years after it was set up Google bought the firm back from the two inventors. 

Why?

1. They wanted the date
2. They don't want the competition 

Youtube of out the others is being used more than the others for professional use. Twitter is the one that people say is more about their  work. However this is generalisation.

Identity(Sentiment Analysis)
This is all known as Data Analytics; What's behind the number if you are on Google+  they can send you a breakdown of your activity and if it's free like Facebook, somebody is selling you something.

We have have multiple identities due to online activities. We present ourselves in different ways on different social websites, for example you might be a bit more professional on twitter.

Our generation needs to be careful about what is put on social media, it may come back and haunt you when it comes to employment and job offers. Language is changing and we need to know how to use it. Slang and text message speak is not appropriate for a letter for a job application.

Goffman "In the modern world we are all having different identities."
The important thing is to know your identity.
 Who are the key 5 identity collectors?

1. Google: every two days they collect as much information that's available in the world up to 2003
2. Facebook
3. Amazon
4. Microsoft
5. Apple

They are all looking for our data, however apple is the only one that refuses to give their data to the American Government. They have some social conscious whilst Facebook has no ethical position. Google wrote to the WHO in 2006, saying that they will have a flu epidemic. They saw no evidence for this, yet 6 months later was the SARS outbreak. WHO asked how did they know this? Google saw a 2000% increase in Google searches for flu remedies in China.

Another example is a company called Target in America, a pharmacy. Target wrote to young women/teenagers in America offering them baby products. The parents of the girls decided to sue the company, it was then found that 40% of these girls were pregnant at the time and the parents didn't know.
How did Target know?
From their shopping data, they saw these girls buying non perfumed products (which can be an indicator of pregnancy) and so targeted them with other baby products.
In 40% of the cases they were correct.

The New New
We need to think of the space as an ecology, a Rhizome (roots of a plant). When there were only 3 TV channels, everyone talked about television  but twitter wants us to use them to talk about TV because they own a TV station.


If social media is free, someone is selling you. We should try to avoid these networks. If it can be digitised it is worthless.

 BIG DATA
THE NEW OIL, counting what counts- Funded by NESTA
"Everything that can be counted does not necessarily counted everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted."
Albert Einstein
Sometimes it's not easy to measure things. But first: Data is going from closed and controlled towards open and complex. We can claim our data at any time but when you get that data you need to think about

1. Volume
2. Variety (comparing patterns)
3. Velocity ( the speed you get the data, the agility)

So this means you need to have a pattern of usage.

BIG DATA is the glue that holds these trends together is a present context. It tells us about the future and where we are going, It offers 3 possibilities :

• We can analyse the macro and the granular vast things and very small things. We can see what 1 individual and what 10,000 are doing, and you can see if the 1 individual is representative. 
• We can 'curate' and measure
• Move from causality to patterns

Data is not: 

1. Replacing experience (skills)
2. It is not objective
3. Technology driven
4. Uncreative - When you get the data you need to be making info. graphics.

Social Capital and measurement, Social or cultural capital is the power you have that is not economic. The trick is to have both. 

Death of digital 11/11/15

                         Our lecture Paul Moore held a talk on the death of digital. I watched the live stream on beyond digital as I was unable to make it but it was really interesting to hear from the speakers and their discussion on the word "digital".

                          One of the speakers present was a head in RTE. She spoke of how digital has transformed over the years. In the 90's digital was more direct, 2000's it was for search, 2005 social and today digital is used to distribute digital media. In Ireland 46% of population are on Facebook. She spoke of the 3 W's of the internet, what we want, when we want it and where we want it and what matters is the consumers. 

                            It is observed that the average person is on the internet at least 6 hours daily. Up to 40% of adults are dependent Online in Ireland and this figure doubles for the age group of 16-24 year olds. Most people these days are living online and embracing new technologies. However, we need to know how,where and when to consume it. Technology designs are changing constantly due to the continuous feedback.

                      RTE's digital designs are used to help audiences, changing marketing. 60% of the Irish population have a mobile phone and that 70% watch tv and other stuff through mobiles.

                

Does the word digital matter anymore?

As one of the speakers in London mentioned, T.v. hasn't changed much, it's still images on glass but the size of the tv's, the resolution etc. have evolved. We all have 2 spaces, our private world and the physical world and if you're always online, the private world, the voice in your head start to become real and are portrayed online.

Media organisations face the challenge of the nature of services, which is affected by the whole load of technology. Every media organisation has a different experience.There is yet another 5 billion people to get online. However its scary to think that if you type 10 numbers into your phone you can contact and talk to over half the world. At the minute, we are just scratching the surface of what is possible with technology.

When is technology useful and when can it get in the way? Technology is still changing and merging into life. Many find the word Digital irritating and that it is a word of the past back when technology was just starting.

Privacy
With how advanced technology and the internet is these days is there such a thing as privacy? The answer is definitely no. However there is evidence that people growing up with technology all have high privacy, probably because they are aware of the risks and what could happen.

It may be worrying about communication with content. Technology may evolve in an unpredictable way, having a biological effect on us, leaving many addicted. RTE's app is more about content, whereas other organisations are all about science,collating data etc. which makes it challenging for RTE. RTE wan to be about the audience and broadening content.

Everything we do is monitored, the space in our heads is the only place that is private and that you know. Technology is addicting but some people cant or don't want to engage with it.It's very accessible to anyone who wants it. Even those who don't want to be part of technology and don't use the web, they are still part of the Network society. With Digital, every thing is always a marketed space. Internet on the other hand is a private service and it is hard to carve out a private network to the audience. IP distribution is a challenge though. The BBC are engaging with a device of network and a device with market of digital.

All networks are for different uses. Instagram is more for a socialising aspect, you wouldn't see news updates or any serious matters like war on instagram because it wouldn't be appropriate to "heart/like" an image like this. Whereas Twitter is more for free speech and discussion and BBC/RTE shape to suit society.  There is a fear that Facebook want to be a provider. Facebook's news selection reflects the type of content I'm involved with and is not air balanced. This is what the role of the public media organisation, to post everything.

Is Technology going to make the world a positive or negative place in the future?

It just depends on how us as a population react and deal with it. Technology enables us, facilitates us but to what end? How we handle technology is the main thing, How we volunteer data and type of content we engage in. We are going to have to work harder than we did in the past.

The only thing we can do is think in the future and not in the now. As Albert Einstein quoted