Month: May 2014

“Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins” by Beverly J. Jones is an article based on the ideas of how computer graphics in the world have been created. The main idea of the article is to point out the fact that technologies have been created to better existing techniques, but the real benefit should come from creating new connections. In the article Jones points to the fact that the Computer Technique Group of Japan used their new machines to create pieces that were comparable to the pieces from other realms. There is also the fact that in the computer world there was the idea that microchips could advance the level of input from consumers, but the reality is that the culture in which we live limits the level of advancement from computers. It is the societal rules that stipulate how a new technology will be accepted or used. Although there are many ways that the world can be advanced beyond the current roles of technology, the limits placed on the advancement keep these things from happening.

One example from the current realm of technology comes through the use of smart phones. Through my life time there have been a number of changes in the technological use of telephones. From home phones, pay phones to the new realm of cell phones. There have been leaps and bounds made in the technology for these phones, but the reality is there are not really any different than cell phones in the beginning. The only difference is that they are capable of doing new things. This cellular technology could be widely used in brand new innovate ways. One such example is through the technology of Google glasses. This would be a brand new change in the world of technology. It would be a step away from the path, but instead this technology is not being adapted. Instead the most popular advancements are nothing more than extensions of current ones. The culture is still one that fears change. There is the ability to advance away from the current style of technology to achieve something great, but instead the path that is followed is the well traveled slow path of old.

This week’s TED talks made me think deeply about how the virtual world could be one of the areas for improving the actual world. The concept of using computer games to inform users about real world problems is interesting. I feel that the creator of these games talked about many important points about computer gaming and those that play these games. Games with large made worlds with long story lines are very popular. I think that the Jane McGonigal has taken the idea in the wrong direction though. Instead of making these games more like the real world the games should be made to have hidden meanings. Complex ideas can be fit into story lines of games. Through these games complex ideas can be taught to the users in step by step ways that allow for real world solutions to be made. Through collaboration on online games there is the capability of sharing and expressing ideas in real time. Using this technology could benefit not only solving real world problems but also in changing the way the world learns. As the world becomes more connected in these settings it allows for cooperation between groups that may not ever have been connected in other ways. Using virtual worlds to subtlety  recreate real world issues instead of blatantly recreating them would allow for the connection of not only those that want to help change but also those that escape into the virtual world to avoid reality. This cooperation could open the doors for many cultural and scientific changes.

1. Spirituality is something that is hard to define. For me spirituality means having a connection to the world around me. This is more than just feeling that I am an individual interacting in the world, but instead I am an individual whose actions affect the world around me. I think that having a spirit is something that all living things have and no one of them is more powerful or important than the others.
2. Religion is much different than spirituality. Although in many religions there is still the same idea that there is a spirit, I think that religion in many cases hurts the idea of spirit for those that are not human. Religion is not based on having a spirit, but is instead the rules or guidelines that are used to control what the spirit does. In the best sense religion is a useful set of tools to help guide people through tough times, but in the worse sense religion is one of the worst tools in the world.
3. Creativity to me is the idea that you as an individual can come up with something new. I do not define creativity as someone who can make beautiful art or do a great dance, but to me creativity is the ability to think for yourself and have ideas that no one else can have. Even young children who create imaginary friends or can put blocks together are creativity to me. But it is more than that, it is also the college student who can write a paper about a book and come up with their own thoughts and not just parrot back what others have said. These are all things that I find to be creative.
4. I think that creativity comes from the brain. I am not sure if I would then categorize that as the spirit. I know that some people separate the two, but the more I think about it I think that when people say the spirit of someone it is their brains that they are talking about. I then think that creativity comes from the ability to use your brain to think about things and come up with your own ideas. Even if the ideas are way wrong at least it is your own thoughts. This I think is where creativity comes from.

This week’s videos were some of the most interesting so far this term. I liked the first woman on the Art:21 who thought that the line of thread was much like the line of writing. She had some good ideas about the art she was creating and her works were very unique. The more interesting part of the video was John Fedorov. His work with the spirituality made me think more about how different cultures try to tackle the idea of the spirit world. I found it most interesting that he made the teddy bear toys that he sold and used them as representations of how society tries to buy into the spiritual world. It is as if the cultural idea of money is mixing with the natural world. The way that he talked about it made me think almost as if the people trying to buy these items of the spiritual world are trying to buy a connection that they are lacking. If someone feels like they are missing something the natural response is to be able to buy it. Our culture is so focused on monetary gain and not on what is actually important that there are many issues with the world. This lack of realization that money is not actually important and is just a creation of society is hurting the world. If there was more connection between the spirituality of the world, however someone chooses to do so is fine, and less focus on the monetary world then there would be a better world. Fedorov uses his art and videos to try and connect this in the minds of the audience and I think he does a great job. I also really liked his painting of the CEO as a religious figure. Again this juxtaposition of the monetary society that we all know and the spiritual world really makes me think about the world in a new way.

The article that I decided to write about comes from a website named constructing horror and was written by Michael McGlasson. As the name points out this is an article about how the world of horror is constructed both in print and in film. The article discusses a college professor and his work in class to decide what exactly it is that makes horror so scary. The article discusses how the telling of the story is the most important part. There is a bit about how the current generation is so highly distracted due to being raised on television, but the main premise of the article is to point to the fact that in order for the audience to be scared they must feel a connection to the main character. The other main focus is on suspense. To the college students it was vital that the story have suspense from beginning to end and that the object of terror not be given away fully in the beginning or it would ruin the story.

This article echoed much of the same ideas as the reading. To Noel Carroll it was the fact that the story hides from the audience at least some of the features of a monster in order to create that suspense. Or, in the case of monsters that are revealed early in the movie, it is the fact that one by one the characters will discover the monster that allows the audience to connect to the members of the cast in order to feel that sense of horror and eventually pleasure from the defeat of the monster. It is then important that the narrative allows for this to happen. “Thus, in order to account for the interest we take in and the pleasure we take from horror, we may hypothesize that, in the main, the locus of our gratification is not the monster as such but the whole narrative structure in which the presentation of the monster is staged” (Carroll). In that long drawn out explanation is the idea that it is not the monster being scary that brings us pleasure, but instead it is the connection that we feel with the characters in the story that makes us happy. This is an extension of the ideas proposed by McGlasson that it is more important to the story that there be suspense and not just a bunch of scary scenes.

The article by McGlasson furthers the idea that as a story unfolds the audience connects with a part of that story. Whether that be the main character or some other form of connection in the narrative there is a feeling that the story is something that the audience can relate to. “Which indicates that true horror entertainment must contain elements of anticipation, dread and uncertainty, the three key traits of suspense” (McGlasson). It is these traits of suspense that allow the audience to feel what the characters are feeling and when the problem is finally solved, being a monster killed or escaping from a dangerous situation, then the audience feels that same sense of joy along with the characters of the story.

 

Carroll, N. (2002). Why Horror?. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (eds.) Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2nd ed., Chap. 17). New York, NY: Routledge.

McGlasson, Michael. “THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF HORROR SCREENWRITING.” Constructinghorror.com. Constructing Horror, 2007. Web. 10 May 2014.

 

The first scene that I decided to use as an example from the show comes about halfway through the show. This is a scene that depicts the ideas of mise-en-scene. There are two images shown in the scene, as this is a cut between two areas to add to the intensity of the scene. The image begins zoomed in on a large clock on what appears to be a church or similar building. The camera then backs out at a very low angle showing the building in a dark sky with shadows. This, combined with the low angle of the camera, gives off an ominous feeling about the building and through connection, the time of night as well. Then the scene shifts quickly to a high angle looking down at a doorway. The doorway has a light shining through and the high angle of the camera creates a sense of suspense while looking downwards. The door slowly swings open and a set of feet hovering above the ground float out of the room. The tactics of the shots in these scenes together form a sense of suspense and a wary feeling as the door swings open. This mise-en-scene does well to add suspense to the show and does a great job of adding to the sense of horror.

The second scene in the show that I chose to describe was the scene where Buffy is fighting the monsters in front of a tree. In this scene through the use of diagetic sound the fight comes to life. There are many moves of Buffy hitting and kicking the monsters that are trying to attack her. With each kick and punch there is an equally powerful sound effect that makes the audience feel the hits. As Buffy throws her attackers to the ground there is also loud smashing noises that let the audience hear just how hard this fight is for Buffy. By adding in this diagetic sounds to the scene it adds to the realness of the scene and makes the audience feel more like they are there with her hitting the attackers.

The final scene that I chose represents the non-diagetic sound of the show. As the monsters are making their way through town someone looks out the window to see them floating by. There is a very quiet music playing as the young woman looks out her window with curiosity. As she is looking out suddenly a monster floats by with a sinister grin on his face. As soon as he enters the scene there begins a loud and scary music playing through no connection to the objects on screen. This music shows the audience that this is a time to start to worry as bad things are coming. By only starting the music as soon as the monster enters the view of the screen it adds to the shocking effect and the horror.

I am a very neat and clean person. Every day I wake up and make sure that I clean up my room before leaving it, and I spend a good deal of time making sure that I have the best possible hygiene habits. It is very important to me that I feel not only clean, but also well dressed and that my clothing is in the best condition possible. I like to have my clothing be as new as possible at all times, which means I am often by new clothing. I also try not to have too many things that are very unusual about me. I try to have as many of the best brands possible and I always wear my watch that is a good brand as well. I think that I do these things because I want to show the world that I am a respectable person. Image is very important to me as I want to be a member of the business world. I know that in business, especially in large prosperous companies that looking and acting respectable is something that needs to happen. I was not always like this; in fact I was quite different as a younger child. My mother and father always wanted me to be quiet and respectful but when I was younger I was often going off to play with my friends and getting dirty. It was once I got to be a bit older, close to the time when I moved here for college, that I finally realized that in order to be who I wanted to be I had to settle down and focus on my goals in order to get where I wanted to go. Since that point in time I have been focused on achieving my goals and I think that one of the best ways to get motivated to do that is to incorporate that idea into all aspects of life.

In my family the main value that was always pushed on me was to be the best I could be through success. I was to be humble but always pushing myself to be the best through hard work. These values have finally gotten me to be the person my parents wanted me to be. I dress the way that I do now because I want to be this level of successful. I try not to stand out too much from others so as not to seem like I am trying to get attention. I want to stay humble and reserved as much as I can, but there is still the desire in me to be the best that I can be. By dressing in clothing that is not too flashy I keep from being someone that may not look respectable. Both my mother and my father did not have the kind of experiences that I have had growing up. They both came from much smaller towns where hard work was valued, and respect was taught and earned. They both passed these values on to me growing up, but I have to be honest it was not until more recently that I chose to accept them. Once I finally did then I started to dress in more simple clothing and tried not to act too much like I was more than I am. It was the training of my family that made me realize how important it is to earn everything and to work very hard to get there. This is why I am happy when I am able to buy my own clothing and I chose clothing that makes me look like those that I respect.

There still are some things that have lingered from my childhood and the desire to be a bit different from what my parents wish me to be. I believe that it is my group of friends that I have now here that have influenced this a bit. While I do buy my own clothing and it is not very flashy, it is still of the best quality that I can get. This is because in my social experience I am often judged, and judge others, based quite a bit on what is worn. This is why although I try to stay humble with my dress and have a very simple look to me, I do focus on having the beast available of each piece in order to have that slightly higher social standing. Although this goes a bit against what my family has taught me I do think that it will be helpful for me in the future as I know that social standing is a large benefit in the business world.

The first person I that I chose to write about was a boy who was younger than myself, but most likely not by many years. This boy was dressed in very dark clothing and had his dyed to be pure black. When I saw this person I felt that he had a very sad view on life. I believed that because he was upset with the world around him that he dressed in black and even painted his finger nails black to show his view on the world. I believe that this style of dress is to show that a person is unhappy with the world and that they are very sad. I realize that this view of the other person’s beliefs based completely on the way that he was dressed is an unusual thought. I believe that it is my own view of the brightness of life that makes me think that just because someone is dressed in all black that they are depressed.

The second person that I witnessed and chose to write about was a female who was a few years older than me it seemed. This individual was dressed in very loose clothing that was not very clean. In fact the clothing looked rather old and her hair was not well maintained. I believe that this person did not have a job and most likely lives off the government paying for her needs. I believe that this person is very lazy and does not care much about anything. I feel that I must think this way due to the way I was raised by my family. In my family we were taught to take great care of our dress at all times when leaving the house, and that a well kept and cleaned look was important to how others saw us. I think that it was this training that made me see this woman and think that she is lazy based only on having dirty clothing and hair.

The final person that I saw and chose to write about was a middle aged man in a business suit. This man was well dressed and his hair was well maintained. He was wearing a wrist watch that looked quite nice and his suit was free from any spots or wrinkles. I believe that this man valued wealth and quality things. I thought this due to the way that he walked and the clothing that he was wearing. His walk had a very distinctive strut to it, and his dress was that of a well off businessman. I believe that I appreciated this man’s wardrobe and actions the most out of everyone that I saw because I felt that he shared many of the same values as I have.