Thursday, May 31

Week 11- Microsoft Excel

This brought back a few memories. I haven't used (hell, even touched) Excel since leaving high school, which shockingly is nearing two years ago. We used to do tasks similar to this one, but since mathematical skill was something I wasn't blessed with, I've had no reason or need to use this program since then. However, once I got started into this tutorial task, everything started coming back to me.

Shortcuts, such as "=B2*C2," started to become almost second nature again, which is kind of weird since I never really paid too much attention to Excel back in the day. I guess some of it did stick with me thoug as I never had too much trouble with this excercise, except for the advanced excercise.

I was more hesitant in this one than others (probably hence the name "advanced") but I struggled through it well enough. It's strange how you can go so long without using a program but then suddenly get right back into it but I guess that's what happened with me in this week. Of course, if I hadn't had previous experience with Excel before (like Photoshop for instance, something that I was, and still am a hopeless novice at) then I would have probably been stuck for a while, but Excel's interface is well designed and I think after a while I would have been fine with it.

Week 10- Microsoft Word

Though I've used Microsoft Word constantly for years, if I'm honest I've never really explored the more advanced uses of it, such as mail merging and track changes. It took me a while to get my head around both of these concepts, which is strange since it's not as if I've never seen these features before. My first go on each feature wasn't really a success, in fact if anything I was getting more and more confused by it all. But I kept trying and eventually got into the knack of it. I now see the practicality of these two features and will at some point try to go from carefully going word-to-word from the instruction on Learning @ GU to just going at it full tilt.

I found it interesting also that in the tutorial task outline it said that this task may be weird if you're used to something like OpenOffice. I had never heard of such a thing before, but after reading about it and hearing about it during a lecture, I went home, downloaded it (eventually) and now am starting to use it far more often than the now dreaded Microsoft Office, so the message got through to at least one person haha.

Friday, May 11

Movie Piracy Essay

Movie Piracy: Pay Now or Pay Later?
The purpose of this essay is to investigate movie piracy. Defined by dictionary.com as "the unauthorised reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc," within this increasing activity there are different viewpoints and impacts from relevant parties. From major Hollywood studios and distributors to the local independent cinema to a teenage male university student, these groups of people and businesses are the driving forces in either the continuation of this illegal action or the battle against it. Therefore these will be examined, as will relevant financial data and some of the technology used to pirate films.

To begin, it is worth noting the financial cost this behaviour is causing. The Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA), which is the self-proclaimed “voice and advocate” of this industry estimated that in the year 2005 alone, worldwide movie piracy cost the business over US$6.1billion (Associated Press 2006). From that general figure the relatively new form of piracy, downloading copies from the internet rather than purchasing pirated discs, deprived US$2.3 billion (or 37% of the total amount) from the industry alone.

To download movies and other large files from the internet, having broadband access is necessary. This style of data transmission, which gains its name from the high speed created by sending bandwidth through more than one signal, is becoming more and more popular. Ronald Roach (2004) states that from 2003 to 2008, the number of people worldwide that will use broadband will increase by more than 300% (or from 100 million to an estimated 325 million).

Also from that US$6.1billion figure, study shows that US$1.2 billion was from activity in the Asia-Pacific region alone (Wall Street Journal 2006). With surveys claiming that upwards of 58% of broadband users in Korea alone (Pruitt 2004), for instance, having some involvement in the act of pirating movies, it begins to become clear of the prevalence of movie piracy in society.

Piracy is stealing, robbing studios of funds that could be used in the development of new ideas for new movies. This is an illegal, immoral activity that is proving extremely difficult to stop. Since 2006, the MPAA website declares that 81 million counterfeit discs have been confiscated through its co-operation efforts with governments internationally. This is a tremendous number, but then the enormity of this business is revealed when additional research is undertaken. During 2006 purely in Russia the ratio of illegal DVDs being sold outstrips legal discs 4:1, meaning 168 million copied movie discs were sold (Kozlov 2007).

This is an activity that is also subverting the power of governments. In China approximately only 20 foreign movies are granted access to be screened nationwide annually. These films then potentially are censored to suit the government’s values. However, in the markets of Beijing, uncensored and unauthorised Hollywood films can be purchased for less than AU$1 (Toy 2007). With such a limited number of motion pictures deemed fit for public viewing, it could be said that this illegal act is not only defying the government, but in a sense is also liberating the people. They now have the ability to watch whatever movies that they (not the government) choose, and can do so for minimal price. Despite this potential conflict of interest, it could be said that piracy is now shifting the base of power from Hollywood studios and Government censors to the average members of society.


Liberation aside, though, piracy is having a significant impact here in Australia already. In 2001, Australian movie attendances were at previously unseen numbers, with over 93 million people paying to watch films at the cinema. Yet as broadband access rose, the figure began to slump. In 2005, through the help of the late blockbuster movies King Kong and Harry Potter, that total barely reached 87 million (Chris Grose 2005).

Reasons for the slump can be identified. Rising ticket prices and the fall in cost of the average DVD are two, but piracy is also a factor. The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) claim that, in 2005, 11% of movies within Australia at a cost of AU$230 million, were viewed via piracy. When compared to Australian piracy
levels from 2000, over five years it is a market has nearly tripled in size.

Compared worldwide though, Australian piracy is in its infancy. Two figures worth looking at come from Canada and Spain. In the former, a 2007 study headed by Marcus Robinson has shown that 93% of movies watched online are pirated, with 50% of viewers over the age of 46 (contradicting belief that the dominant user is the teenage male). In the latter, from the year 2005 to 2006, the percentage of illegal DVD broadband movies doubled from 30% to 60%. This incredible surge assisted in the closure of over 80 Blockbuster video shops, which in turn created job losses (Hopewell and de Pablos 2006).

In America though, despite piracy levels, the box-office industry has never been healthier or stronger. On his internet column, John Sutherland argues that piracy, if anything, has proved beneficial as cinemas, attempting to lure back customers have spent more money improving customer service and the cinemas themselves. This in turn has created a more pleasant experience to those who have paid to attend. This is a different style of defence for piracy, however it is one that does contain logic.

Though it is becoming more popular now than it has ever before, movie piracy is a crime. Indeed, it is also not a victimless one. Though the short-term costs of buying an illegal disc or downloading from the internet dwarf the cost of purchasing a cinema ticket, the cost in the long-term is escalating. From job losses in Spain, to the decline in domestic film-goers market, movie piracy is impacting negatively on society and the film industry. Though giving the consumer greater access and more choice than previously, piracy comes at a great moral and, ever-rising, financial cost. Those participating in piracy are faced with a question: pay now, or pay later?

References:
Websites

Pruitt, Scarlet (2004) “MPAA: Movie Downloading is new Piracy Plague” http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;1131456459;fp;2;fpid;11 (accessed May 4 2007).

Associated Press (2006) “Study: Movie Piracy cost Hollywood studios $6.1 billion in ‘05”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/05/03/financial/f104130D40.DTL (Accessed May 4 2007).

Toy, Mary-Anne (2007) “Piracy still pays despite party line on what’s fit for Chinese eyes”
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/piracy-still-pays-despite-party-line-on-whats-fit-for-chinese-eyes/2007/02/09/1170524304056.html (Accessed May 2 2007).

Grose, Chris (2005) “Cinema Pasts and Futures: What’s Going On? http://bonza.rmit.edu.au/essays/2005/Chris%20Grose/WhatsGoingOn.html). (Accessed May 4 2007).

AFACT: Optical Disc Piracy (2007) http://www.afact.org.au/moviethieves_optical.html (Accessed May 1 2007)

Sutherland, John (2004) “Benefits of Piracy”
http://www.chico.mweb.co.za/art/2004/2004nov/041105-piracy.html (Accessed May 4 2007).

Academic Articles

Roach, R (2004) “Broadband Access Expected to Exceed 325 Million in 2008.” Black Issues in Higher Education (21)12 Pg 97.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=679097591&sid=9&Fmt=3&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Kozlov, V (2007) “Pirated DVDs Still Dominate the Market.” Moscow News (5) Pg 13.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1230865751&sid=12&Fmt=2&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD

Robinson, M (2007), “We're a pirate nation: Tougher legislation and more legal downloading options are needed to curb Canada's piracy problem.” Playback : Canada's Broadcast and Production Journal Pg 21.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1239123121&sid=12&Fmt=3&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD


“Hollywood Fights Asia Movie Piracy” (2006) Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition)July 26.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1083414351&sid=12&Fmt=3&clientId=13713&RQT=309&VName=PQD


Hopewell, J, de Pablos, E (2006). “DVD Piracy Wreaks Havoc in Spain” Variety (402)6: pg 9.
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=19&did=1016126691&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1178329485&clientId=13713

Friday, April 27

3D chat programs (week 8)

The first thing I've noticed about the various 3D chat programs such as Second Life and Habbo Hotel is that to truly get the most out of these sites, you'll need to cough up. Of course, as mentioned in the tute task, MSN Messenger is an instant messaging program, with its simplicity being its charm. It's free, easy to install, improved editions of it are readily available, and perhaps most of all, since it is predominantly used for text communication, it's quick. 3D sites are slightly the opposite, and though MSN can drop out at times, it is still pretty reliable. I noticed that some sites during the tute weren't even loading, which kind of defeats the purpose.

When I was trying to register for Habbo world (something which I would never do apart from this course) I had troubles with the name page, with it not letting me use four or five different log in names. The same reason- something to do with numbers and letters- was repeatedly given. Again, why would I bother joining this board when registering is so inconvenient?

Different types of socialising do occur on Habbo World, for instance. You must select your own "unique" avatar, for instance, which creates that character's personality. From there you can interact with the environment, buy swimming in their 'ool or moving to houses. Chat can be engaged, though it's still involved with the avatars communicating, rather than person to person. I believe that due to the amount of gimmicks involved in the program, plus the money involved in gaining full accessibility, it is more of a game than a serious chat program. Activeworlds' main selling point is its 3D environments, which are created by users themselves. Again, you can interact with the virtual environments whilst chatting, though there are more "worlds' to explore than Habbo World.

The 3D does make a difference, creating another layer of depth that exists in IM programs. However, the amount of time and space needed to load the graphics can serve as a deterrent, rather than an attraction. I can understand why people, specifically young teenagers where places like Second Life and Habbo World are aimed at, find fun in pretending to be someone/something else, but when it comes to simple online chat communication, less (MSN Messenger) may be more.

Friday, April 20

Week 7












































































































I only shopped the above photos as generally I was using the same techniques, and wanted to start familiarising myself with my topic for the assignment, music piracy.
Surveys show that worldwide 35% of music discs sold are illegal copies (http://www.enn.ie/news.html?code=9545022). Defined by dictionary.com as "the unauthorised reproduction or use of a copyrighted book, recording, television program, patented invention, trademarked product, etc." piracy's impact on this industry has massive financial (US$4.5 billion, as estimated by the above link) impact, but also raises questions about potential benefits of it. This report will look into the cost of piracy, the increasing accessibility of it, points of view from various people -including artists- and include relevant data and figures.







Monday, April 9

Six photos for weeks 5 & 6



Photos

The first one, as I say below, is with a traditional digital camera. The rest are taken with my Nokia 6288.





























Friends

This is me catching up with some friends in Sydney before I moved up here. I chose this one as it's actually the best photo from that day quality-wise (it was taken with another person's canon digital camera, not sure about the megapixels of it). It was a great day from what I remember.




















University life- my pile of books on the kitchen table, it's usually bigger than this. There's a youth allowance letter there too, very important.


























Unconventional: I was stuck with this one for a long time. I thought and thought and thought about it and finally ended up doing a photo of myself on a wierd angle in black and white. If that's unconventional, then I'm honestly stuck.


























News: This is the Sunday Telegraph, we moved up here from Sydney and still buy the Terrorgraph most days of the week.







































This represents summer, as in cricket. Which is probably the best part of it, playing with my brother, great fun.














































High-tech: The house computer isn't exactly high-tech, we got it nearly five years ago, though it's been upgraded since then. I took it with the "negative" image effect on my phone, makes it seen that bit more different.


Friday, March 23

Tutorial Task 4

1. What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin?
1502 pounds, in 2006: http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=161&gid=49
2. What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Grant Hackett?
From his online fan club http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/GrantHackettFans/ I haven't accessed it as membership is required to participate.
3. What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?
18-20 inches long: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giraffe.html
4. How would you define the word 'ontology'? In your own words, what does it really mean ?
Even on this one website, there are multiple definitions for ontology (http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/ONTOLI.html) Based on this, and not being ax expert ontologist myself, I'd say that ontology can be defined as a science of being and existing.
5. What was David Cronenberg's first feature film?
1966's "Transfer." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061114/
6. When was the original 'Hacker's Manifesto' written?
8th january 1986. http://www.mithral.com/~beberg/manifesto.html
7. Why do all phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?
Based on http://www.omegarobot.com/article/555.html, it seems the dearth in legit "555" numbers means that authorities were keen to fill this gap, so encouraging Hollywood films to use "555" solved this problem
8. What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?
http://www.iexplore.com/world_travel/Greece/Destinations suggets travel by ferry as the cheapest travel, bar swmming, between these two destinations.
9. What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?
"I'll Never Find Another You"- The Seekers . Shame that unlike the UK, our number one this time 42 years ago wasn't by the Rolling Stones.
http://www.onmc.iinet.net.au/topspot/1965.htm
10. Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
Only the best band ever....Black Assassins http://www.griffith.edu.au/school/art/staff/stockwell.htm



A search engine is a website that specialises in recommending to the user a list of websites that are relevant to that user's needs and wants. I watched a documentary on SBS last year that was based on Google, and one segment was about the way that website sorts the order of its search results. Google came under criticism from that program after it found that the first result from the search "holocaust" was actually a site denying that atrocity's existence. Paid placements (where a company/site pays Google to have its site displayed prominently) are one example of how a search engine may list its findings.

What makes one page more useful than another one is the reliability and accuracy in giving me useful links. This may be as a result of refining my initial search into having a specific phrase or quote. Google is my homepage, I vary rarely use other engines. When I do, it is then yahoo.com.au and ninemsn.com.au in that order. Google is something that I've grown accustomed to, plus it simply offers more accurate responses than yahoo or ninemsn.

A website, http://searchenginewatch.com/ is focused upon informing user about reliability, news and features about prominent search engines. For example, published on March 22, http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3625316 outlines Yahoo's attempts in strengthening attempts at detecting fraud.

Right now, I'm favouring my essay to be about MySpace. This technology's rapid growth is astounding, and with its rise in use has brought about questions about the impact of this technology on some of its users. Is the use of of this website in telling strangers about personal details fair, and is this tool the communication of the future, where the number of "friends" online becomes more important than the number of friends one has in real life?