Stupid Name, Good Service
Hulu is somthing that has become very valuable to me now that I am in college. I simply do not have the time, or often, the channels to watch many shows when they run. However, with Hulu, I can watch them whenever I have the time, and I don't have to deal with nearly as many commercials. Since I have DVI connectors on both my TV and laptop, I can even watch them on a real TV.
Its been really great, because there is no way I would be able to keep up with a show like Stargate:Universe, which runs on a Friday night without sacrificing activities with friends. Hulu frees you from having to follow the schedule dictated by a network, and it brings the TV to wherever you are, so long as you have an internet connection. I never worry about missing shows anymore, aside from certain ones that aren't available on Hulu like the new Clone Wars show.
I really think this is the future of TV. Americans live busy lives, and they seem to just be getting busier. If TV is going to be able to survive, it needs to leverage the internet to provide a different medium for people to view it through. The only hurdle is how to deal with syndication in an environment like this. That is how people and networks really make money off of shows, and how can they do this when people can watch a show anytime, anywhere? I can't see places like Hulu staying entirely free forever, for just this reason. Soon, they are gonna need to find a way to make money that isn't just ads.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Media Meditation 7
Do You Respect Wood?
I love Seinfeld. I own the entire series on DVD, and if I see a rerun on TV I will probably watch it. So, when I saw "Curb Your Enthusiasm", I was naturally very excited, and bought four seasons of it. The humor is exactly the same. Larry David was the cowriter and producer of Seinfeld, so it makes sense. If anything, it is better, because they are not reined in by being on broadcast television, so they can do and say things that they couldn't before on NBC since the show is on HBO
The way that the show is filmed is interesting. It is done in a style, that similar to The Office (though not to the same degree) makes it look like it is not a fictional show, something that I have to explain to people when they watch it with me for the first time. This style is highly appropriate though, because the show is about Larry's life. The characters are his friends, and his actor friends often play themselves, or at least a version of themselves. This reminds me of the opening to the fifth chapter of the book, where it talked about The Office "In response the creators of a current network sitcom, The Office, have broken new ground by revamping the show's look and structure, shooting the program documentary style. The Office feels like a hybrid program, located somewhere between the more traditional comedy and a reality program."(144). This is how Curb is filmed as well, minus the asides by the characters that are present in The Office. It adds to the humor in many cases, as the events of the story don't feel scripted, even though they are.
I love Seinfeld. I own the entire series on DVD, and if I see a rerun on TV I will probably watch it. So, when I saw "Curb Your Enthusiasm", I was naturally very excited, and bought four seasons of it. The humor is exactly the same. Larry David was the cowriter and producer of Seinfeld, so it makes sense. If anything, it is better, because they are not reined in by being on broadcast television, so they can do and say things that they couldn't before on NBC since the show is on HBO
The way that the show is filmed is interesting. It is done in a style, that similar to The Office (though not to the same degree) makes it look like it is not a fictional show, something that I have to explain to people when they watch it with me for the first time. This style is highly appropriate though, because the show is about Larry's life. The characters are his friends, and his actor friends often play themselves, or at least a version of themselves. This reminds me of the opening to the fifth chapter of the book, where it talked about The Office "In response the creators of a current network sitcom, The Office, have broken new ground by revamping the show's look and structure, shooting the program documentary style. The Office feels like a hybrid program, located somewhere between the more traditional comedy and a reality program."(144). This is how Curb is filmed as well, minus the asides by the characters that are present in The Office. It adds to the humor in many cases, as the events of the story don't feel scripted, even though they are.
Media Meditation 6
Honor Among Thieves
I recently purchased the game "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves". I thought it was very interesting because of the way that it essentially was a movie. I could see Indiana Jones in the place of the protagonist, Nathan Drake. The production techniques used were amazing, and the action really draws you in, more so than most other games I have played. I played it essentially non stop for about 10-13 hours the day I bought it, because it just drew me in so much, and I didnt want to stop until it was done. So, I ask my self, why is this?
I believe it is because of the pacing. There is almost always something happening. During the course of the game, I was chased through a Tibetan village by a tank, rode a building to the ground as it was destroyed by a Hind, and preformed incredible acrobatic tasks. All the time, you just knew something awesome was around the corner, and it made you want to keep going. I also transferred a lot to the characters emotionally. I really felt invested in what I was doing, and was shocked by some of the twists in the story.
Additionally, this brain engages all parts of the brain more or less through out the entire thing. Most obviously, the reptilian brain was activated through all the action, both the straight up combat and the platforming sections that have you hanging thousands of feet in the air climbing around the sides of buildings and mountains, clinging to the smallest handholds. Additionally these segments engaged the neocortex, as you had to try and analyze your surroundings to find routes to places that you had to go to, but looked completely inaccessible. The limbic brain is engaged by the majestic visuals that are often encountered as you went through the game.
I recently purchased the game "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves". I thought it was very interesting because of the way that it essentially was a movie. I could see Indiana Jones in the place of the protagonist, Nathan Drake. The production techniques used were amazing, and the action really draws you in, more so than most other games I have played. I played it essentially non stop for about 10-13 hours the day I bought it, because it just drew me in so much, and I didnt want to stop until it was done. So, I ask my self, why is this?
I believe it is because of the pacing. There is almost always something happening. During the course of the game, I was chased through a Tibetan village by a tank, rode a building to the ground as it was destroyed by a Hind, and preformed incredible acrobatic tasks. All the time, you just knew something awesome was around the corner, and it made you want to keep going. I also transferred a lot to the characters emotionally. I really felt invested in what I was doing, and was shocked by some of the twists in the story.
Additionally, this brain engages all parts of the brain more or less through out the entire thing. Most obviously, the reptilian brain was activated through all the action, both the straight up combat and the platforming sections that have you hanging thousands of feet in the air climbing around the sides of buildings and mountains, clinging to the smallest handholds. Additionally these segments engaged the neocortex, as you had to try and analyze your surroundings to find routes to places that you had to go to, but looked completely inaccessible. The limbic brain is engaged by the majestic visuals that are often encountered as you went through the game.
Media Meditation 5
Mashed Up and Spit Out
Music has always been a big part of my life. However, over the last year or so, and especially in my time here in college, it has grown immensely. One thing that I have learned that I loved is mashups. I talked about something in one of my earlier posts called Youtube Poop. Mashups are the Youtube Poop of the audio world. A producer will take two or more tracks and mash them together into a song. One thing that distances this from the YTP world is that mashups are often sold as part of a release by the artist. This creates a whole new headache to do with copyright laws, as while samples are often used in the hip-hop world, these are often made entirely from existing material, with nothing new added by the creator besides how they mix.
Some examples: (Language Content Warning)
This is a great example of how people have adapted to the new media landscape to create and sell what they create. Alot of the artists who mashups are not even necessarily signed, they use social networking to spread the word of their releases and sell them. Without facebook, and myspace and youtube and twitter, they would be hard-pressed to reach their fans. I found these through other people and thats how just about everybody who doesnt directly know the artist finds out.
In addition, I just find the concept of how the music itself has become an instrument of sorts fascinating. The people who create these songs add nothing that wasn't there before. All they do is take existing content and modify it, and mash it together. Yet, it is really somthing new. I heard, for instance, a mashup of NIN's "Bite the Hand that Feeds" and the well known "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. All it was was an instrumental of NIN with an acapella of Astley over top of it, but it was definitely a new song. It was more than just the sum of its parts. This is what is possible in a world where all the media is there to be played with.
Music has always been a big part of my life. However, over the last year or so, and especially in my time here in college, it has grown immensely. One thing that I have learned that I loved is mashups. I talked about something in one of my earlier posts called Youtube Poop. Mashups are the Youtube Poop of the audio world. A producer will take two or more tracks and mash them together into a song. One thing that distances this from the YTP world is that mashups are often sold as part of a release by the artist. This creates a whole new headache to do with copyright laws, as while samples are often used in the hip-hop world, these are often made entirely from existing material, with nothing new added by the creator besides how they mix.
Some examples: (Language Content Warning)
This is a great example of how people have adapted to the new media landscape to create and sell what they create. Alot of the artists who mashups are not even necessarily signed, they use social networking to spread the word of their releases and sell them. Without facebook, and myspace and youtube and twitter, they would be hard-pressed to reach their fans. I found these through other people and thats how just about everybody who doesnt directly know the artist finds out.
In addition, I just find the concept of how the music itself has become an instrument of sorts fascinating. The people who create these songs add nothing that wasn't there before. All they do is take existing content and modify it, and mash it together. Yet, it is really somthing new. I heard, for instance, a mashup of NIN's "Bite the Hand that Feeds" and the well known "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. All it was was an instrumental of NIN with an acapella of Astley over top of it, but it was definitely a new song. It was more than just the sum of its parts. This is what is possible in a world where all the media is there to be played with.
Media Meditation 4
PostCards: Part Deux
While watching football this afternoon, I saw an AT&T commercial with Luke Wilson where he threw down postcards on a map showing all of the places where AT&T had 3G coverage. This ad interested me because of its strange format. It is really two 30 second ads that comprise a singular 1 minute ad. When I saw it, it made me think of how this production technique would impact the overall advertisement.
This is a clearly a case of beautiful people being used. Luke Wilson is no expert on phones or anything like that. The ad also uses a straw man argument as it gives a very simplified example of what Verizon has supposedly been saying. Humor is also used, or at least attempted as it shows Wilson doing little asides constantly.
This advert is also heavily reliant on its production techniques. The whole two part thing is a big part of the ad. It keeps people interested, because it is uncommon that an advertisement just ends abruptly like that. Additionally, there are all these slow motion little bits that serve no real purpose as far as I can see other than to just look cool and keep interest. Overall I think this a good ad. After all, I've thought about it enough to write this meditation on it, and it sticks in your head. The point stays with you. Maybe because of the way that this change and the slowmo affects your brain. When it suddenly slows down, your reptilian kicks in, at least somewhat.
While watching football this afternoon, I saw an AT&T commercial with Luke Wilson where he threw down postcards on a map showing all of the places where AT&T had 3G coverage. This ad interested me because of its strange format. It is really two 30 second ads that comprise a singular 1 minute ad. When I saw it, it made me think of how this production technique would impact the overall advertisement.
This is a clearly a case of beautiful people being used. Luke Wilson is no expert on phones or anything like that. The ad also uses a straw man argument as it gives a very simplified example of what Verizon has supposedly been saying. Humor is also used, or at least attempted as it shows Wilson doing little asides constantly.
This advert is also heavily reliant on its production techniques. The whole two part thing is a big part of the ad. It keeps people interested, because it is uncommon that an advertisement just ends abruptly like that. Additionally, there are all these slow motion little bits that serve no real purpose as far as I can see other than to just look cool and keep interest. Overall I think this a good ad. After all, I've thought about it enough to write this meditation on it, and it sticks in your head. The point stays with you. Maybe because of the way that this change and the slowmo affects your brain. When it suddenly slows down, your reptilian kicks in, at least somewhat.
Media Meditation 3
A Convergent Desktop.
After my computer crashed earlier this month, I decided that I would use the opportunity presented here to start anew. I wanted a clean, uncluttered desktop that would put the internet at my fingertips 24/7. Do do this, I chose a program called Rainmeter that functions my portal to both my computer and the wider media world. Using it has really improved my workflow and overall computing experience. It has also helped me keep up to date with news.
This is my desktop as it appears currently. All the individual elements on the desktop, aside from the dock on the right (which is another program altogether) are movable. Rainmeter allows you to put in your own RSS feeds on the side for the newsreaders which will self update so that you can keep updated with your favorite things, be they blogs websites, news or whatever. There is even an option to tie your twitter account so that tweets appear seamlessly on your desktop. I didn't activate that particular plugin because I do not have a twitter account. You can also control your itunes from the desktop without actually opening up the program. These features which make the media and information seek me out have been really useful. I never really saw the advantage in this kind of thing until I used it.
The Lifehacker RSS feed has been particularly interesting to me, because it is a content aggregator in and of itself. Now, interesting DIY and other articles come together there so that they can then come down to me. It saves me from having to really look for anything. This is the advantage of living in a culture of convergence. Information finds me. I don't have to find it. There are a myriad of user created plugins for this program that I haven't even begun to explore. Who knows what else my desktop can be trained to do?
Rainmeter is also open source, somthing that is becoming increasingly common these days. Its a good thing too, in my mind. It allows the users to have some say in the way the things that they use are run and work. It transfers ownership to the community instead of one person.
After my computer crashed earlier this month, I decided that I would use the opportunity presented here to start anew. I wanted a clean, uncluttered desktop that would put the internet at my fingertips 24/7. Do do this, I chose a program called Rainmeter that functions my portal to both my computer and the wider media world. Using it has really improved my workflow and overall computing experience. It has also helped me keep up to date with news.
This is my desktop as it appears currently. All the individual elements on the desktop, aside from the dock on the right (which is another program altogether) are movable. Rainmeter allows you to put in your own RSS feeds on the side for the newsreaders which will self update so that you can keep updated with your favorite things, be they blogs websites, news or whatever. There is even an option to tie your twitter account so that tweets appear seamlessly on your desktop. I didn't activate that particular plugin because I do not have a twitter account. You can also control your itunes from the desktop without actually opening up the program. These features which make the media and information seek me out have been really useful. I never really saw the advantage in this kind of thing until I used it.The Lifehacker RSS feed has been particularly interesting to me, because it is a content aggregator in and of itself. Now, interesting DIY and other articles come together there so that they can then come down to me. It saves me from having to really look for anything. This is the advantage of living in a culture of convergence. Information finds me. I don't have to find it. There are a myriad of user created plugins for this program that I haven't even begun to explore. Who knows what else my desktop can be trained to do?
Rainmeter is also open source, somthing that is becoming increasingly common these days. Its a good thing too, in my mind. It allows the users to have some say in the way the things that they use are run and work. It transfers ownership to the community instead of one person.
Media Meditation 2
It's a Video, Luigi. You didn't make it.
Back in the summer of my Junior year of High School, one of my friends found a video. It's not a very well known video, atleast out of certain circles. It is hardly what you would call "mainstream". However, it has really affected the way I look at video media, for it was my first exposure to 'Youtube Poop". Youtube Poop is a video mashup. The creators (called Poopers) take video freely available in the Web 2.0 media landscape and smash them together humorously.
This is something that would have never happened without social media. As I have taken this class I have been thinking about things like this. The new landscape of media that is starting to form and take off, with the unprecedented freedom inherent in it has allowed things like this to exist that would have been impossible even 10 years ago. Sure, people could create these videos, but how would anybody else see them? There was no ability for this sort of content to exist. There is nothing more user driven than this kind of video. There is no corporate sponsorship, or even corporate presence. This is completely created for entertainment. There are few examples of media like this left, and I think it exemplifies the personal and aesthetic shifts, as there is a blog styled website, Youtube Poop News that serves as a sort of nucleus of the community.
This kind of content is something that I think will stay as long as there are free an accessible media outlets like Youtube. Even if companies do crack down on copyright infringement as they have been doing of late, once created, this sort of content doesn't die easily. Its created by people for people, with no other real goal in mind. It doesn't try to sell anything, and it doesn't really try to influence you in any way. Its pure entertainment.
Back in the summer of my Junior year of High School, one of my friends found a video. It's not a very well known video, atleast out of certain circles. It is hardly what you would call "mainstream". However, it has really affected the way I look at video media, for it was my first exposure to 'Youtube Poop". Youtube Poop is a video mashup. The creators (called Poopers) take video freely available in the Web 2.0 media landscape and smash them together humorously.
This is something that would have never happened without social media. As I have taken this class I have been thinking about things like this. The new landscape of media that is starting to form and take off, with the unprecedented freedom inherent in it has allowed things like this to exist that would have been impossible even 10 years ago. Sure, people could create these videos, but how would anybody else see them? There was no ability for this sort of content to exist. There is nothing more user driven than this kind of video. There is no corporate sponsorship, or even corporate presence. This is completely created for entertainment. There are few examples of media like this left, and I think it exemplifies the personal and aesthetic shifts, as there is a blog styled website, Youtube Poop News that serves as a sort of nucleus of the community.
This kind of content is something that I think will stay as long as there are free an accessible media outlets like Youtube. Even if companies do crack down on copyright infringement as they have been doing of late, once created, this sort of content doesn't die easily. Its created by people for people, with no other real goal in mind. It doesn't try to sell anything, and it doesn't really try to influence you in any way. Its pure entertainment.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Media Meditation 1
Turn it up to 11
I used to be a much bigger gamer than I am now. Still, sometimes there are games coming out that I will follow closely and be very excited for. One of those games was Brutal Legend, which came out last month. The game is about a roadie for one of the modern, MTV created, "Metal" (and I use this term loosely) bands who is brought back into the past when he is crushed by a stage prop and his blood drips on his belt buckle. The buckle turns out to be a relic of the "Fire Beast Ormegodon" from the ancient past, which turns out to be pretty much a mash up of all the heavy metal album covers ever made. There he must fight the evil demon emperor Diviculous and General Lionwhyte (a Glam Metal caricature) with his magical guitar, Clementine and his axe.
One of the most interesting things about the game was way the soundtrack was integrated with the game. As it was a game glorifying Metal in all its myriad forms, the soundtrack was very important, and it really delivered, especially the parts where it synced to the ingame action. There was cutscene in particular that I thought had excellent usage of music to add to the scene.
======================SPOILERS===============================
One of your companions, Ophelia, is believed to have betrayed you, and you leave her behind. She was in love with Eddie Riggs, the main character, and so in her depression, goes and tries to drown herself in the "Sea of Black Tears" to the tune of "Mr. Crowley". I dont know what it is specifically, but limbically, the music in combination with the content of the scene just really gets me. When the synth intro ends, and she jumps in, I get goosebumps, even as I previewed before posting the video here. Whenever I think about how important music and is to make or break a scene, I think of this.
Over all, this game was an excellent demonstration of the power of music in media. Its use at critical plot points such as that, along with just the general soundtrack that played constantly was really important, for me at least in suspension of disbelief, which was so important in a game like this. Driving through the heavy metal fantasy world of the game in my hot rod would just seem weird if it were not for the heavy metal blasting from the car. It was also a great story. Almost all games have a story of some kind, but in many cases they are just there to provide you with more enemies to overcome, but in this game had a great story that really showcased the ability of the medium to be used for storytelling.
I used to be a much bigger gamer than I am now. Still, sometimes there are games coming out that I will follow closely and be very excited for. One of those games was Brutal Legend, which came out last month. The game is about a roadie for one of the modern, MTV created, "Metal" (and I use this term loosely) bands who is brought back into the past when he is crushed by a stage prop and his blood drips on his belt buckle. The buckle turns out to be a relic of the "Fire Beast Ormegodon" from the ancient past, which turns out to be pretty much a mash up of all the heavy metal album covers ever made. There he must fight the evil demon emperor Diviculous and General Lionwhyte (a Glam Metal caricature) with his magical guitar, Clementine and his axe.
One of the most interesting things about the game was way the soundtrack was integrated with the game. As it was a game glorifying Metal in all its myriad forms, the soundtrack was very important, and it really delivered, especially the parts where it synced to the ingame action. There was cutscene in particular that I thought had excellent usage of music to add to the scene.
======================SPOILERS===============================
One of your companions, Ophelia, is believed to have betrayed you, and you leave her behind. She was in love with Eddie Riggs, the main character, and so in her depression, goes and tries to drown herself in the "Sea of Black Tears" to the tune of "Mr. Crowley". I dont know what it is specifically, but limbically, the music in combination with the content of the scene just really gets me. When the synth intro ends, and she jumps in, I get goosebumps, even as I previewed before posting the video here. Whenever I think about how important music and is to make or break a scene, I think of this.
Over all, this game was an excellent demonstration of the power of music in media. Its use at critical plot points such as that, along with just the general soundtrack that played constantly was really important, for me at least in suspension of disbelief, which was so important in a game like this. Driving through the heavy metal fantasy world of the game in my hot rod would just seem weird if it were not for the heavy metal blasting from the car. It was also a great story. Almost all games have a story of some kind, but in many cases they are just there to provide you with more enemies to overcome, but in this game had a great story that really showcased the ability of the medium to be used for storytelling.
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