A buck a word

Its amazing what some people will do to get a couple of bucks from this nation's newspaper houses. In today's front page news, the Herald Sun all informed us of how "disgusted" the mother of the woman Wayne Carey admitted to having an affair with, an event which he apparently willingly revealed all details to in his new tell all book ironically entitled "The Truth Hurts".

Now, you're probably wondering what I think could be wrong with a mother wanting to defend her daughter. Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with this whatsoever. But when I read this line from Ms Stevens' mother, all I could was laugh -

"It's just his side of the story. How can you know he is telling the truth? It's just his version of the truth''

Isn't it merely her version of the truth we are now hearing? About how innocent her daughter apparently is in this whole scandal? I'm pretty sure from the picture above, it's quite obvious she's not as innocent as mummy dearest would like to think she is.
It really gets my goat when people try to out other people by outing themselves in the exact same way. Ms Stevens' mother is an idiot for going to the tabloids. If you really want to protect your daughter, DON'T GO TELLING THE PRESS ABOUT HOW UPSET YOU ARE!!!!

But i'm not upset. I just find the whole saga incredibly funny, particularly with how much attention it has received this week. Anyway, folks, yet again I hope you have all seen just how silly this story that the news is throwing in our faces each morning. Apart from that, till next time, don't worry. Be happy!

Blade Runner

To add another dimension to my HTML project, I decided to include this critical analysis of Ridley Scott's science fiction masterpiece to backup my argument that films can reflect our dense modern world.

Blade Runner is a science fiction film that was originally made in 1982 but was later released as a director's cut in 1992 buy Ridley Scott. The director's cut was much more successful then the original release and as a result, a cult following soon ensued. In an interview with Wired magazine in 2007, Scott attributed the success of the final cut to the new technology that was used to re-edit it, making it look more spectacular and sound more spectacular. Scott also said that he made the narrative much more "real" saying that the original ending was too "silly" for the story line whereas the new version made the mesage of the whole film that bit more realistic.

The general storyline of Blade Runner runs along these lines. It's L.A, 2019. The world is in dystopia for a reason that is never explained to us. Harrison Ford plays Richard Deckard, a "blade runner", somebody who's job is to exterminate Replicants. Replicants are human-generated robots with a limited life-span who look like humans, act like humans, sound like humans and doing everything that humans can do. Except one thing: emotionalise. All Replicants were given every possible characteristic of a human but the one thing we humans can not mass produce is emotions because, as well all know, we all think and feel differently. To compensate, all the Replicants have "implanted memories", distant histories of a past that does not belong to them. The other evil thing about it all is that some of the Replicants don't even know they aren't human. The ones that do however, know it well and don't like it. The reason? Replicants were given only a 4 year life-span. And for Roy, leader of a rogue Replicant pack that Deckard is trying to destroy, is not happy about this. He then takes his evil clan down to earth (which is referred to in the movie as the "Online World") to find the people who designed them so as to make them alter their artificial D.N.A.

The film uses a great many special effects techniques to emulate this new world but Scott has been quoted a number of times as saying "it's not necessarily futuristic in the sense of the, futuristic science fiction, but actually more as a look into the future, and the future possibility". He goes on to say that the world is depicted in his film is a world in "overload", drastically affected by technology's affect on the environment, an issue which Scott obviously regards highly:

"I was always aware that this whole Earth is on overload. I've been like that for 30 years, and people used to think I was a — not exactly a depressive, but always dark about it. And I'd say, "It's not dark, mate. It's a fact. It's going to come and hit you in the head." It's right where we are right now, where we're still going, arguing in circles. There's some politicians who still seriously believe that we haven't got global warming."

Overall, Blade Runner is definitely a must see film for any film buffs, regardless of what genre you root for as it is not the form of a science fiction film which rules this movie but the issues and themes explored which make it such a good cinematic experience.

New Media of the Modern World

In investigating my current assignment, I realised that I had absolutely no idea about what my main point of focus was on about.

The person I refer to in saying this is Lev Manovich, professor and theorist of the new media art forms. Manovich is famous for his theory on the development of new media, more specifically, the importance of the computer in instigating a whole new culture of art.

New Media, as a definite explanation, is "the emergence of digital, computerized, or networked information and communication technologies in the laster half of the 20th century". More specifically, it refers to the development of analog mediums such as TV and Film becoming "digitized" that is, having the capacity "of being manipulatable, networkable, dense, compressible, and impartial."

That's why for those of you who don't live under a rock, there has been major debates in the news over the past decade relating to the direction in which our old mediums are heading.

According to Manovich, this direction is not a negative one. Rather, it is the next logical step forward saying "the logic of old media corresponded to the logic of industrial mass society...(now) the logic of new media corresponds with the logic of the postindustrial society". This exploration into technologies function within the post-industrial society and its effect on the evolution of human culture has developed into a number of theories including technological singularity and futurology. Freakishly enough, for those of you interested, here were some predictions made by Robin Good, an independant new media publisher, about the direction in which he saw new media heading in 2005 no less.

The One Minute Post. Starting...NOW!

A lot of my posts as you will have noticed are extremely lengthy and look like they have had a lot of thought and time put towards them. The former of these two points is true but whether or not much thought has gone into them, that's up for you to decide. However, in investigating all these ideas about density and how our world has evolved into such a complicated and complex environment, I set this challenge for myself to write one post in one minute. So far so good but it really makes you think about how our world is able to accomplish anything when we run on such tight schedules.

Little Shop of Horrors

"In bid to curb alcohol-fuelled violence", Liquor Licensing director Sue Maclellan announced today that all-night bottle shops will have their hours slashed from being open 24/7 till just being allowed to continue serving customers until 11pm. As an ex-member of the hospitality industry in which my experience occurred mostly at a late-night club, I had to admit that this was rather shocking news.

I mean, think about it. How long as Australia been associated with drunken comments from politicians, louty lads mouthing off at constables on King st, or little teeny boppers getting their stomachs' pumped at the Royal every Saturday because they've had one too many alco-pops. To suddenly put in such a strict regime is well, quite frankly, revolutionaringly brilliant!

Due to my exposure to what really happens to people when they've had that little too much to drink, and being a prime example myself of somebody who enjoys the freedom of wandering down to an all-night bottle-o to pick up some booze for pre-drinks, I do believe that it's time for Australia to grow up a bit and stop being this poncy, party town where everyone just gets drunk all the time.

We are all way too focused on enjoying life but only when there's booze involved. There's the footy, the kid's graduation, celebrating your 18th birthday, spending all day at the cricket grounds. Even the old folks like to knock one back at the Bowls Club every Sunday afternoon. Our liferstyle is just way too embedded in the drinking culture and I believe that this small step will be the start to changing this sad fact about Australia.

So folks, if you're like me and want to keep your brain cells, support this movement by the Liquor licensing committee and I promise, Australia will get a whole lot better. Till then, don't worry. Be Happy!

Collaborating up a Storm.

Today's Herald Sun front page did not provide any of its readers with new or exciting information, rare for a Monday edition of a newspaper. I say this with absolute confidence that most of you would have either been watching the Storm vs. Eels game on Sunday afternoon or at least

The Art of Hypertexting - No, you don't need a mobile phone...

Semester Two at RMIT has been focused a lot on the ways in which we produce, distribute and consume media forms. In Auteurship and Narrative, we have been deconstructing films and looking at the ways in which they communicate certain ideas to us. In Broadcast Media, we have been creating TV segments for various lifestyle and current affairs shows whilst also producing radio documentaries for the hypothetical broadcast on ABC Radio National's 360 program. Finally, in Networked Media, we have been looking at the art of hypertext, the basic language of content for the web and the way in which we use this language in our everyday lives.

Hypertext is a very simple concept to understand but, as we humans like to do, many make it out to be more complicated than it actually is. The main reason for this is because hypertext documents give you CHOICES. Yes, you DON'T have to read that book from start to finish or watch a movie and have to wait for 2 hours before you can see the ending. Finally, hypertext allows you, the reader, to have an active role in the way you consume media.

The way hypertext achieves this enormous feat is in the way it links to other texts. That is basically the bottom line with hypertext. No longer is the reader held in a vice-like grip, only being able to steal away from the content for a quick tea break or a toilet trip. No, hypertext is pretty much the left-wing alternative of information access that allows you the freedom to explore data at your own will.

As mentioned, in order for this to happen, the data provided in the hypertext must be connected to other data. This occurs through the process of linking, which I explained the importance of in my previous blog a couple of weeks ago. This linking allows the reader to move back and forth from the main text inadvertently gaining more information than they would have had they been reading say a physical, text book which is fixed by an impermeable border. The linking involved with hypertext is extremely important as it not only imforms the reader in a way that books can't, but it also broadens the level of information available to the reader, something that could not happen with any normal book.

As mentioned earlier, hypertext is normally associated with complexity due to the ability of a hypertext document to provide options to a reader. Since the development of hypertext in the 1940s, many problems have begun to be associated with this process. Firstly, the ability of a writer to rightfully protect their content has become extremely difficult, with copyright becoming ever more prominent within the culture and society. This has been due to inexperienced and uneducated members of society creating their own hypertext content without following the linked data guidelines, which then leads into a copyright war. According to the Australian Copyright council, "The primary purpose of copyright is to provide an incentive for people to produce new works for the benefit of society as a whole". Eventually, without the application of proper borders and laws which hypertext attempts to dissamble, we will all end up recycling the same content over and over again.

The benefits of hypertext is that it allows the reader to also become the writer, creating their own experience of the text in the way they navigate through the data. Now, the reader has options as to how the intake certain data rather than ingesting it in a straight, linear fashion. Hypertext also encourages intertextuality which again encourages the increase in available data and the ability of the reader to access different perspectives related to the subject they are researching. Finally, hypertext allows a customized learning experienced within which the reader can cater their learning experience to their own needs, rather than attempting to conform to the rigid structure that a book or other fixed media form provides.

The expansion of hypertext across the online world has seen a great many developments into the way we access and produce content occur. Students are no longer confined to the dimly-lit interiors of their university libraries in order to find information about their latest chemistry assignments. Members of the Rotary Club can now access a variety of different perspectives on how to grow their rubarb due to the number of links available on their website to other rotary clubs. The expansion of knowledge is ever growing and whilst there are concerns over

the direction

in which it is growing, in essence, hypertext is the way of the future and should be embraced if the human race is to evolve again.

References: Gosse, H. Gunn, H. Swinkels, L. "Advantages and Disadvantages of Learning in a Hypertext Environment." Learning in a Hypertext Environment. 2002: Accessed: 04/10/2009. Available at: http://www.accesswave.ca/~hgunn/special/papers/hypertxt/advantag.html

What is Networked Media, really?

All semester, we've known that I have been studying RMIT's Networked Media course under the guidance of Seth Keen, one of the key lecturers in the Media department. However, recently, when I began researching into my Communication Histories and Technologies assignment, I realised I had absolutely no idea what Networked Media was about.

Ok, I knew the basics. That is, networked media is all about creating connections between people so that information can be shared easily and freely, much in the same way Berners-Lee intended the internet to work. However, that's about as fas as I can go. Maybe I haven't been listening in class. Maybe all those notes I made throughout the semester have been a waste of my time. Whatever the reason, I really needed to figure out what Networked Media was all about, otherwise I would fail my assignment.

So what did I find?

According to Jim Banister in Word of Mouse: The New Age of Networked Media, "Networked Media allow all points on a network to be producer, distributor, vendor, marketer or consumer, and connect to all other endpoints in an exchange or conversation". Basically, we create our own experience of the medium.

In Al Kovalick's Video systems in an IT environment : the essentials of professional networked media, "The term network...is limited to a system of digital interconnections that communicate, move, or transfer information". I'm sure you can all start to see some similarities developing now.

Finally, according to the European Commission document Networked Media of The Future "The term “Networked Media” implies that all kinds of media including text, image, 3D graphics, audio and video are produced, distributed, shared, managed and consumed through various networks like the Internet, WiFi, GPRS, 3G and so on, in a
convergent manner.".

So as you can see, according to 3 very reliable academic resources, networked media can be defined as a system whereby all types of medium can be accessed through a system of networks allowing the consumer to act not only as the consumer but also as a variety of other roles including creator, monitor and distributor. This allows the rest of the world to have the same rights to produce content as those Fat Cats at NewsCorp or Viacom, creating a more equal and free media information environment.

Well, I definitely know a lot more now than I did at the beginning of this post and hope you all learnt something too. Until next time, don't worry. Be Happy!

Project Brainstorm

Ok, so, I didn't really do too well with the whole "take home this A3 piece of paper, jot down ALL your ideas about your project, and then bring it to class on Monday". You see, I kinda got lost between the "take this A3 piece of paper home" and the "jot down all you ideas" points. Mainly because I had no ideas at this stage.

For those of you fortunate ones who do not have to complete a Networked Media Project worth 40% of your entire semester mark, here's the low-down:

Select one of the extracts below. Each is selected from the readings
provided in the dossier. You are to write a Web based essay that
addresses or responds in some manner to the extract. (Your essay
should include images and text). The finished work must contain a
bibliography. The bibliography must contain at least six academic
references. Only one of these references can be from the dossier.
The finished work will consist of multiple pages. It is expected that
some consideration would be given to hypertext design in the work.

As you can see, it's rather convoluted, espicially when you try to apply that to this extract taken from Lev Manovich's “Cinematic and Graphic: Cinegratography”:

This new cinematic aesthetics of density seems to be highly
appropriate for our age. If we are surrounded by highly dense
information surfaces, from city streets to Web pages, it is appropriate
to expect from cinema a similar logic. In similar fashion, we may think
of spatial montage as reflecting another contemporary daily
experience - working with a number of different applications on a
computer at once. If we are now used to switching our attention
rapidly from one program to another, from one set of windows and
commands to another, we may find multiple streams of audio-visual
information presented simultaneously, more satisfying than the single
stream of traditional cinema.

If your brain isn't spinning as much as mine is right now, then you're either Lec Manovich himself or Seth Keen, I believe the only two individuals who have the capacity to comprehend this statement. However, as I got into it, I realised that there were two words that kept popping out at me: cinema and density.

Now, for those of you who know me, I love the cinema. I adore my Authorship major class and movies are my number one pasttime. Which is why I chose this extract in the first place. I figured that I could use my cinema background to somehow word the essay into an exploration into the changing dynamics of cinema through ages, particularly in relation to the second word, density.

Again, for those of you who know me, I am a big advocate of bringing down the world-wide overpopulation dilemma and try and promote ways in which to combat it on numerous occasions. For me, I know that there is a link between the way the world has developed and what it can be defined as today, and the way in which cinema has developed and how it can be defined today.

Stories are more complicated with more parallel narratives or explorations into the "six degrees of separation" theory. Millions of dollars are spent on sets, costumes and actors to make the whole production bigger and better than the last great blockbuster. And in general, the films we are watching today are presenting us with ideas and themes so densely integrated into the plot of the movie that it may take us a good 2 days to figure out what it was all really about.

To get a better idea of what my train of thought was at this point, here is the mind map I did up literally 5 minutes before class:


Well ironically, as it turned out, Seth said that that was too complicated for what I was attempting to accomplish within the two weeks before the project was due but these were the main point that he said I should focus on:

As you can see, much, much easier.

He also said that I should look at linking these ideas to a film and suggested I rent out Blade Runner. So that's where i'm off to now. To get Blade Runner from the library. I hope its good because I'm really tired and I can't watch boring movies when I'm tired...I'll keep you posted.

Participation Week 11 - Final Submission

Participation Week 1
Participation Week 4

What have I done well?
When I began this course, I knew right away that I was going to need to participate fully throughout the semester in order to ensure that I completely understood all the skills and practices involved with the course. This was due mainly to my inexperience with the online media platform particularly in the realm of creating webpages and blogs.

Therefore, to ensure I achieved at a high level, I had to conduct research and investigations outside the Networked Media class to gain a fuller understanding of the concepts covered throughout the term. In relation to HTML coding and creation, I frequented many "How to create your own webpage" sites including W3Schools, HTML Dog and HTML Goodies. These sites were invaluable to my understanding of the HTML side to the course and without them, I do not believe I would have been able to have created my Project website at such a level as I did.

Further to this, I experimented frequently with the concepts and techniques involved with HTML experimentation. As with anything I come across that I do not understand in full, I find that practicing the basic processes and techniques involved with that activity to be a huge benefit to my understanding of that aspect of the course. With HTML and hypertext, I frequently practiced creating my own HTML webpages and mini-hypertext projects so as to refresh the skills I had learnt during the creation of my Project website.

I believe also that due to my inexperience with the practice of blogging, I also have succeeded. This semester, I decided that I would attempt to extend beyond the expectations of the blogging assignment by practicing blogging about subjects that were not directly related to my course. This led to the creation of my blogging website "The Optimist's Tasting Plate: A Positive Spin on Really Depressing S**t". In doing this, I believe that I learnt more about the processing of blogging than I ever could have achieved had I only blogged about subjects related to the course. Also related to my blog, I have tried to ensure that I create at least 3 to 5 blogs per week although I recently found that on some occasions, this was slightly harder to achieve than expected hence why I only have created 29 posts.

Finally, I attended all lectures and tutorials throughout the semester, bar one week, and believe that I fully contributed to class discussion and where possible, attempted to assist my fellow peers with any problems they may be experiencing whilst also endeavouring to understand the course myself.

What have I learnt to do better?
Considering that I had no previous experience with HTML or hypertexts before the beginning of this course, I believe that I have accomplished a great many things associated with this course. For instance, I have been able to create my first ever web-page from scratch, all be it with a great amount of help and anguish, but still I managed to produce quite an intricate and experimental hypertext essay using HTML coding. I also learnt how to use CSS and prefer this method of altering the look of my HTML pages than the traditional method of using tables and configuring codes.

In terms of participation, I think that I have learnt not to allow myself to fall behind in class by continously asking questions related to problems I have encountered or aspects of the course I have come across that I have not understood in full during the class. In doing this, I believe that I have been able to participate much more adequately than had I merely said that I would figure it out for myself and then found that really, I was unable to understand the concepts on my own, further causing me to fall behind. It took me a while to realise this but eventually, I learnt that all I had to do was ask for help.

What could have I done better?
If I had had my way, I would have definitely placed more emphasis on understanding the concepts and ideas behind the use of HTML and hypertext and the reason for its existence. I believe that its all well and fair to say that I am able to use the HTML codes but at the end of the day, I do not believe that I actually understand the reasons behind why they have been created that way. If I have time, I may try to research that later in my blog. I also would have liked to have created more posts for my blog as I believe this would have helped me reach a greater learning level of the process of blogging.

Facebook FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions you may have about Facebook:

1. What is Facebook?
A: Facebook's main function is to provide an avenue for naturally unfocused students to practice procrastination. According to our statistics, Facebook user numbers increase around June and November of each year which bizarrely enough, coincides with the examination timetables of most universities and schools.

Facebook also functions as a place for people who wish to stalk their friends without wanting to look too much like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. This as a result has coined the term "Facebook stalking" which involves the process of continually checking your friends Facebook pages at least 10 times in one day to note any updates to their social activities. An example of this would be with Lisa and Sarah. Lisa wanted to see if Sarah was going to be available for catching up on Thursday night this week. Instead of asking her in person or even sending a simple text message, she checked her Facebook events page to see that Sarah was already going to be attending the Toga Party that night. The next time Lisa saw Sarah was on Friday morning. When she asked Sarah how the Toga Party was, Sarah asked her how she knew about it. Unsurprisingly, Lisa received quite a weird stare from Sarah when she said that she had Facebook stalked her to find out.

2. Why does it matter whether I have one friend or 3,000?

Facebook likes to encourage people to believe they are popular based solely on the amount of people in their friendship list. By classifying their account as "In Progress" when they only have 143 friends, Facebook labels those they deem to be underdeveloped hence the expression "In Progress". Its basically a nice way of saying "You are a loser and you should get more friends, NOW!"

This phenomena has also instigated the bizarre practice of people only becoming "official" with their partners only until they have changed their Facebook relationship status. An example of this relates to Sam and Leila. Leila and Sam have been seeing eachother for a while now but when asked if they were going out, neither one could give an answer. Both said that they were unsure about what their "relationship label" i.e boyfriend/girlfriend, exclusive etc, was because Facebook had not determined it yet.

3. Why should I use Facebook?
Facebook gives people the false sense of security that they actually have a social life. By saying "I'll talk to you on FB chat" or "I'll write on your wall", we believe that we are actually having real conversations with our friends. Similarly, face-to-face gossip relays into commenting on people's statuses, photos, wall posts and various other activities that you can complete on Facebook. This allows people to believe that they are interacting with their friendship circle when the reality is, they are merely making comment on it. Finally, Facebook gets everyone on the internet at pretty much the same time on various evenings i.e 7:00pm Monday night, so that the government does not need to worry about spending money on providing youth centers or other creative outlets for them.

Considering Copyright

Ok, so it took me a while but eventually, I knew I would have to hop on the Copyright bandwagon that everyone else has so diligently blogged about during the course of this semester. To be honest, I believe that the topic of Copyright has never really interested me and hence, that is the reason why I could not be bothered to address in on my blogging site but recently, I had an experience that was similar to what one may call "a breach of copyright".

For those of you who do not know me, I love to write for film. My most prized possession is my ideas diary which I am constantly writing in, regardless of how convenient a time it is. This book is literally the most valuable thing I own and no amount of monterary value could see me torn apart from it (I realise I really shouldn't be revealing just how amazing this book is to totaly strangers on the internet who may try and steal it, but I have faith in you all that you wouldn't do that).

The reason why I brought this particular facet of my personal life into this post though is to demonstrate my annoyance at recently stumbling upon Rowan Woods' new film, Winged Creatures, starring Dakota Fanning, Forest Whittaker, Kate Beckinsale and many more. The film delves into the psyche of the human mind from a group of people who have all experienced the same type of emotional trauma, in this case, a random shooting in a Los Angeles Diner.

I was so shocked when I read the synopsis for the film that I think I very nearly fainted (which I never do by the way) and wanted to hurl my Ideas Diary out the window (I didn't don't worry. There is no point in scrounging around outside my balcony to try and find it). You see, two years ago, an idea came into my head for a feature which explored the ways in which humans react to the same tragedy, caused by a hold-up, at a diner, in Los Angeles. To make it even creepier, I worked on Rowan Woods' last production, Three Acts of Murder. Spooky ey?

Now, don't get me wrong, I am in no way insinuating that Mr Woods "stole" my idea and that this can give me ample leverage to sue him for copyright infringement. But it did beg the question:

"Is it possible to copyright a thought?"

I consulted my notes from Lecture 5 of this semester and unfortunately, realised I had already answered my own question weeks ago. According to Shaun Miller, our guest speaker for the day

"You get copyright automatically once you create the work. It does not have to be registered."

"Great!" I thought. Now it would seem that I actually have a basis for suing Rowan Woods. That was until I went on to read a bit more:

"Two criteria has to be meet
1. It has to be original
2. It has to be in a material form (written down or be in a hard copy form)

A verbal idea for example that is not written down or in a material form cannot be protected with copyright.

Bummer. Well there goes that idea.

But wait!! Didn't I say before that I HAD written my story idea down two years ago for a LA diner, hold up movie similar to Rowan Woods' Winged Creatures?
(Scrounges around room desperately trying to find book...)

*5 minutes later*

As it turns out, I DID write down my idea so now, it would seem, I can sue Mr Woods for copyright infringement. However, its when I start to research into copyright a little further that I realise that maybe that's not the best idea.

First of all, I would need to get myself a lawyer. That alone would cost me anywhere between $75 to $300 an hour! From there, I would probably spend nearly $100,000 in legal fees just to get my case to the Supreme Court.

Hmm.. maybe another time.

Well, for those of you who were like me and had never considered copyright law, I hope this post has helped. Till next time, don't worry. Be happy!

Lucky to be alive

After "picking up" The Age this morning (i.e nicking it from outside the security department at RMIT), I wasn't suprised to see that yet again, another depressing, heart-wrenching, overally emotionalised report had been placed on the front page. The story this time was about the recent sentencing of Leigh Robertson, a man who was found guilty of murdering Tracey Greensbury in April last year. According to the article, Robertson had previously committed a murder back in 1968 involving his ex-girlfriend Valerie Ethel Dunn. He had been spared the death penalty at the time because of a campaign to save another murderer at the time, Ronald Ryan. In short, had it not been for the action of Governor Sir Rohan Delacombe, "Tracey Greenbury would still be alive".

And that is where I step in.

Firstly, newspapers are not bloody fortune tellers. Who are they to say that Tracey Greensbury WOULD be alive today? They have no idea of the lifestyle she lead, the people she knew, the things she did each day. For all we know, she could have been a drug addict, crazy drunk who was going to end up either in a wheel chair thanks to the aid of a tree or overdosing in the same manner as Anna Nicole-Smith.

But I'll excuse myself purely for this experimentation. Lets give Tracey the benefit of the doubt. Lets say she was your girl-next-door, your cookies and cream, sweet as sugar, charming young girl who gave to charity and never ate chocolate after dinner. The reality is The Age still could not have predicted if she would still be alive today even if she had such a lifestyle.

People die all the time. Its a fact of life. Some die in more pleasant circumstances, like in their sleep. Some die in more distressing events, like in a car crash. And some die at the hands of others.

In the end, we can not decide the fate of somebody purely by saying what could have been. If anything, Tracey's death was a blessing in disguise for not only the women Robertson raped in 1983 but for Valerie Ethel Dunn, the original victim in this whole saga. Tracey was the straw that broke Robertson's back and there is no way now that a parole board with any sense would let this monster out in the public again.

And so my dear readers, I beg you.
Do not cry.
For Tracey's death was no lie.
Though she suffered at the hands of another,
We can safely say it saved another,
And it was this courage and bravery that was needed to set Val free.

I thought you might all like a little something different to spice up your day. Until next time, don't worry. Be Happy.

Apologies

For all of my loyal readers who missed my quirky, random posts last week, you have my complete and sincere apology. As I should probably have mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I was on a holiday to Sydney with my best friend Georgia and was unable to post any blogs due a lack of internet access.

Needless to say, I already have my first blog post for you on my way home which yet again, is linked to one of Australia's front page news. Even more exciting, I actually experienced it. If you have no idea what I could be talking about yet, here's a clue.

Yes, I officially survived a natural disaster/event and it definitely was not as bad as everyone was making it out to be. Apart from the visual impairment factor, all it really was was just a lot of dust! And for all you asthma sufferers out there, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

Anyway, in relation to the article, I was astounded to read that morning just how severe the Bureau of Meteorology was making the whole thing out to be. "There will be damage to property, power lines down and potentially problems on roads with regard to debris or fallen trees" quoted by Chris Webb. TOTAL OVERSTATEMENT!!!! Seriously, it really wasn't that bad. There was no wind, there were no trees falling down and there certainly were no potential problems for the roads. In fact, by mid-afternoon that very day, the whole thing had pretty much cleaned itself up anyway and according to the weather segment on the news that night, was on its way to New Zealand.

This folks is exactly why I write this blog. To point out to you the ridiculous nature of newspapers and the media to overexaggerate EVERYTHING purely for dramatic effect. And that's literally all the reason for it. If we lived in a perfect world, newspapers would print the fact and that would be all. There would be no opinions given by "professional meteorologists" or written statements by victims to make us emotionally attached, there would just be the pure and simple truth.

Having said that, I've basically contradicted myself because my entire blog is FILLED to the brim with opinions and written statements. I think to survive in this world we all just need to take a step back every now and again and access just how reliable our information is. Can we really believe Old Betty Crockett from 32 James St where apparently a mass murder happened and it was "terrible, absolutely terrible"? I don't think so. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but frankly, I also think they are entitled to keep to themselves too.

So don't be freaked out by the next "major disaster" heading your way folks. It's probably only a minor wind that blowing up the noses of our bored journalists hanging around the water cooler at the Herald Sun. Unless of course its a tsunami in which case I suggest you RUN!!!!

Either way folks, don't worry. Be Happy!

Is Facebook the way of the future??

In today's lecture, I stumbled upon what you may call a mini-epithany. Ok, maybe the idea wasn't that grandiose but it wasn't something I had thought of before so to me, that was quite stupendous.

What I'm blathering about by the way is the astonishing link (pardon the pun) between Tim Berners-Lee's intention of the internet to be an environment where all information provided has a connection to other information, and Facebook's photo tagging system. This process of linking, devised by Berners-Lee, is what he calls "Linked Data". A pretty simple concept really which basically means that any one piece of information is linked to another, much in the same way Wikipedia works.

In his TED presentation, Berners-Lee described his anguish at the number of agencies which did not allow such a system to be applied to their information, such as NASA and the US Government. He said that "The really important thing about data is that the more things you have to connect together, the more powerful it is". He urged large agencies and companies to utilise this system of linked data so that mere folk like us could become more exposed to ALL the information that is available for one topic, rather than just a single document.

So how does this work in with Facebook? How can us uploading our party pics from last Saturday night and tagging every single person help this system of linked data develop?

The answer is really quite simple - it makes us practice. Practice what, you might say? Voyeurism? Stalking? All of these are true in a way but also at the same time, that is in a sense what linked data is about. In the TED presentation again, Tim Berners-Lee's mentioned the ability of linked data to allow us to "browse" certain articles that were connected to the information we had originally come across. Browsing in a sense is really just a watered-down version of stalking if you look at the two definitions side by side:

Browse: to examine casually; skim
Stalk: To pursue by tracking stealthily.

Tagging our friends in photos allows one person to hop from one link to another starting with the image, then looking at who is in the photo and then clicking on the link in that photo which will take them to that person's profile. This is actually a very complicated use of HTML image hyperlinking but what is so fascinating is that Facebook users who are not enrolled in a networked media course, have no idea that they are already employing the basic strategies involved with linked data. This fabulous revelation means that Tim Berners-Lee's may not be as far off from encouraging the world to create linked data as he thinks.

In fact, I'm pretty sure if Tim set up his own Facebook page, he'd have all the linked data he'd ever need.

Mindblank...filled.

Hey everyone

As you know, a couple of weeks ago I had a major freakout because I could not for the life of me remember how the hell you upload an image to a webserver. From looking at my posts, you've probably realised I worked it out ages ago, which I did but this is the first time I've remembered AND had the time to write up what happened after I had found out how to do it. To help you all out in the future, here is how you do it:

First off, you need an image. Preferably one that is not too big in size (about 100-500kb). From there, you open it in photoshop and choose the "save for web devices" option from the file menu.
In the menu that pops up next, you need to select the option that results in the file being saved in a small a form as possible i.e in a 65kb form. Also, you need to make the image a GIF not JPEG. I made that mistake the first time and got totally confused.

Next, you save the image into a folder that is accessable by your web server application like Cyberduck. You then drag the image from that file into a folder called "images" in Cyberduck. This uploads the image to the internet technically converting it from an image that only you can see to something that anyone can access on the web.

From there, all you have to do is drag the image from your desktop file into an empty browser window. This creates a "private" URL which you will notice details the file trail you would take in order to find the image in your folders. To change it from "private" to "public", you need to change the first section of the URL to combine your public URL address with the URL of the Cyberduck folder that contains the image.

And voilá! There is your image on the internet. After that, to get it onto your website, all you need to do is use the image HTML tag which looks like this . The alt= space is the title of your image and the img src= is the URL that tells your blog/website where it can find the image.

So there you have it folks. It took me a while but I finally got it out there. Hopefully I'll be able to help another hopeless wannabe like me with their website. Till then, don't worry. Be happy!

Neighbours finally gets networked

The recent article contained within the Media section of The Age last Monday couldn't help but make me laugh with the title "Neighbours takes roles to Twitter". The brief reflection on Fremantle Media's latest attempt to entice Gen-Y into their program is apparently being claimed as "the first in the world" "to establish Twitter accounts for its fictional characters".

According to The Age, the Twitter accounts were created to "bring the characters off screen and allow the audience to interact with them". Basically, the character's onscreen narratives are detailed in 140 word blog posts just like the 7,038,000 users who log on each day to talk about what they had for breakfast.

Now personally, I have never been able to understand the point of Twitter. In 140 words, you are supposed to be able to detail any emotions, thoughts and ideas you have had recently. I don't know about you but if I attempted to write down all of my emotions, thoughts and ideas, it would take up a lot more than 140 words. As a result, I have never been much intersted in the sight and only set up an account to check out what Lily Allen was up to lately.

This is why I can not see this scheme by FM working out at all. What seems like a good idea to some seems to me like a whole load of work which probably isn't going to pay off. For a start, you have to think about every single thing that is happening in the lives of the Neighbours characters rather than just what's happening on screen. This means employing a whole team of writers just to write our 140 words detailing what Zeke does in the bathroom or what poem Ringo's just created for Donna, something I wouldn't be entirely interested to watch on screen and would be less interested to read on the web.

And I think I speak for the rest of my generation when I say this. Rarely do we give up the precious minutes of our self-indulgent lives to waste our short-attention span on Neighbours at 6 o'clock each day which is why I can't see when we would find the time to log onto Twitter to read up on what our characters are doing outside of their usual timeslot.

Frankly, I think Neighbours should stick to one medium and one medium only and perhaps when it has been able to conquer that, then it can think about moving on to bigger and better things.

It's about time...

Today I believe is the first time in about a month where I have actually looked forward to pointing out the positive aspects of one of today's top stories. For those of you who picked up The Age this morning, you all would have seen the MASSIVE photo of a jockey going hell-for-leather at a horse's neck at what we can assume is the last leg of a race. The reason for the photo's prominence was to emphasise the "disruption" caused by the current Australian Jockey Association strike, an inconvenience that apparently is putting the upcoming Spring Carnival in jeapordy.

Oh BOO HOO! Seriously! So what?! So a whole load of swanky V.I.P's can't show off their latest distateful buys from some crappy designer? So the country's most "successful" (code for evil) racing horse owners can't beat up another horse for the next 2 months coz there's no longer a race for it to run? So the state loses a shitload of money which we Melbournians would be better off putting towards our mortgage/car/kids education? Big Deal!

Frankly, I think the latest decision by the Australian Racing Board is the best thing that has ever happened to the industry. For too long, horses have had to suffer intolerably cruelty at the hands of their trainers, owners and riders and not once ever given the proper respect that they deserve.

The new rule in question was introduced on August 1st by the ARB. For those of you who are unaware of its significance on the racing industry, here are the main points:

• In the last 200 metres, the whip can be used only three times, and this must be in consecutive strides. The whip must not be raised above the shoulder.


• Before the 200 metre mark, a full whipping motion can be used no more than five times.


• Whips must be padded.


• Previously there was no restriction on the number of times a horse could be whipped.

Jockeys claim that the introduction of these new rules "threaten their safety". According to Australian Jockey Association chief executive Paul Innes, apparently all the jockeys were after was "a bit of common sense". Common sense? Common sense?! What amount of logic is involved in believing that a horse would want to become involved in something that results in them being left in a stall, brusied, beaten and broken from running all day around a frickin' race track? None. Absolutely none. The jockeys who honestly believe that this sort of attitude is ok obviously don't care about the horses they ride otherwise they wouldn't do it.

Frankly, with an industry that is overrun with hideous stories about druggings, horrible surgical procedures and corruption, its a breath of fresh air to finally hear that the industry may have some moral fibre. The horses are no longer suffering more than necessary AND the jockeys finally have to use their BRAINS (yes i know they're small but they are there) instead of their braun to get the horse over the finishing line first.

I don't know about you lot but if you're as passionate about animals as I am and if the strike does prove to reverse the introduction of these rules than I hope you will all send personal letters to the chairman of the ARB, Bob Bentley, complaining about how daft this act would be.
Anyway, let's just pray and hope this never comes to light. Until then, don't worry! Be happy!

One Hundred and One Weird-Ass Words

Throughout the duration of this course, there have been a number of words which I have titled "weird-ass" because you look at them from front to back and still think they're weird. These W.A.Ws as they shall be abbreviated include TCP/IP, HTML, and CSS. As you can see, these are all acronymn's for much larger words but even when these tiny abbreviations are extended, I still have no idea what they are on about. SO! I decided to put my fingers to the keyboard and research just exactly what these W.A.W's are on about.

W.A.W: TCP/IP
Stands for: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol aka. The Internet Protocol Suite
Meaning: Ok, so this is a toughy. According to my trusty guide from the TCP/IP for Dummies book, TCP/IP is "the glue that holds the internet together". Basically this means that computer-to-computer communications can be made securely and easily. The internet protocol suite is made up of a series of layers including the Link Layer, the Internet Layer, the Transport Layer, and the Application Layer. These layers ensure problems involving the transmission of data are solved easily, each lower layer protocol provides a well-defined service to the upper layer protocols based on using their services alone. The TCP/IP suite was set up in the summer of 1973 by Robert E. Kahn and Vinton Cerf to connect satellite packet networks with ground-based radio packet networks. Before this, information transmission was limited to radio-radio networks or satellite -satellite networks. Nowadays, numerous connections can be made between various types of networks no matter what their characteristics. This is all linked to a greater ability to access information around the world and send information to someone no matter where they are. I have to express my sincere and utter gratitude to Kahn and Cerf. Without them, there is no way I would be able to check my Facebook, send emails to my boss or Skype with my parents. This would have been a major drawback on my social life as sad as that is to admit but either way, I am utterly endebted to these two men for life.

W.A.W: HTML
Stands For: Hypertext Markup Language
Meaning: HTML is basically the language of computers. Just like France has French, Germany has German and Australia has... whatever we have, computers too need a language in order to communicate with us mere humans. It's a way of describing how a set of text and images should be displayed to the viewer, similar in concept to a newspaper editor's markup symbols. The actual language of HTML is made up of elements which are further made up of attributes and content. Attributes detail what is to happen with the content which is contained within the single or double quotes. HTML was created in the late 1980s as a revision of the CERN system of information transmission called ENQUIRE which was designed to assist CERN scientists in transferring data between eachother. This system was expanded upon by Tim Berners-Lee and is now used as the primary language amongst computer systems across the globe. I definitely would not have been able to complete this assignment without knowing about this HTML. It's definitely not something you can just fob your way around. HTML is a complicated and tricky language just like French (which by the way, took me 5 years to learn and I'm not even fluent at it) but with practice, I was able to acquire basic skills and practices that are involved with translating normal text to HTML. I'm actually quite excited about the prospects of where this can take me and I look forward to doing more HTML exercises later in the future.

W.A.W: CSS
Stands for: Cascading Style Sheet
Meaning: CSS is another way HTML language can be presented to the human eye. Whilst its all well and good to have a website which presents your content neatly, at the end of the day, people will get bored of reading page after page of boring black text on a white background. CSS is designed primarily to enable the separation of document content (written in HTML or a similar markup language) from document presentation, including elements such as the colors, fonts, and layout. This is possibly the most exciting W.A.W that I have come across during my studies as CSS represented to me the gateway between me just doing this whole website making assignment begrudingly to actually enjoying the control I had over the way my website looked. And it looked cool! Instead of a boring white background and black Times New Roman, I finally got an awesome, professional looking site all in few applications of a simple code.

Whilst these "definitions" may not be as detailed as the ones you would find on Wikipedia , they do all basically detail the fundamental meanings of each of these "weird-ass words" so I hope you will all be able to use them to your own advantage when you too have a WTF moment like I did.

Driven to despair? Or driven to dream?

For those of you who diligently cross yourselves each morning before facing the on-coming rush hour traffic, this morning's Herald Sun front page would most definitely have given you something extra to worry about. I on the other hand was jumping for joy! As you will have already read in my earlier post, Flamin' Firebombs, I am a huge supporter of any initiative that involves the decreased production of CO2 emissions. What on earth does this have to do with today's front page news about Melbourne's most fanatical parking inspectors? Let me explain...

You see, whilst you were all groaning at the sight of numerous statistics and graphs the Sun kindly provided yesterday detailing just how much money the Melbourne City Council is filching off your tardiness, I was smiling warmly in the knowledge that I do not need to worry about parking fines or expired meters or accidently parking my car in a tow-away zone. The reason for this? Because I don't have a car and trust me, it is an absolute blessing.

Now I know you think I'm crazy. Doesn't have a car?! But how on earth does she survive?! Well, funnily enough, ladies and gentleman, humans were born with these silly things called legs which allow us to move about our day without emitting thousands of kilos of carbon dioxide (unless you happened to have tacos for breakfast).

The main point that needs to be emphasised from this morning's article is that to avoid a daily date with Mr "OMG! I only have 5 minutes to top up the meter!", we should look at alternative ways of getting to and from our daily activities. The possibilities are endless. Walk, cycle, tram, train, ferry or rollerblade it into town and not only will you never need to worry about your chariot of fire waiting in Inspector Territory on the street, but you will also be aiding your health and the environment.

The pros always outway the cons when it comes to this blog which is why I can safely say that in reference to the "despairing" data provided by Herald Sun this morning, don't worry. Be Happy!

Michael's Marilyn Moment

Recently, a survey was conducted (by yours truly nonetheless) of the blogs posted here at TOTP and it was concluded that the number of articles featuring newspapers other than the Herald Sun or The Age was ... 0. Therefore, today I decided to change tracks and switch to another newspaper outlet that we are all familiar with but one I would not normally consider as a "depressing" newspaper, this being mX.

mX, for my international readers (if there are any of you out there) is a free, local to Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, newspaper that focuses on providing city commuters with a "daily mix of fun news, sport and entertainment". It is for that reason that I was shocked to find such a devastating abuse of mX's front page article this morning.

Brandished across the front page like a fresh iron brand was the single word "Homicide". Anything the size and shape that this title held on the paper's anterior section is sure to get some attention, and the actual heading itself only proved to entice the reader more. A classic trick of the trade for a newspaper that is supposed to be an alternative to the crap we read every day in the Sun and the Age.

For those of you who missed it, mX's major story for the day was the detailing of recent reports from the L.A Coroner's Court which specifically state the fact that Michael Jackson's death was a result of "death at the hands of another" (i.e homicide). The shocking news has since outraged Michael Jackson fans across the world who want justice to be brought to the horrible offender that incurred such an untimely demise for the King of Pop.

Whilst I myself was (am?) a massive fan of the Man in the Mirror, it is my duty to provide you readers with the optimistic outlook on the article and here it is.

From the way I see it, we can take Michael Jackson's death as one of 2 things - either, he was a crazy, neurotic, kinda/really creepy 50 year old with a penchance for silk pajamas and employing really bad staff, or, he was a a crazy, neurotic, kinda/really creepy 50 year old with a penchance for silk pajamas and employing really bad staff who also happened to murder him. Do you see the difference? Let me use an another reference to prove my point.

Marilyn Monroe, arguably one of the world's most beautiful women, was what one could call a slutty, blond who enjoyed the presence of men maybe a tad too much and liked to "sing" for the President's supper. Funnily enough though, around the time of her death, mass speculation began to arise about the manner in which this event occurred. Whilst murder and suicide were ruled out, they are still regarded in history today as a possible cause of death and personally, I believe that this is the main reason why she is still remembered to this day as "a legend". It wasn't her talent or her face but merely the possibility that she could have died "at the hands of another" and it is this speculation more than anything else that is what has kept her name firmly placed within our social history.

Now, after that rather downward spiralling rant I wish to comfort you by stating that there is a positive side to this rather depressing exploration into Michael Jackson's death and its relation to Marilyn Monroe's similar quietus. You see, both were major stars at the time of their death. This meant that post vete, major hype was created around the reasons for these stars' bizarre fates and as a result, at least in Marilyn's case, their stardom only became more prominent. Also, both stars were rumoured to have been murdered. In Monroe's case, this statement was never confirmed but many believe that this was more to do with lack of adequeate scientific equipment available at the time rather than a lack of evidence. Therefore, many still believe that Monroe was in fact murdered and I am willing to go as far as to say that it is this sole reason that has kept her memory so fresh in our minds.

As a result, I believe that the same result will occur in relation to MJ's farewell. Whilst his death has now been ruled a homicide, the fact that like Monroe, it can now be confirmed that it was no accident and it is this fact that will keep his legendary status alive for many years to come. Had he died as a result of an accidental overdose or even suicide who knows, the same effect may not have been felt. But I feel safe in the claim that because his death includes mystery, suspicion and now a suspect, he will remain a major part of popular culture for many future generations.

Well, there you have it my darling readers. Leave this site in the warm fuzzy knowledge that whilst death "at the hands of another" is a rather horrible way to go, it can in fact be a blessing in disguise for you can all be safe in knowing that in 50 years time, your great-grand kids will still be singing "ABC....It's easy as 1, 2, 3". Adios amigos oh, and don't worry. Be happy!

Nuclear Nuisances

According to today's Age, "Australia and Japan are at loggerheads over the use of nuclear weapons in war, with Japan - the only country to suffer an atomic attack - determined they should remain a broad-based deterrent". Great, but since when have we needed to worry about nuclear warfare? I why is it all of a sudden front page news. Never to dissapoint, I investigated further into the matter for you my trusty readers.

According to various sources (yes I did just look it up in wikipedia but I promise you I read some other stuff too), the NFU or "no first-use" policy refers to the position that countries like India, China and North Korea have adopted in relation to their attitude about nuclear weapons. An NFU is "a pledge or a policy by a list of states with nuclear weapons" to not use nuclear weapons as a mean of warfare unless first attacked by an adversary using nuclear weapons" This means China, India and North Korea will not use nuclear weapons unless somebody else does it first. The US, England, Israel and Pakistan do not have such a policy as each individual country has specific justifications as to why they would be allowed to call the shots in deciding who gets to fire the first nuclear missile.

So, you're probably thinking right now, what has this got to do with Japan? Well, for those of you who weren't born in the 80s (sorry Calvin), this whole nuclear paranoia crap started in 1945 when a nuclear bomb cutely dubbed "Little Boy" was kindly dropped on the Japanese town of Hiroshima, instantly killing 80,000 people, the largest mass killing by a single military weapon in history. After effects of the attack resulted in nearly 120,000 deaths from the radiation exposure and 69% of the infrastructure of the city was destroyed. According to reports by the Truman government, the bomb was dropped after the Japanese government rejected the Potsdam Ultimatum, the Allies last proposal to Japan to surrender. After the rejection, the American's let "Little Boy" fly on Hiroshima which many believe on August 6th, was the end of the second world war.

Well thats your little history lesson for today folks but I can sense you're all a little bit confused. Mainly, why is Japan refusing to follow Australia's lead in asking Britain, the US and other anti-NFU countries to disarm their nuclear forces so as to reduce the risk of another Hiroshima-type attack. Japan, however, has apparently piped up and said that it does not want this to happen because it would mean the US would lose its powers to employ a first-strike against countries who may or may not have employed nuclear weapons against home territory or an ally.

To make all of this a little bit more logical, this is the way I believe it all works.

The 9 countries involved can be seen like the cliques you get in highschool. America, Britain, Israel and Pakistan are the cools kids who believe they are superior to everyone else just because they have a massive hedgefund. North Korea, Russia and China are those creepy kids who have proved in the past that they can cause some damage but have since been severely ripped by the popular kids and as a result, spend their lunchtimes plotting their revenge. Japan and Australia are the new kids on the block who have never really had an opinion when it comes to "playground politics" but only know they just want to fit in. Together, they vowed to assist the "popular" crew with particular international problems etc and most of the time you'll find Japan and Australia are on America's side. However, because Japan used to fight with the US all the time when they were toddlers (their mums had to separate them from eachother during playgroup), they feel that America will kick their ass again if they make any waves so they basically do whatever America tells them to do. Australia, on the otherhand, is the little Indie kid who likes to believe they are setting the trends. What they don't realise half the time though, is that no one is really listening to them.

Hence we arrive at the predicament we are in now. When originally Japan and Australia arrived on the scene at the same time, Japan has now grown bigger balls and isn't too interested in keeping face with Australia as they've got big old America behind them to back them up. As a result, Australia is the last kid on the bench during sport trials and when it comes to lunchtime, you'll usually find it in the toilet blocks eating a sandwich by itself.

I thought you may have all liked a little variety to spice up your usual optimism but have no fear, as I always do, here's the good stuff:

Basically, we can rest easily in knowing that Australia is not about to just roll over and play dead for America just because it's lost its new best friend Japan. No, its seems our gang leader, K-Rudd, has more pride than that and he doesn't look like he's going to give up that quickly. Also, the possibility of the world being destroyed by another "Little Boy" is quite rare as the world has more pressing matters at hand such as (cue sarcasm) the global financial crisis (Tragedy!), decreasing oil supplies (What horror!), and international trading treaties (Its an outrage!).
So, instead of freaking out about the possibility that America may just decide to end the world with the push of a button overnight, be grateful in knowing that we have a prime minister who is not a pushover and that the possibility of an attack in the near future is quite improbable.

There you go folks, you thought it was all a bit touch and go there for a while but as I always do, I provided you with the goods. So rest easy tonight and remember, don't worry. Be happy!

What's it all about?

After much confusion about the purpose of these blogs to the point where I felt my head was about to explode, I decided it was necessary to listen to the Jamaicans and "Just Breath". Funnily enough, oxygen is really handy in getting the brain to think harder! Who knew!?! So, with this new found attitude, I decided to find some inspiration by working my way through the entire Networked Media Blogging Assessment Outline (yes I know, it's only 2 pages long but I still couldn't get my head around it).

What I concluded from this were that there were a number of things I needed to be doing in order to get a HD at the end of all this palava. This included:

• Producing regular blog entries (at least 5 per week)


• Writing blogs that critically engage with the course content (i.e exploring different viewpoints and methods for the topics we cover each week)


• Engaging with the course content in a way that discusses any problems or ideas I encounter along the way and why this was the case.


• And finally, the blogs should be a documentation of our learning progression throughout the semester demonstrating how we have overcome problems in order to move our education further forward.

To add to this, I checked out one of our first NM readings, Blogging Thoughts by Torill Mortensen and Jill Walker. In the article, Mortensen and Walker quote one of the Blogger creators, Evan Williams who says

the blog concept is about three things: Frequency, Brevity, and Personality

Frequency is self-explanatory. Basically that you keep up regular blog posts preferrably daily. The aim of this I believe is to assist bloggers in developing a consistent tone and style which is important in setting yourself apart from the millions of other blog invaders out there.

Brevity is the concise and exact use of words in writing I.E no warbling/waffling/long-winded speeches about cats. This writing style is what sets blogs apart from other written documents like essays or thesisses.

Finally, personality is the ability of a writer to express their views and beliefs through their writing in an individual and original way. This too is important in distiniguishing yourself from the rest of the blogging population. It is also necessary in creating a bond between you and your readers. Whereas other pieces of writing may be presented in an objective way, the blog should be entirely subjective so as to entice your target audience in and invite them to agree or disagree with the ideas and thoughts we present.

SO, with all this in mind I definitely feel much better about the direction that this blog is heading. Be prepared to read something tomorrow that is short, sharp, witty and full of personality. Until then, don't worry. Be happy!

Mindblank...

Ok so no I'm not an idiot or a complete techno-loser but I seriously can not remember the process of converting one of your photos from your desktop onto a website. I got as far as opening the image into Photoshop and saving it under the "Save for web devices" category but that's as far as I could remember. Will get back to this soon.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...

In line with Quentin Tarantino's Hitler, all I want to do this morning is scream

"NEIN! NEIN! NEIN! NEIN! NEIN!!!

OK, phew, its alright, I've got it out of my system now.

Now, you are probably all wondering what the hell is wrong with me if I am simulating the behaviour of a fictional/real historical evil mastermind, particularly when this is supposed to be an optimist's haven, but I could not honestly believe my eyes when I picked up The Age this morning.


You're probably wondering what the hell is wrong with me. Isn't it good that China has just signed a $50 billion deal with Australia in which PetroChina will purchase 2.25 million tonnes a year of West Australian LPG Gas over a 20 year period? Isn't it beneficial to our economy in these tough times considering the project will be worth 5 per cent of the nation's gross domestic product? And won't it help you personally considering your dad works for Woodside in the oil and gas sector?

The answer to all these questions is most definitely a "Ja, Ja" and another big "Ja" but unlike everyone else in this country, I am seeing the downsides to this agreement which are very likely to occur.

Firstly, 20 years is a long time and as we have seen, a lot of things can change within that time period. For instance, entire economies can crash in less than a day, dictatorships can rise and fall and terrorists can singlehandedly cause the complete reformation of the way we think about our international defence strategies. Therefore, how on earth can we gauruntee that in 20 years time, we will still have enough gas to supply China and then us as well. I know that hundred hours of research is put into this but we know from past experience that no amount of scientific research is fool-proof for the future.

Secondly, what are the ecological benefits of this exchange? Why isn't China paying us $50 billion to produce the first solar panel field that can produce more than 80 gigawatts/hour? (that is currently the world record from the Parque Fotovoltaico Olmedilla de Alarcón in Spain) The answer to this is because in the end, it is so much easier to build one pipe into the earth's core and suck up a whole load of gas then construct solar panels spanning across hundreds of square kilometres. Sad really that we're so lazy don't you think?

Finally, I believe this deal was orchestrated more to prove that China and Australia's diplomatic ties are still strong despite all the controversy caused by the Melbourne International Film Festival's screening of The 10 Conditions of Love, a documentary about "the life of a fearless woman who has paid a terrible price for becoming an international symbol of her nation’s struggle". Frankly, I think $50 billion could make a lot of people forget about Chinese film directors pulling out the festival in protest or hackers replacing the entire MIFF website with an animated waving flag and the words

"We like film,but we hate Rebiya Kadeer!
We like peace,and we hate East Turkistan terrorist!
Please apologize to all the Chinese people!
Hacked by oldjun!"

I have never been a big fan of the Chinese government and you can probably guage this from this blog's tone but I want to reassure you that no I am not on the latest anti-anti-depressant recently released on the market (I don't think one actually exists so don't bother looking for one). I am merely attempting to make you all see the other side to today's top story. Whilst superficially this agreement between the Chinks and the Ockers is a good deal, I think we seriously need to look at the bigger picture in terms of where this world is heading and why major contracts like these are only proving to make our current economical and environmental situations worse.

On a lighter yet less enlightened note however, I fully support the government's achievements in creating nearly 6000 jobs and also ensuring my Dad will keep his job at least for the next 20 years.

So with that, I bid you all good day and remember, don't worry. Be Happy!

Flaming firebombs!

Anyone who happened to pick up today's Herald Sun would have immediately been created with the gruelling image of a fire truck desperately racing away from an enraging furno. The front page boldly reads "Nobody Was In Charge". The following story on page 4 detailed the latest developments of the Royal Inquiry into the Februaru 7 "Black Saturday" Bushfires.

Now I know I'm treading water in dangerous shark infested seas right now due to the emotional ties that come with the mention of this tragedy but I'm sorry, I just can not stand by and not voice my positive opinions on this story.

For those of you that know me, I am a huge advocate for being eco-conscious. I actively recycle, take public transport or walk instead of using the car, have a major obsession with turning all the lights out in the house before I leave it (which drives my mother berseck), and I am constantly badgering my friends about their anti-eco friendly practices (like my best friend who goes out of her way to annoy me by driving to the cinema instead of catching the train). The result of all this is that I am constantly aware of the devastating effects that global warming IS (yes i am using the present tense) having on our world and am not as shocked about events like the "Black Saturday" bushfires as other people who do not believe global warming is something that will happen to them in this lifetime.

Ok so now you're probably thinking, hang on I thought this was supposed to be positive? I don't want to feel bad about my fuel-guzzling 4X4 which I use to drive the 400m walk to the shops every day. Or the fact that I spend 20 minutes in the shower because hot water all over my body just makes me feel soooo good in the morning.

Well, yes you have a right to feel wary at my attitude towards these *cough*selfish*cough* acts, but let me tell you this.

Front page news, like today's, detailing the "horror" of such catastrophic events like the "Black Saturday" bushfires, only prove to the reader that global warming is happening. You can not deny it now. Yes it was easy 4 years ago to witness the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in the US and the wreckage left behind by the 2004 tsunami in Bali because it wasn't happening on our soil. Like everything else in human life, things become so much easier to deal with when we can say "Oh, it will never happen to me". Well people, its time to wake up and smell the sulfure because Black Saturday I believe, can officially be declared Australia's first example of the effects of climate change on our planet.

So the good news? The good news from this ladies and gentlemen is that it is not too late. Scientists believe that if we can reduce our carbon emissions by 70% in the next century, then we will be able to avoid all the devastating effects of climate change that WILL happen if we do not do something. This means making small lifestyle changes (I say small in the sense that making such changes really wouldn't have that big an impact on your life in comparison to having to deal with 100m sea level rises). Here's what you can do:

1. Walk/cycle/tram it/swim to work - cutting out driving eliminates 0.8 TONNES (yes that 800kilos) of carbon emissions.


2. Eating more vegies - Producing 1kg of beef results in more CO2 emissions than going for a three-hour drive while leaving all the lights on at home.


3. Swith Off! - using electricity in the home generates around 20% of the world's overall greenhouse gas emissions.


4. Finally, become more conscious of your overall energy useage - knowing how much energy you use around the house will effectively assist you in be able to work out ways in which to reduce this consumption

These are just a small number of steps we can integrate into our daily lifestyle to prevent future natural disasters like the "Black Saturday" bushfires. They are easy to implement and as you can tell, are all healthy alternatives for your current way of living.

So, my fellow readers, I know that I will have taken your emotions through the wringer today but I assure you, global warming is not something to panic about. If it takes us 100 years to create the damage we are seeing in the world right now, then it will just as easily take that long to undo it.

In closing, make a stand. Don't let the tragedy of "Black Saturday" unfold again this summer. And most importantly, don't worry. Be happy!

A happy heartwarming story about something not so heartwarming...

I was particularly excited to hear today (more for the fact that my hometown of Perth had actually done something worthwhile for a change) of the landmark case involving Christian Rossiter, a quadriplegic who finally was awarded the right to refuse medical treatment that may result in his death.

I don't know why, cases like this don't usually concern me or strike me as momentous as I don't really have an opinion on them, but I think because a case of this magnitude was made in my hometown, I felt more compelled to put a positive spin on it.

Now I know you'll be thinking "But it's already got a happy ending!". Not necessarily. See, for the next few months or so whilst this case still rolls through the media, protests, strikes and complaints will all be made against the decision and more than likely, somebody will try to reverse the judgement.

I think this would be an act of inhumanity. People all around the world die every day of disease, famine, illness or by natural disaster. Now, I know for a fact that you don't see these anti-euthanasia protestors fighting against government agencies, chain supermarkets or Mother Nature. So why, when it comes to something like this, when a human being actually has the choice over how they wish to leave this world, do we present resistance?

Whilst I don't agree with suicide, I do believe that when a person has absolutely no choice over their future, be it due to sickness or any other situation, they should be allowed the right to end things their won way.

I think this case will be the catalyst for what will hopefully be a revolution of modern society's ways of thinking.

Police poised for new strip search powers...I mean, street searchpowers...

Oh this one was just too good not to do.

For those of you that don't know me, I am madly, crazy, gooishly (yes I did just make up my own word in a blog), in love with the opposite sex (i.e the male variety) and relish any chance I can get to grab a sneak peek of said species' anatomy. Hence why I spend a lot of time at the beach with all my clothes on staring at "the sea".

What relevance does this have to do with the Victorian Government's latest crackdown on the latest spite in knife attacks within the Melbourne CBD? Well, according to The Age, under new laws, police forces will now receive the authority to stop and search anyone they please in a designated area of their choosing.

THAT BASICALLY MEANS TELLING REALLY, REALLY HOT GUYS TO GET THEIR KIT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET!!!!

Ok, so it's probably not as risqué as that but I'm sure if they were really suspicious of somebody, they wouldn't just allow them the walk off with a quick pat down and a "be good now you hear" from Sergeant Plod.

No, no. My vision of these new laws goes something along the lines of this:
A trio of really, really hot guys (aka, Wentworth Miller, Channing Tatum and Chace Crawford lookalikes), are walking through Federation Square with one of them displaying an odd bulge in his left front pocket (no ladies, not THAT kind of bulge). Anyway, Detective Sergeant Williams asks the boys to step over here quietly for a quick "search". Having been unable to produce anything resembling the suspicious bulge, the kind policeman asks oh lets say the Chace Crawford lookalike just for fun, to take off his shirt so that he can be certain he is not carrying any suspicious weapons.

The shirt comes off and BAM!. Yes, that ladies and gentlemen, is the sound of a hundred female jaws hitting the pavement of Fed Square in awe of this picturesque replica of the male figure. From there, the man is searched with nothing resembling the "bulge" (ok so maybe it was THAT kind of bulge) and the policeman quietly apologises informing CC that he is free to go. The men depart, leaving behind a hundred women all looking like they are attempting to catch snow flakes on their tongues in the middle of summer.

And that my loyal readers, is why you should not despair at yet another attempt to limit our rights to lawful protest but rejoice in the slim chance that you may get a really hot guy to flash his pecs.

Until next time, loyal readers, don't worry. Be happy!

Krikey! Even the koalas are at it!

Today's shocking news for all was most definitely the sudden and unjustly premature death of Sam the Koala, the cute bundle of fluff that attracted audience's attention around the world to the devastating effects of the Black Saturday Bushfires.

But bizarely enough, Sam did not die of what one would assume a koala would naturally die from(whatever that may be). Apparently, their is an STD epidemic amongst the koala population and this more than any other form of diseases is what's causing their demise. According to Professor Peter Timms from the Queensland University of Technology, nearly 40-50% of the Australian(i'm not sure if there is another country they herald from) Koala population is infected with Chlamydia.

So what could possibly be my positive spin on this? I can hear you sigh. If bloody koalas can't learn how to role a rubber, than what hope do 16 year old boys have in the dark after a few too many VB's?

Personally, I think that there is an opportunity here for some great advertising. Think about it. You walk into the chemist. You're trying your best to avoid the glaring stares of that kooky eyed Nanna buying Tena incontinence pads in Aisle 6 and shuffle hastily towards the condom section. Inundated with the amount of choice at your fingertips, you reach for a packet with an unintimidatingly cute picture of Sam the Koala on the front. Walking proudly towards the counter instead of desperately trying to hide your intended purchase, you approach the desk clerk who smiles at you when she realises what you've bought. A little more confident now, you may even try to flirt with her, saying something along the lines of "I'm no koala. I wear a condom".

From there on, the possibilities are endless. Sexual Health clinics will display posters of Sam photoshoppically holding a packet of condoms in his paw with the tag line "Don't end up like I did. Wear protection" written underneath. Mobile STD Awareness groups that travel to schools will use a stuffed toy version of Sam to mime out how to put on a condom. And teenagers across the country will converse about their weekend saying "Yeah I slept with that really hot chick from biology". "Did you use protection?". "Yeah of course mate. What you take me for? A fuckin' koala?".

The list goes on and on.

So, readers, whilst again I have approached the touchy subject of death to brighten up your day, I hope you all understand that despite Sam unfortunate passing, their really is a silver lining to the cloud. All that needs to happen is some smart-arse PR geek smacks a few pictures on a condom packet and voila, a safe sex campaign featuring none other than Sam the Koala.

That's all for today folks. Until next time, don't worry. Be happy!!

All Is Not In Vain...

Ok, so, probably not the best day to start an optimist's blog based on daily front page news. Today, I had a choice between the Somali Islamists foiled suicide terrorism raid and the death of a 2 year old girl called Hayley. Naturally, I chose The Herald Sun's coverage of the brutal, violent attack on an innocent infant.

What's that you say? My logic fails you? Yes, I'm not surprised. Most people would probably have chosen the exciting story of the Australian Army valiantly outsmarting the evil Somali Islamists with their wit and skill but my fair readers, I do not want you to think of me as merely a passive optimist. My job is to find the good in even the most terrible of situations, including that of the death of little Hayley.

For those of you who did not read this morning's article on the story, "darling two year-old Hayley" was brutally bashed in her home over one month ago and on Sunday, died as a result of severe brain damage caused by the incident. To make the situation even more tragic, her grandfather has just announced that his step-son, Hayley's father, committed suicide immediately following the charge laid against him regarding the offence. Her grandfather claims her dad was not the culprit.

Heavy stuff. But here's the good news.

Firstly, feel happy and safe in knowing that you live in a perfectly, non-violent family where bashing and violent outbursts are restricted to insults thrown at the footy on a Saturday afternoon. If, however, you do come from a family with a troubled history, take comfort in the fact that as a result of Hayley's death, your life might just become a little bit better.

In today's arcticle, Child Safety Commissioner Bernie Geary has pledged a "frank and fearless" inquiry into the handling of the Hayley's situation with the Child Protection Services. This means the entire system are about to get a kick up their backside. The good news with this is that Australian Child Protection Services will finally receive the overhaul they have so rightly deserved for the past 10 years.
As a result, inquiries into acts of domestic violence and claims of abuse will be taken more seriously so that deaths, like Hayley's, will become a thing of the past.

So, readers, I plead with you. Yes, shed a tear for little Hayley. But remember, that out of every tragedy their is no reason to let death go in vain. Whilst Hayley's death is a sad fact of life when it shouldn't have to be, the good news is that her death has created a major neon signing pointing right at the Child Protection Services saying "This Needs Work". And the major people involved in this issue are now taking notice.

That's all for today readers. Remember, don't worry, be happy!