With this being my second class cluster I had a vague idea as to what I was getting myself into. I knew I was going to be in different classes with the same people all semester, whether I liked those people or not. Starting this semester I was kind of surprised by all the work that we did online (yeah yeah I know it’s a media cluster) because I didn’t have a computer at the time. I actually thought I liked movies before I took the film class, until I realized that I don’t like anything as much as Rhuben likes movies. I never bought the book for the American film class and I think that was a good decision because we have yet to use it. Overall in her class I learned there is a lot more to movies than just the story, not that I really care for much more than the story but now I’m just more aware of everything else. My English 101/103 classes were challenging for the most part. We watched 3 good movies and eXistenZ, which all had to do with the perception of reality and we did a lot of blogging. We also went on a few field trips which helped me get to know my classmates a little better. Before this class I’ve never read Plato’s allegory of the cave so I had no idea most of the movies we watched in this class were loosely based on that story. The blog assignments were fairly easy and I really wish I was a lot more focused to where I could have given them my all. Louie’s class had the privilege of being held at the worst possible time, Monday morning, and it was my only class that day so he’s lucky he kept it entertaining. We also never used the book in that class and I actually bought that one. But overall the cluster was a good learning experience and I got the opportunity to meet new people, so how can I complain about any of that.

Ahmed Robertson likes this post

According to Freud, women recognize that men are typically more powerful in society and he believes that women think a man’s power stems from having a penis. From the moment a female realizes that their male counterpart has something they don’t, they begin to feel as if not only are they different but they are also missing out on something. Freud referred to this stage as Electra complex and breaks down the series of events that lead to penis envy in a girl’s life. It begins with the libidinal shift to the penis, the child develops her first sexual impulses towards her mother, and then the girl realizes that she is not physically equipped to have a heterosexual relationship with her mother, since she does not have a penis. From that moment the girl desires a penis, and the power that it represents. This is described as penis envy. She sees the solution as obtaining her father’s penis, she then develops a sexual desire for her father and blames her mother for her apparent castration (what she sees as punishment by the mother for being attracted to the father) assisting a shift in the focus of her sexual impulses from her mother to her father. The sexual desire for her father leads to the girls desire to eliminate or replace her mother, from that desire the girl identifies with her mother so that she might learn to mimic her and eventually replace her. Realizing that replacing or eliminating her mother would result in unwanted consequences the girl uses the defense mechanism of displacement to shift the object of her sexual desires from her father to men in general. Most women over compensate their absence of a penis by possessing or controlling their father or their mate, having a male child to control or I guess in some cases even resorting to blowing shit up. In movies such as The Book of Revelation where a man was abducted by three women and repeatedly raped and tortured over twelve days, Antwone Fisher which has a scene of an older woman forcing herself on Antwone fisher as a child, and shows like Oz where the female prison guard who was in charge of the solitary confinement block raped the male prisoner show women channeling their frustrations of penis envy through sexual violence.
In the movie The Sleep Dealer Luz Martinez defiantly had penis envy. It became apparent to me after she set Memo up knowing her would probably get robbed in the alley by The Star so he would feel more vulnerable, then stalked and found him afterwards to she can penetrate him with a node job herself. If that’s not a female’s way to show dominance I don’t know what is. With her aggressive attitude and her forward approach to most situations throughout the movie it just seemed to me as if she was over-compensating for the lack of something in her life, my guess is that something is a penis.
In the movie eXizstenZ Allegra Gellar’s’ success as the world’s greatest game creator could possibly be the result of over- compensation for not being born with a penis. Knowing that Ted was a “virgin” to the world of games like hers gave the perfect opportunity to control and or take advantage of him. She took him to the man that made ports. When they got there she told Ted to get the ports done after he told her that he was extremely afraid of needles. Allegra Gellar’s desire to control a man and assert some sort of power made her force Ted into doing things that he was afraid to do. Finally when his ports were installed she forced him to play the game on her controller which ended up blowing out. In subtle and blatant ways Allegra controlled Ted to get what she wanted. In one scene of the movie Allegra aggressively throws herself at Ted and blamed it on her “in game character”. Also at one point of the movie after Ted got his port she stuck her finger inside of it stating that it needed stimulation. So in the action of pure envy she tried to use her finger like a penis in order to penetrate Ted and emasculating him with her assertion of power.
In the movie The Matrix I believe Trinity, with her dominatrix style of dress just resorted to the “blowing shit up” approach. Since she never really tried to control Neo or any other male character she figured her best way to channel her aggression toward the penis was to kill. As the only female aboard the NebaKanezer she could have played the “mommy” role, instead she was just one of the guys.

22

Although both films The Matrix and eXistenZ pose similar questions, they took different routes in asking them. There were many similarities between these films, for instance; both films made the viewer question what is real and how can reality be determined, both films were set in an unknown time, with a male lead character that was ignorant to the “truth” in the beginning until it was forced upon him and both films required a person to be “plugged in” to false reality. However that’s where the similarities end, while The Matrix involved humanities fight for survival eXistenZ was based on a very sophisticated video game.
The film existenz was a take on how connected society is to technology and how detrimental that can be in determining the difference between reality and fantasy. As opposed to the technology used in the matrix which was more machine-like, the film existenz used a more organic form of technology with its placenta-like game pods. With its ports plugging directly in the human central nervous system is easy to understand how confusing differentiating game life from real life would be. As seen in most social networking sites, people have an alternate personality while connected to sites such as facebook, myspace or twitter. While connected to existenz players have an overpowering in-game personality that they slowly learn to control. In the game there was a pre-programmed path or destiny for each character, other characters wouldn’t even respond unless you asked them the right question, therefore unlike real life there was a pre-set goal or ultimate conclusion. However as deep and thought provoking existenz was, it was still only a “game”.
In the film the matrix, the directors wanted to show that unlike in existenz we didn’t choose a fantasy world, instead it is unknowingly forced on us. This makes the viewer think more in depth about the reality of their own existence.
Although existenz was thought provoking and made me ask questions such as “if technology can become so organic is it still considered technology?” I still believe the matrix was more culturally relevant for the fact that unlike a video game where you have a choice of whether you wanted to participate the matrix was unavoidable. The matrix questions reality in a more meaningful way because everyone was a part of it not just those who purchased a port.

........

so today i decided to change my final completly im using a different meduim altogether i have to let louie know now

words

my goal is to figure out what medium i will use for my final

so i will diplay photos and some video over possibly the beatles song piggies or springsteens american skin

seventeen

i think im gonna make a music video..... so now im searching for a song

ehhhh....

Although it is a possibility that we do live in the matrix, that doesn’t rule out the face that we may also may not live it, because after all it’s only a possibility. I do not believe we are living in the matrix because for one, it hasn’t been proven to me and because some of the ideas seem a little farfetched.
I believe reality only extends as far as the limitations of my mind allows it to. With that being said many theories would have to be proven to me before I can believe it. I say many because there are still exceptions such as God and time. I believe the theory of a time exist only because I’ve been that it does. Since we can travel back and forth through time but only for an hour and only during daylight savings, who is to say it has to stop there? Since no one can be told what the matrix is and it hasn’t been shown to me I will have to remain a non-believer until I get that phone call. Being that anything is possible however not everything is probable some of the ideas from the movie see farfetched. Machines that have evolved to the point where they are not controlled by humans, or pills that alter your reality or change your destiny extend the reaches of my mind, therefore I can’t believe it. I’m sure at one point cell phones or flashlights seemed farfetched or out of reach for one’s mind, until they were proven to be real. Well that’s the moment I’m waiting for, when the farfetched is ordinary and theory is reality.
If all I know about reality is what has been shown and proven, is it considered belief, ignorance or skepticism? I think its belief but maybe because that’s all I know. So until I know that the matrix exist and has been shown and proven to me like it was to Neo and anyone else who was freed I will remain an ignorant skeptic.

blog 15

This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it is nothing but wires and lights in a box.
— Edward R. Murrow
There is an on-going debate that questions whether television influences violence or if violence is merely human nature. Sociologists, economists, politicians and parents alike all have drawn their conclusions and stated their positions on the matter. Regardless of who weighs in on the matter there is no shortage on reasoning and various opinions.
In the United States, New York was the first state to regularly broadcast programming. From May through December 1939, the New York City NBC station of General Electric broadcast twenty to fifty-eight hours of programming per month, Wednesday through Sunday of each week. The programming was 33% news, 29% drama, and 17% educational programming, with an estimated 2,000 receiving sets by the end of the year, and an estimated audience of five to eight thousand. A remote truck could cover outdoor events from up to 10 miles (16 km) away from the transmitter, which was located atop the Empire State Building. Coaxial cable was used to cover events at Madison Square Garden. The coverage area for reliable reception was a radius of 40 to 50 miles.
Television has the potential to unite communities, provide information to allow positive cultural, social and environmental change, and to create a true global village. It also has the potential to alienate, to promote aggressive and negative behaviors, provide negative and inappropriate role models to our children, and to create negative values such as values of consumption and possession.
Since the early days of television the debate on programming choices and the level of appropriateness has been in question. Over the years the content in programs has grown increasingly violent, lewd and vulgar. Aside from programming on television, commercials in between programming have violent undertones; advertising and marketing depict violence in still images.
In 1996 there was a system instilled into television by the United States Congress, the television industry, and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) this was the TV Parental Guidelines. These guidelines were mandated because of the excessive public concern of the explicit and vulgar content that was on television. Although this system is voluntary many networks have agreed to take part. The only programs that are “exempt” are on networks like CNN, Fox News etc. any news channel or program does not have to take part in the guidelines set forth by the FCC and the United States Congress. There are six (6) categories in which television can fall into. The first category is TV-Y which is used for all children’s programming between the ages of 2 and 6. These programs do not have to be animated but they have some content which is intended to be educational. The next category is TV-Y7 which is directed toward children ages 7 and older. These programs can include suggestive humor and mild fantasy violence. The third category is TV-G; this is the most general category. It isn’t geared directly towards children, mostly the content is informational. TV-PG is for parental guidance. Parental guidance is suggested for this programming mainly game shows and reality shows. The next category is TV-14 which is deemed unsuitable for children under the age of 14. There are also sub-ratings in this category. D is used for intensely suggestive dialogue; L is for strong coarse language; S is for intense sexual situations and V is used for intense violence. Most live programming i.e. award shows, concerts etc. The last parental guideline is TV-MA is intended for mature audiences and is unsuitable for children under 17. The sub-ratings for TV-MA are; L for coarse indecent language, S for explicit sexual activity and V for graphic violence. In the first 15 seconds of programming the TV ratings box appears in the upper left hand corner of the screen. For programming lasting longer than a half hour the TV ratings box appears at the beginning of each half hour.
Violence has existed for centuries before the invention of the television. However there has been a significant rise in violent crimes since television has become a mainstay in the American household. In the mid 1950s the rate of violent and property increased significantly. This can be equated to many events such as the end of World War II which brought home soldiers to pick up the pieces of their lives. With the soldiers coming home this also brought about new families. Also during the 50’s anti-communism ideals spread like wildfire throughout communities. However these events only explain a small percentage of the increased violence in this country something has to account for the rest. With the exception of shows like The Lone Ranger, Have Gun Will Travel, and Dragnet, the majority of the popular shows during the early years of television were family orientated such as, Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best, The Honeymooners, I Love Lucy, I Married Joan, Lassie, Leave It To Beaver, and Make Room For Daddy. With all of this fun family programming how did the next decade end up in so much turmoil.
During the ‘60’s with the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, Robert F. Kennedy and the rise of the civil rights movement racial tensions and racial violence was at its peak. With the Harlem riots of ’64, the Watts riots of ’65 and the Detroit riots of ’67 this was a completely different America than a decade earlier. However the television program didn’t get noticeably more violent during the ‘60’s. The Addams Family, the Andy Griffith Show, the Beverly Hillbillies and Bewitched were still family friendly shows that would probably fall into the TV-G category of today’s television ratings. Since…. something about not violent tv just any tv
Generation X or the Net-generation refers to children born between the years of 1977 and 1997. There have been many studies trying to conclude if there is a direct relationship between violence and the media. These studies show that there is a risk that exposure to violence over extended periods of time directly affect the individual in the long run. In the United States there was an “Echo Boom” this was a span of thirteen years between 1982 and 1995 where the number of live births reached over four million. This information was valid in the feeling that the baby boom aided in the rise of violence among people.
There have been news reports of incidents where television has been the prime suspect. In 1984 in Ottawa, Ontario there were three police officers shot and killed in a month’s time. In one incident the 18 year old suspect Gary White dressed as the character Rambo played by Sylvester Stallone in the movie First Blood. At the time, The National Coalition Against Violence, a group that monitors movies and television says White was the third killer to emulate Stallone’s role in First Blood in Ottawa. The police there violence on the screen blurs the line between fantasy and reality and desensitizes people to real violence. Not only do they think television creates a more violent atmosphere but it also undermines the police as an authority figure. The police of Ottawa feel because they are seen as “the bad guys” in movies and on television there is no respect from the citizens of the towns they protect..................

blog 14

my plan is to gather my thoughts so i can write one cohesive paper

sunrise draft... swiper no swiping

In this paper I will prove that Murnau’s uses of light and dark help illustrate not only the good and evil side of humans but also his use of light and dark was like a narrator that helped tell the story of inanimate objects or scenes that otherwise couldn’t speak for themselves.
Not having the characters able to speak just meant the director has to come up with other ways to tell his story besides the actors’ expressions and title cards. While Murnau used special effects, set design, extreme angles, and camera movement very well, I believe his use of lighting was his most effective method. Although his uses of special effects help in the films dream sequences and his elaborate set design created an exaggerated fairy-tale-like world those visuals alone didn’t stand out as much and couldn’t carry the film as well as his use of lighting.
By naming the film “Sunrise” shows the directors’ dedication to lighting effects and the differences that light and dark portray in this medium. Since sunrise and sunset for that matter are merely optical illusions being that the sun never actually moves let alone rises and falls, perhaps Murnau was foreshadowing the relationship between the man and the wife in the tile of the movie. From the beginning it would seem as if the woman from the city, and the money lenders would not only ruin him but also ruin his marriage. When the woman from the city devises a plan to get rid of the wife it seemed sure that the sun would set on this marriage, however we already know sunset is only an illusion. Through the ups and downs of their marriage, whether it be from the man trying to kill the wife to the man trying to gain her trust back

twelve

Today I tried to find a connection between violence in jail and television but for the most part it just shows violence decreased because of television. The only problem im having is narrowing my search. Between now and Tuesday I need to have a rough draft ready.

blog eleven

after researching several sites in order to base my decision on where i stand on the topic i now believe i have my claim and i am ready to begin my paper. before actually researching anything i had a slight idea on where i stood about the relationship between violence and television and my reseach has only re-enforced the idea that violence is not influenced by television.

10

As I was critiquing daphneys ad I realized that it might not even be an ad at all but just a picture from an event because there was no company logo or slogan. However she described it well and I offered a few question on what would help her write a longer paper. With ariels ad I also offered a few questions to aid him/her with the final draft. Neither person had a terrible post however they both could be thought at more and improved. I had Dr. X last semester and had to do this assignment so im not really a stranger to the topic. By critiquing other people’s writing I learned why it is important to have a rough draft.

blog 9

Thesis/thesis statement: (http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/)
Directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II or Moby Dick; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war or the novel.
In my own words: An outline of the main idea of your essay.
For example: in the first paragraph of an essay “in my opinion I think all elephants should be killed, because”, would be considered your thesis statement.

Research: (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/research)
1 : careful or diligent search
2 : studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws
3 : the collecting of information about a particular subject
In my own words: Looking for information
For example: for this blog entry I searched for the definition of several words online.

Argument: (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/research)
: a coherent series of statements leading from a premise to a conclusion
In my own words: a rebuttal to the original opinion
For example: if one person has an idea, but a second person expresses a different opinion that is now an argument.

Claim: (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/claim)
to assert or maintain as a fact

in my own words: to present an idea as the truth
for example:
Reasons: (http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/reasons)
a statement offered in explanation or justification
Evidence: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evidence)
Everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion
MLA citation style: (http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/mla)
MLA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the Modern Language Association for acknowledging sources used in a research paper. MLA citation style uses a simple two-part parenthetical documentation system for citing sources: Citations in the Text of a paper are used to point to an alphabetical Works Cited list that appears at the end of the paper. Together, these references identify and credit the sources used in the paper and allow others to access and retrieve this material.

blog

Group: Chris P. Rosetta, Ahmed

The trip to MOMI really showed me how far media technology has changed over the years. From seeing how big the cameras were to how small the televisions were really showed how this industry has progressed. Before actually going to the museum I thought it would either be too boring with very technical exhibits or too childish with too many hands on arts and crafts like projects. Fortunately I was wrong I was a mixture of both and the whole trip turned out to be entertaining. From video games like Mario brothers, sonic the hedgehog, tekken, and pong to nickelodeon movies and ‘80’s science fiction movies the museum spanned many decades of all around media. What I found most interesting in the place was the voice over exhibit, the exhibit with the strobe light animation, some of the actual props and wardrobe from movies and of course the old equipment they had, like cameras, editing machines, lighting equipment, and tvs. Being that the museum only cost me a dollar I defiantly recommend it to anyone who is interested in this field, and I will be going back when construction is finished to see how the place looks.


oh yeah the questions are in Chris p. blog

reflection.... blog seven

this past two weeks actually felt like what i thought college should feel like, fast paced and challenging. even though i still dont feel as if giving my all i know im giving more effort than i gave last semester, and a small improvement is still an improvement. the one question that really made me think and look at things differently was the "is this site trustworthy?", pertaining to the truman syndrome blog. I've wondered if certain sites where i would get my information were trustworthy but i've never questioned why they were deemed trustworthy

matrix review

Ok so let me load the paper into my typewriter and put my beeper on silent so I can write a response to one of the most viewed films of last millennium. I speak of this film and this response in the past tense because this film debuted in 1999 over a decade ago so I feel this blog entry may be a bit too late. The story of “The Matrix” is based on one of the most intriguing questions man has ever asked, “What is real?” Since the days of early philosophers such as Plato and Socrates many people have tried to dispel the illusion of what is perceived as reality. Well “The Matrix” takes Plato’s allegory of the cave and adapts it into an action sci-fi film, because let’s face it the only thing missing from Plato’s version was a six minute shoot-out scene. This movie walked that thin line of being an entertaining sci-fi flick without catering toward the geek crowd like battlestar gallactica or various other movies with a loser cult-like following. Similar to “The Truman Show”, the movie made the audience question their beliefs on what is “real” or not. At the time this movie was released I was a junior in high school, all of my friends went to go see it without me because I was short on cash, and regardless of how many times I asked none of them would explain to me exactly what the matrix was. I’m not sure if it was because they really didn’t understand the movie or they just couldn’t explain it, but whatever the reason was, that question ate me alive for months until the DVD was released. Even after watching it the first time I still wasn’t sure what the answer to that question was, maybe I was too dazzled by the fight sequences (they were suspended by wires, and that really just amazed me) or too busy rooting for the agents to kill Mr. Anderson (I always want the bad guy to win) to really pay attention to the story being told. However by the 2nd or 3rd time (I really like the fight sequences) I understood the message and then, like many others after watching the film began to question “what is real?” , “is reality real because I am told it is real?” ,“Which pill would I have chosen?” and “What if I’m the one?” (I know I’m not alone on that last question). My only gripe with the movie is the romance between Trinity and Neo, I mean would this film have been any worse if they didn’t have a storyline that appealed to teenage girls, but hey what do I know. In summation, I think the story was well written, I believe it was acted well, and presented on the screen in a way that was easy for the masses to digest, because Plato’s story told without an element of action and I guess romance too would have just been kinda boring.

blog 4... Truman Syndrome

According to Newsweek Truman syndrome is similar to schizophrenia with paranoia and delusions, except with Truman syndrome the patients believe they’re a part of a reality show or being surveilled by a government agency and everyone is in on the joke. With shows such as “Candid Camera” and “punk’d” or the movie “Enemy of the State” it is somewhat understandable for people to think that big brother is watching. Being that there are so many ways to track and monitor a person’s every movement the possibility of unknowingly being televised doesn’t seem too farfetched. Truman syndrome is similar to the paranoid feelings that someone is behind you or that someone is following you that most people have it except it is greatly exaggerated due to it being a mental illness. If a person is already in early stages of schizophrenia and sees a reality shows plot that loosely mimics the events in their actual life their delusional mind would naturally assume that they are involved in a similar experience. This paranoia would progressively get worse when coincidences such as random video cameras pointed in their direction or they happen to see the same person more than once. The site I found my information on was a Newsweek site, so being that it is a trusted and respected news magazine I can only assume the website would be just as trustworthy. However this does not mean the message I am receiving is not distorted or manipulated in some form or fashion.

....

When Truman finally exits Seahaven, what do you think it is that he expects to find on the other side of the door?

Unknowingly Truman has lived his entire life in the media spotlight. This exposure has unfortunately made Truman just as famous outside the protective walls of Seahaven as he is on the manufactured island. As he ventures out in the “real” world for the first time, thirty years into his life he will notice many similarities with the televised life he once lived.
With Truman being the first human adopted by a corporation he was already well known to the entire world before he took his first breath, and with every following breath he became more famous. From the moment he steps out of Seahaven he will always be followed by cameras, only this time they will be visible. Complete strangers will still know his name and more about his life and him than he possibly knows. With him being the biggest star on television for thirty years there are people who grew up with him and only see him as a television star rather than a normal person. The difference with the outside world is that this world doesn’t revolve around Truman nor does it begin or reset as he awakes. Being lied to his entire life by people that he thought loved him or were his friends has only made him vulnerable and possibly paranoid, not good characteristics to start out in this new world with….. blah blah blah

I am a cyborg

I am a cyborg
By my definition a cyborg is a human that relies on technology to live or survive. Much like a critically injured man relies on a respirator or life support machine to keep his heart beating. Although my title suggests that I can’t do without most modern technology to survive the truth is I do need it to live. I do not need a cell phone or the internet to survive however it does make living much easier. Most modern technology is taken for granted to the point where they don’t seem like a necessity until you have to do without them for any extended period of time.
Many people that think they can’t live with much of the technology they use on an everyday basis don’t realize how well they were doing before they became addicted; however I can also blame myself for the exact same thoughts. Since there is now an abundance of information, any random question that pops into my head can be answered within minutes or even seconds depending on my connection speed. Long gone are the days of thumbing through several encyclopedias and still not being able to find the answer to your question. I bought my first cell phone at the age of eight-teen so I can still remember how frustrating it was missing an important call as soon as you leave the house or how difficult it was to meet someone in a public place without any confusion. So being that important calls and instant information are now a way of life I must say this technology is necessary to live, or at least live comfortably.
Much of our modern technological advance are so embedded in our everyday life that we don’t realize how much we use things such as automatic sliding doors or elevators