In the year 2045…

I think the year 2045 will hold great things. I will be 59 by then, however, I dont think that will matter much by then as advances in medicine will be much better. Technology will be the biggest change. Im very doubtful that well have flying cars but completly emission free cars I believe will be the norm by then. As far as common media technologies I think they will no longer be seperate. When you want a computer or camera you will buy one device which serves all media technology purposes…we are already seeing this trend start with things like the iPhone and other phones as well as “media consoles” like the Playstation 3 which serves many purposes (movies, games, music, internet, video chat).

My Life in 2007

If in 2007 I could have some how worked on a technology I would have liked to work on the Apple TV box. Almost two years later and many people still have no clue what it is or what it does. I think it has much potential similar to TiVo. I would have like to work on the campaign aspect and really push it and inform people just what features it includes and the possibilities it holds. Sadly it has not taken off (much the other digital movie distribution devices) and although I think we are still a ways off from having it as a standard, there’s always a starting point.

Living in the 1940’s

For me living in the 1940’s would have been both good and bad at the same time. It would be good in the sense that the time seemed so fun to live in (aside from WWII which I will touch on shortly). Many new things were taking place, many new technologies emerging, radical social changes (Jackie Robinson) and it would just be so surreal to live in a different time…at least knowing what I know. On the contrary I’ve always been very partial to the military and chose college instead because of the push from my family (Im the only one in my family to graduate high school and attend college) but I more than likely would have served in World War II. Although I dislike war I understand why it happens and that people fight for what they believe in so I believe they can’t be judged in that sense. Either way living in the 1940’s would definetly be an experience I wish I could experience~

TECHlab: SST

This exhibit was interesting. I liked how they had little flash movies to explain how things work. I am pretty familiar with how cameras and recording sound work but to see how the television worked was new to me. Some of the newer televisions boggle my mind and I can only imagine what television sets will be like in the next 20 years.

Living in the 1850s

To live in the 1850s would be impossible when compared to today. Nowadays we depend on technologies to do everything like keep our houses warm, our cars to go to and from places, our Internet and TV to keep us entertained. But back then they had none of this. I think if I were living in those times I would probably have been fascinated by the technological progress of that time as I am today. The telegraph was probably the biggest technological advancement in that era and I’m sure I would have become efficient at using it somehow.

TECHlab: Electricity

This exhibit was very cool! It gives alot of information about electricity and how it came to be as well as some history on the television computer and even nuclear energy. I never knew that ancient greeks knew about electricity or that it was believed by some to be the “soul”. I am just amazed though at the fact how people progress through developing technology. I just think its nuts how throughout time man has discoverd various things and through trial and error utilized it in someway to make it usable for others.

The computer

There are many various forms of media technology and the most mainstream ones today have undergone radical changes from their original inception. The TV and radio began as a means of broadcasting information and now, for the most part, have become a marketing tool for companys to spread both their messages and their products. The most radical change, however, I believe is with the computer. It began as way to solve very complex questions and now is being used for everything. Users can broadcast messages, speak friends and family around the world, watch television and movies, download, and really due anything they want. Initially people were limited by its technical limitations but now that is a thing of the past. The computer affects myself greatly as it is a big part of my daily life. It goes hand in hand with my college career and all of the various tasks I use it for. As a graphic design major I will be using it on a daily basis so it is important to know as much as possible about the history of the computer not only because im interested but because it will give me that much more of an advantage in this competing industry.

Piracy….Arrrr!

With the advent of software like Napster, internet piracy became out of control. It is by far the most commonly known and associated with illegal introduction to file transferring. No longer were people confined to buying CD’s or other mediums for content. At the time people could share music worldwide and not have to pay a dime. And not only were they limited to music but any files they wanted! This was a breakthrough for file transfer and it wasn’t too long after its introduction that the government stepped in and said “no more”. After the government intervention other programs like Limewire and Bareshare popped up. Nowadays if one were to type in “pirates of caribbean movie download” into google, one might find 278,000 results. Of those results many would contain links and torrents to download the movie. This is the case with anything one wants to find on the internet.

Although I do not agree with piracy to some degree I am not completely against it. It would be obvious to explain that piracy is bad and illegal so let me instead mention some things I feel it benefited from/is the cause for piracy. For one thing…it has led people to find things they would never have experienced. Things from across the world that people felt others needed to have. Things like songs and videos that would never have come to their country for whatever reasons. This I believe is not wrong. I have many friends also who have downloaded thousands and thousands of movies/songs legitimately and illegally from iTunes/Bittorrent/street vendors and various other means. The biggest reason for their piracy, generally, is not to just get it for free but simply because they don’t have money to download the movies/music/content they want. Something I do not understand while Im on the subject of downloading movies/music are the artists. They complain that they are not making money from people who are illegally downloading their content…but are they really making money on an album/movie when 99% of the profit is to pay off the production/publishing/recording fees? With movies, they release directors cut after directors cut, remastered version this and bluray version that. Why should I have to buy the same movie three times (which I do)…Most of the time with music they make their money off of merchandising and tours, so wouldn’t it make more sense to have millions of people download the song and like it and want to see them live, then a few thousand buy there CD’s which aren’t even making them money anyways? And on a side note: when was the last time you saw an MTV cribs where the artists were living in a cardboard box in an alleyway? ALL of the episodes show artists living in multi-million dollar houses, driving 3+ expensive cars, and millions of dollars to spend…

I think that movies/music/software/fonts/books after a certain period of time should be free to anyone that wants them. That way, initially, the early adopters and people who “have to have it” will pay and eventually everyone will be able to own the materials. It may sound foolish but it’s an option. The new wave of digital distribution control is downloadable content. After a certain amount of time it deletes itself. While this sounds full proof its not. Although we are advancing rapidly technology wise we still have a long way to go. Internet connection speeds vary/storage issues vary/and the biggest issue of all is that eventually someone will find an exploit. If it’s made by man it can be undone by man.

Even though I may sound contradictory Im still a bit old fashioned and a sucker. I would rather own hardcopies of all my content. Yes I could buy some underground boot leg DVD/CD and see the movie for free or before it hits retail stores but I don’t. I enjoy crisp clean pictures/sound and there’s just something about having a hard copy in your hands… Maybe it’s the satisfaction knowing that I purchased it with my money…maybe Im just crazy. I believe, however, that the younger generations are less inclined to feel this way as they have grown up with Piracy and have probably been doing it since they started using computers (think high school students) and will continue to do so more regularly. Piracy isn’t going anywhere…its here to stay.

Made by: evilchibiminion

Identity and Internet Social Networking ID’s

User Ids and handles can contain many things. Names, birthdays, songs or sports teams. Others can be funny and even sometimes strange. One thing is for certain; they are plentiful.  Everything on the internet requires a user name or handle and it has become second nature to people to make them. No longer do people have commitment issues they once did (think back to days of AOL) where making a screen name was your only means of letting others know who you were as well as the fact it included all of your contact information (email, instant messaging, account information). Day after day more and more people are acessing internet and this poses both good and bad instances. People are no longer bound by expansive distances, or oceans and can now speak with anyone around the world at any time. Never before has there been such a hurdle crossed for reaching out to others across the world. Friends and loved ones can speak daily to each other in almost any circumstance around the world. Businesses can email clients and co-workers and no longer is there a need to fly around the world to shake hands. Friends can chat and share their hobbies in sites such as MySpace, Facebook, and Flickr. There is also another benefit; anonymity of online user names and the allowance to portray whatever type of persona you like. While this can be a good thing it also can be very bad. A common issue as of late is the rise of child predators and Internet bully’s. So much so that it has become an ongoing issue for companies such as MySpace and Facebook. The anonymity of users works both ways and a young teen looking for friends can wind up being made fun of or beaten up. Anonymity in user names may not be perfect but one thing is for sure. User names are here to stay, so long as people have these abilities of internet social networking.

~Ernie

Media Technology Use

The main forms of media technology I use are Television, Radio, and Internet. Although Television I believe is the most pervasive it is the form of media that I use the least. On an average day I spend no more then an hour or two watching television and even when watching I tend to watch informative channels, my favorites being the Discovery channel, Science channel, HD Theater, and National Geographic. Sometimes however I will pass through the other 1000 channels I receive with my FiOS subscription package. The radio really only comes into play as I drive to school on commuting days to Ramapo. And for my most used form, the Internet, what with being a Communications major, am exposed almost daily for long periods of time. As far as alternative media use I cant really say why I choose these forms over others, perhaps because out of all forms the ones I use are the most mainstream. Although these forms are paid for everymonth are there really any forms of media technology that are completely free?

~Ernie