Response to "Cell Phone Manners Matter"

This is a response post to "Cell Phone Manners Matter" @ http://mwardmediaarts.blogspot.com/

The post has some good interpretations. The more technology we get, the more we expect from it! Cell phones have become a part of almost everyone's daily life. They went from only being able to make short-distance calls to making long-distance, high-speed, high-quality calls on advanced networks (such as 3G), sending and recieving text and multimedia messages, playing streaming videos online, having fast web-surfing capabilities, playing music, storing useful tools and information (such as constantly updated weather, stock statuses, world clock, calendar, notes, ect.), sending e-mails and much more... so as society adapts to rapidly growing technology and device capabilities, so do our demands.

So my 5 rules that are necessary to follow when using cell phones are:

Don't talk and drive! Talking on your phone and driving might not seem dangerous, but it certainly is! If you get too into-the-conversation you may lose focus on the road and/or be ignorant to other drivers, resulting in a fatal accident and even death.

Keep your mouth clean. Don't cuss or use inappropriate words, and don't yell! This is very annoying to the people around you (especially in crowded public places such as malls). Being in your house or somewhere private alone is sometimes an exception.

Don't text while someone is talking to you in person. This is very rude! Imagine talking to someone with their eyes and hands on their phone, jabbing away at the buttons. You would feel very excluded, wouldn't you? So don't do that to others as well!

Put it on silent in appropriate locations. If your phone starts ringing in an important meeting with your boss present, you're in tough luck! And don't only put your phone on silent at meetings, but other important events and locations as well.

Turn it off during movies or live performances. You may miss a couple of calls or text messages, but that won't kill you. It's extremely annoying when somebody's phone goes off (even in vibrate mode) during a performance.

If you obey these big yet simple cell phone usage rules, then you will be a respectful and respected person overall.

Repose to "Is Taxing Pop Really a Solution?"

This is a response post to "Is Taxing Pop Really a Solution?" @ http://mwardmediaarts.blogspot.com/

The so-called "scare campaign" (as mentioned in the original post) isn't going to do a lot of mind-changing. Everyone's #1 concern in this world today is $$$. Health is also a major concern but doesn't seem to top money.

The government of New York has come up with a simple way to make people reconsider their drinking habits; add taxes! This, in my opinion, is a good idea, but bad timing. New York is a key state in the US's financial development, and there's no doubt that other states (or even provinces in Canada) will follow New York's action and add tax to pop sooner or later... but this isn't necessarily beneficial to consumers. Yes, the extra tax money is going to go towards improving general public health and reducing obesity and what not, but paying 20 or so cents more for a drink can make a big difference for people with financial difficulties (such as low-income workers), especially in a tough economical time like this.

Now let's take a look at the video included in the original post...

This video was absolutely disgusting. Although fake, it definitely triggered my "ew" senses, especially with the sound effects! But the message in this video is serious; stop drinking fat! Don't take it literally, however, as the video tends to explain that the more pop you drink the faster fatter you'll get. It's a fact!

"Taxes aren't going to teach our children how to have a healthy lifestyle", said Susan Neely, president of the American Beverage Association. She is completely right! Although taxes may spark people's (not only children, but of all ages) second thoughts about buying pop, it won't do much good.

Response to "Hey, Guess What? I Can See You..."

This is a response post to "Hey, Guess What? I Can See You..." @ http://mwardmediaarts.blogspot.com/

Google has released yet another great free program; Street View. This is a great piece of technology as it actually lets you see the streets on a 3D point of view - a major step from the plain 2D bird's-eye-view maps that Google offers.

As mentioned in the original post, Street View has had some critisism on the privacy of the people in the compiled photos. Google has attempted to save people's privacy, but there have been pictures circling the internet about some regions of the world that people's faces and licence plates are not blurred out.

But I don't think Street View is a major privacy/security concern. Now I have to admit that I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist! So I assume that Google is not really after our faces and licence plates, but intentionally after our information, such as our addresses, age, health status, nationality, religion, political views, personal interests, accounts, and even genetic data. Take a look at this interesting, well-thought out video... pay close attention to 2:01 to 2:11.



Based on this video and other fact-based articles I have read, I have (and so should you) have reason to believe that Google is working to obtain as much personal information from us as possible, and not necessarily from Street View.

So you might ask, how does Google obtain info such as our interests? Well, have you ever filled in any of those boxes on social networking sites labelled as "Personal Interests"?. If yes, that information is easily obtained by Google because they basically have detailed access to every sector of the internet. So what about genetic data? Well, have you ever scanned your finger at the security & customs section of an airport? Have you ever used a laptop that requires a fingerprint log-in? If yes, ditto. The government probably has your genetic data.

Scary, eh?

Response to "Social Awareness Contradiction"

This is a response post to "Social Awareness Contradiction" @ http://mwardmediaarts.blogspot.com/

Wow. I can't believe that Axe and Dove are both owned by the same parent company (Unilever) yet they express completely different views. The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is very feminist - it looks to convince women that their true beauty is from within, and its a good attempt to boost or restore self-esteem. But on the other hand, the Axe Effect Campaign is trying to convey the message that attractiveness comes from the spray and not the person himself - in my opinion this is an effective ad method but it still makes the viewers to interpret the wrong message.

This is hypocricy and sexism, and a major contradiction!

Both campaigns are getting their jobs done and they are generating lots of revenue... hmm, is that what this is all about? Money? Sale boosts? Here's an interesting fact: Dove and Axe make up nearly 55% of Unilever's revenue. But here's an even more interesting fact: Unilever went from $42.3 billion in 2003 to $51.2 billion in 2004 (the release of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty). Do you think maybe it's just a coincidence? Think again! Unilever's launch of the Axe Effect campaign boosted revenue up a combined total of 3.2%. And sales had been increasing at roughly the same rate from 2005 to 2007 - and yet it still generates profits despite the global economy and currencies!

If you want full statistics on Unilever's revenue, go to http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=ul&annual

On the CNN news show The Situation Room, Unilever had told them the Axe commercials were "spoofs" and were "not to be taken seriously"... then why bother make (let alone publish) the commercials!?

Response to "The Changing Face of Video Games"

This is a response post to "The Changing Face of Video Games" @ http://mwardmediaarts.blogspot.com/

The post has some startling facts. I mean think about it, in 28 years ago (in 1982), the first video game was released - which was pong (otherwise known as table tennis) and consisted of a black background with two white strips on each side and a ball. Then came the adventures of Mario and Luigi and that was ultimately what made video games mainstream... but that was just 2D. Now, if you look back and look at gaming today, you will notice drastic changes in both content and quality.

Almost every game is now 3D and cool new genres have been evolved into, such as horror, sci-fi, strategy, and most popularly action/shooter. Most importantly, games now have a great capability: multiplayer - this is how millions of gamers online play together in the same game as if you were sitting right beside them. Graphics and sound effects have become so advanced that it is hard not to get addicted to a game after playing it for a while (or even once!).

And along with all this comes the great hardware. Technology has made it possible for different consoles to be made by different companies, all competing for the best features and capabilities. For example, the Microsoft Xbox 360 was released in 2006 and is still extremely popular today. The Sony PlayStation 3 is also a very popular console with its integrated Blu-Ray DVD player and free online gameplay connectivity.

You can check out the timeline of video game consoles and games in the following links:

Part 1 (1958-1972)

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/gamestimeline1.html

Part 2 (1975-1984)

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/gamestimeline2.html

Part 3 (1985-1995)

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/gamestimeline3.html

Part 4 (1996-present)

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/gamestimeline4.html

Along with the consoles, the controllers have also developed as well. At first, they were wired boxes that you would put on the table with one big joystick and two buttons, but now they're wireless with two small joysticks, four buttons, four triggers, and have headset/microphone and keypad ports. Amazing isn't it! Take a look at this picture...

The Nintendo Wii was released in 2006 and is revolutionary gaming console. It has controllers just like any other system, but they have sensors on them and you interact with the games by pointing at the screen and moving the controller in any direction. There have been many more add-ons to the Wii, such as the Wii Fit. Instead of controllers it's a sensitive pad - now you can play video games and workout at the same time!

Some people may argue that the traditional way of playing video games (sitting on the couch with a controller) needs to be replaced because it is harming everyone's physical and sometimes mental health. But like millions of other gamers worldwide, I prefer the good old way of playing! In my opinion video games should be kept video games, and they shouldn't be forced into evolving into something ridiculously different. Although the Wii is a great console, it takes away the traditional fun of just sitting there and jabbing away at the controller with your fingers!

Response to "Photo Manipulation on Hiatus in the Media"

This is a reponse post to "Photo Manipulation on Hiatus in the Media" @ http://www.mwardmediaarts.blogspot.com/

I agree completely with most of the facts presented in this post; photo manipulation is almost in every advertisement, newspaper, magazine, and even television. It has become such an enormous trend that some businesses heavily rely on them to generate revenues.

I strongly believe that the photo manipulation trend will not slow down (despite efforts for normalization by artists and photographers like Peter Lindbergh) since it is a key way for companies to attract and convince consumers that their product is "the best" or it "stands out".

But you have to admit, some photoshopped images are incredible. Take a look at this web page and the list of manipulated before & after photos. You'll be startled!

http://speckyboy.com/2009/02/25/28-incredible-photoshop-image-manipulation-techniques-and-tutorials/

Here's a sample from that link:

But as mentioned in the original post, like in any other thing in the media, photo manipulation has its flaws. Take a look at these ridiculous mistakes...

[above] she's missing her lower jaw!

[above] her face and hands are black but her belly is white!

Pretty funny, eh? You can also google "photo maipulation mistakes" and you'll instantly get a list of websites you can check out.

In honest conclusion, I think that the photo manipulation industry is going to stay the same for another 3 years or so (until new and more popular methods of photo advertising have been developed). People in today's society are getting so used to glamorous and luxurious materialistic things that these photos will eventually begin to not affect them, and so businesses and the ad industry will have to find a new way to attract consumers. It's all a matter of money and popularity. "Buy this product, you're cool" or "buy this product, you'll be special"; that's the message that they want you to interpret. Photo manipulation is an incredible and startling art, but in some cases it is also an evil and misleading - it's spoiling us!