Dance Videos : The Music Box

This video is a great example of creativity and talent contributing to make a great video.The video begins with Daniel Cloud looking for a place to live he is then given chance to look around an he experiences some amazing features. Daniel Cloud is one of the most known B-Boys in the braking community. He has made appearance in films and competitions such as Step Up 3D and the Red Bull Breaking Championship one. What I like about this video is how well objects are given a specific sound to produce music. Both location  and dancers fit the bill I can definitely say this a memorable piece that is worth the watch.

Impact Videos : Plan B

After just watching this video today I can say that I hope this video shocks people and gets them thinking about why these series of events took place. There is still questions that go unanswered and this video displays the many sights of how the youth is portrayed in Britain. In an interview Plan B talks about his motives behind shooting such a powerful video. I myself greatly understand where he is coming from and I am support his decision to tell the story of young people. Both videos give a great incite into society's misconceptions which are brought out through media broadcasts and if you haven't seen both i can say they are both worth the watch.

What really spoiled the Spider-man game series

I have fond memories of the Spider-Man game series as a past frequent viewer of Marvel comics Spider-Man has always stuck out as the ideal hero. A great balance between intelligence and physical capabilities was the most defiant thing about the character. The hero expressed same level humour in the videos games titles which was originally presented in the comics and animation series.

The first series of games I played was the Spider-Man game which was released on the original PlayStation. The game was pretty much what you expected providing relevant gameplay heroes and villains. There were great boss battles that were very memorable from shocker to hammerhead. The most memorable thing about this was the fact you could run out of web cartridges and it was crucial that you collected pickups when they were available. Another feature that really stood out was the training room which was like simulator allowing the user to practice and learn how to use the control as well as providing challenges that equally enjoy as the actual story mode. The final feature that stood out was the webbing types you could select ice cartridges would freeze your opponents allowing the delivery of the knock-out blow.

The next game I played was Spider-man 1 title which was released on the second generation PlayStation console the PS2. It was a movie game which was taken directly from the film itself and had some good content and features however this title seemed artificial compared to its predecessor. The web swinging was absoluteness displeasing where the hero had himself swing in fin air while moving in a straight line. It had seemed that a step back from the original 3D games had been made and all was lost.

Several years later a new Spider-Man game was released. For the first Spider-Man was in an open city and the web swinging mechanics were a delight. The mechanics allowed you run jump a swing the way the character was intended and the combat was much closely demonstrated. As a movie title game it also followed a rich storyline but it was the open world element and freedom that really gave this title the edge. It seemed that all the future games were going to be built upon this style.

The more recent release has been interesting due to the costume features and concepts that were used. All current game titles have brought gameplay and ideas to life but not in the same way Spider-Man 2 did. The most interesting of recent releases is the Web of Shadows which seemed to match the gameplay of the second title however the repetitiveness that was in the earlier games was still in this title which was became tiresome and frustrating just like Spider-Man 2's side missions where there would only a be few different objectives.

Overall what really hurt the series was the repetition of the gameplay and the lack of freedom which was the basic essence of the characters personality. Even though new combat was added they never really recaptured the web swinging mechanics which is absolutely fundamental to hero himself.

Video Games: Friend Or Foe

From a young age I’ve always enjoyed playing video games, at times video games would take me out of reality allowing me get lost in my own imagination, the days when you were literally so connected to the consoles that you were unable to remove yourself or be distracted. The gaming industry has change dramatically since then allowing user like me to connect to other user all worldwide to share in the latest entertainment. This has all been a great addition thanks to the internet and wireless technology however many aspects that provided us all with fantastic memories that have be slightly removed from gaming existence.

Multiplayer formally known as online play has become the selling point for many gaming titles. Newer gaming titles seem to empathize on connecting users across screens and monitors other than the classic offline multiplayer. In past times you were able to play alongside friends in same location enjoying such titles as Mario Kart Racing, Streets of Rage and Fighting Force. If you are looking for the offline multiplayer you are subjected to playing sports or older titles. The first person shooters have become online based with only a few titles providing an offline platform co-op.

The problem is that most users have to now depend on an internet connection to play with another user. Even though technology has allowed us to be more connected socially it hasn’t really enabled those who are somewhere in the middle between casual users and consistent users to really step out of their comfort zones and play the less known titles. The ideal solution would be to implement offline multiplayer in more games allowing users to engage in to a wider gaming experience. Users should have option to play with a friend as well as over a network.

The future is visual

Every day I find myself wondering how technology will change in the near future. I usually get lost in my imagination and my thoughts become something like a Sci-Fi movie. It challenges my comprehension of what is available to us now and what technology that could be in development in the present day. Technologically we have come very far from the telephone to the computer the advancements are surely amazing. It I just not the technology that has been developed it how these newer technologies have been integrated in to our daily existence.

In the past technology has been made specifically to allow an audience to hear and experience music and radio having us to rely on one sense for technological entertainment. In last several decades visual media has taken huge leaps. The creation television spurred this on 20^th century, providing colour pictures and audio entertainment in one visual experience. It was the first time both auditory and visual senses were in tune to one technological device and from then on we have found ourselves in front visual interfaces.

Since the television more and more technology has been re-adapted to provide entertainment. We already had computers with interfaces and the gaming industry was still in its early development. At this stage games were created simple but viewed on visual interfaces much like flat monitors today apart from the fact they were much thicker. It was until the development of handheld gaming consoles did we see the small visual monitors on devices such as the Gameboy which sparked a trend in new mobile media technology.

Focusing on screens, on smaller technologies we have seen the mobile phones (cellular devices) adapting the new advancements of the visual interface. Screens are becoming larger with higher resolutions that might one day rival television itself however technology is forever advancing and the next bit of tech is just around.

My thoughts on the how screens will be further implemented into media entertainment is based crucially on the tablet technologies. The tablet has the great potential in its practical use. Imagine world where paper is used less frequently allowing tablet to be like what the motorised vehicle are to the use of horses. Instead of using a great amount of resources all information and entertainment can be accessed at your fingertips.

In the present day screens have become more practical for example photo albums and picture frames can be digitally displayed in high definition allowing less physical space needed to be used. Imagine a world where posters are digitally displayed like billboards in time square menus are bright on tablets allow food to be ordered from a tablet like device. Books already seem to be replaces with digital as how the CD’s and the iPod. In my eyes I can truly see that screens will have permanent place in the future technology, well maybe just until virtual simulation and 3D holograms.

Week 23: Digital Audio and Academic Skills

In terms of learning I am not too sure that I have been able to say that I have retained a good amount of information due to this learning method however I do believe that this method works most effectively when used as a recap while it is still fresh and new. As a recap it allows you to mend any false answers that you would have selected enabling the correct information to be retained almost instantly. I found that this method has most success as it doesn't provide too much information to support key material points. What I like about this method is that it supports the lectures and covers the more memorable content but its limitation is also that it doesn't provide more information to really empathize what was spoken or mentioned in lecture.

As for improvements I believe it is more down to the subject being taught how it is has been presented as a learning style. Also its effectiveness is contributed by individual interest more than the content provided. Overall as recap I believe it is the most useful as a recap summary of the topics covered but to use it as a main learning source would prove much more costly for many.

Week 5: Convergence Culture

So I find myself 12 hours before deadline asking myself what is convergence culture. For that immediate moment my mind went blank so I had to rediscover some notes that I prepared.  Convergence culture is the understanding of the relationship between technology and us. It most focus point is more on how we integrate technology into our immediate lives how we experience and use devices in this new and exciting digital age. It is the unpredictability of interaction with technology that has become so fascinating. In the past we used many different media outlets such as films, games, music, television and many more. It is only now and in the many several few years have we seen such an explosion of these media outlets that we can identify the swift change media integration.

Trans-media has becoming exceptionally import in influencing our day to day life. We no longer have to rely on different technologies to give us specific media. With the development of mobile technologies such as the cellular phone, the iPod and the laptop we can now get it all almost anytime and anywhere. On our phones we can now listen to music, read the news, browse the web and email never has so much media has been accessible from one singular mobile device before. As far as old and new is put in to consideration single media platforms were always limited to one single audience.

 With the development of media we see the old material being used and recreated or redeveloped into something new. For example marvel comics’ Spiderman was firstly created for those with interest in comic book. Later on with the demand and interest rise an animated series was produced to recreate the material while making it available to a wider audience. As Spiderman became more popular video game were created and then followed with film the extended to the great audience.

The evolution of media has increased the viewing and interaction of media. Not only are people enjoying media but they are beginning to produce media themselves. Creating media has become much easier and accessing media tools and equipment has become less challenging to use than before. Films are now being made by anyone with camera audio can be edited and produced with little effort. Consumers have the foot in the door and have taken more control in what is being developed. The minimum specifications have been augmented and demand has become more direct. As social media has been a front runner in the change with the arrival of social sites such YouTube and MySpace. A new age platform for media has become very instrumental on how consumers access media.

The thing that has become evident is that we rely on these technologies and in the future it seems we will become more reliant. As far as we can assume we understand in ten year time the way we integrate ourselves could change dramatically once aging impacting our live more interactively and possibly virtually.