Welcome to the New World Order - Essay Topic 1 (Week 12)

Legendary Rhythm ‘n’ Blues artist B.B king once sung, “There must be a better world somewhere”. [10] It can be thought that this “somewhere” is the continuously evolving phenomenon known universally as “the internet”. The internet can be thought of as, “the series of interconnected networks allowing communication of data among millions of computers worldwide”. [11] Marc Prensky’s “Emerging Online Life of The Digital Native” [7] and David Weinberger’s “A New World” [12] both present different views of modern-day Internet users. This essay will discuss, through specific reasons and examples, the importance of both “The New World” (The Internet) and becoming a “Digital Native” (new age Internet users) and if they are in fact accurate portrayals.

David Weinberger discusses the internet as a new world we have created for each other, a world that consists of no rules and believes that this is something that is important, so we are able to break away from our normal and arbitrary daily lives. [12] He states that “the internet is a new world to us that we are new to and are currently inhabiting, learning as we go. Similarly to settlers of a country, however there is no landscape, time or space”. [14]
Marc Prensky on the other hand, mainly discusses the differences between “Digital Natives” and “Digital Immigrants”. “Digital Natives” are discussed as being self taught, knowledgeable of the internet and are often of a younger generation, whereas “Digital Immigrants” are newer to the internet, ignorant of how to use many things online/via the internet and are often of an older generation. [7]

Why is the internet of such great importance to modern day society?

The internet is argued to be one of the best theoretical and practical learning tools available, and thus must take advantage of it as much as possible. David Weinberger and Marc Prensky discuss “e-learning” as an important modern tool in that it enables us to learn faster, more effectively and more efficiently through a mere click of a mouse. [7] [12] Not only can we learn individually through the internet but we are able to quickly share our knowledge with each other also, and thus are able to grow and evolve together. [3] Studies have shown that within the realm of education that teachers, parents, administrators and instructors must bridge the learning gap that exists between Digital Natives and the Digital Immigrants by becoming more up to date and computer savvy. [8]

“The single biggest problem facing education today is that our digital immigrant instructors, who speak an outdated language (that of the pre-digital age), are struggling to teach a population that speaks an entirely new language”. [8] There are arguments toward the need to be able to steer in the right direction and find a common ground where children’s learning is facilitated through their preferred learning choice; the internet. [1] [6] David Weinberger discusses that the internet enables us to get away from the restrictions of our everyday world, and allows us to be as free as humanly and digitally possible. [12] When we go online we can become whomever we like and discuss matters that are taboo (such as women discussing sex or boyfriends in Iran) [5] or just plain embarrassing (such as discreetly looking for information about how to get rid of an STD). Online Weblogs can be thought of as an ideal place for such discussion and is important in one’s everyday freedom of speech, regardless of what country one lives in. [13]

Possibly one of the strongest arguments as to why the internet is so important to us now is “life after death” and evolution. Through the web, and as illustrated by Prensky, one can literally live forever and be remembered through posted words, pictures and video displays. [7] Not everyone leaves behind their legacies and is able to, or wants to create children. We all want to leave behind something; the internet is undoubtedly a perfect outlet for all beings to do so, regardless of age, sex or ethnicity. It can also be suggested that due to the curious nature of all humans, the search and thus development of the internet will not cease until it is mastered, as illustrated by Weinberger. [12]

However, criticism must also be taken into consideration when contemplating if Marc Prensky’s “Emerging Online Life of The Digital Native” [7] and David Weinberger’s “A New World” [12] are both accurate portrayals. It has been argued that the internet and Marc Prensky’s terminology of Digital Natives are incorrect. Opposing arguments state that the majority of students are in fact not very sophisticated or knowledgeable in their use of information technologies, and show very little intention of learning anything but the most basic skills. [4] Furthermore, studies have found that students were more eager to use computers at home than in school. Their reasons were that they felt too limited in the time they had to use the computers. It is also argued that people of a younger generation are better at using computers for things such as “looking up cheats for computer games”, although not for important things such as searching and accessing information for a school project. [2]

Not only have opposing arguments attempted to debunk the definitions of “Digital Natives”, but Weinberger’s outlook of a “New World” must also be thought about in somewhat of a critical manner. Studies conducted have found that Internet addiction is an emerging clinical disorder that can impair individual’s academic, social and occupational areas. [9] This suggests that even though we may in fact be moving towards and inhibiting a “New World”, [12] we must continuously be aware of the potential hazards that exist for individuals who spend too much time on their computer and fall victim to this modern addiction.

In conclusion, both supporting and opposing arguments must be taken into consideration since the viewpoints of the internet can become quite complex, and are far from concrete or objective. However, it can be said that the internet does not discriminate and the freedom it supplies is second to none. We may indeed make mistakes along the way, and it may have its underlying and apparent faults, although there is a need in continuing to find these faults and to constantly make and overcome these mistakes in order for our societies to learn, grow and evolve together. Even though we can be made aware of the criticisms against Marc Prensky and David Weinberger, we should still be attempting to make this “New World” [12] second nature to us, by becoming and maintaining ourselves as “Digital Natives”, [7] so as not to be left behind; because whether we like it or not change is inevitable.

References

[1] Adlington, Rachael, & Hansford, Diane 2008, ‘Digital spaces and young people’s online authoring: Challenges for teachers’, National Conference for Teachers of English and Literacy, Adelaide, South Australia, pp. 1-13.

[2] Bennett, Sue, Maton, Karl, & Kervin, Lisa 2008, ‘The ‘digital natives’ debate: A critical review of the evidence’, British Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 775–786.

[3] Downes, Stephen 2010, ‘Learning networks and connective knowledge’, IGI Global, pp. 1-26.

[4] Herold, David K. n.d., ‘Digital na(t)ives: Discourses of exclusion in an inclusive society’ (No journal).

[5] Hevern, Vincent W. 2004, ‘Threaded identity in cyberspace: Weblogs & positioning in the dialogical self’, Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 321–335.

[6] Mentis, Alexander n.d., ‘Virtual learning and the tech generation debate’, (No journal).

[7] Prensky, Marc 2004, ‘Emerging online life of the digital native’, (No journal), pp. 1-14.

[8] Rich, Jim n.d., ‘Prensky’s Digital natives versus digital immigrants: Urban legend, fact, or fiction?’, (No journal), pp. 1-17.

[9] Young, Kimberly S. 1998, ‘Internet addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder’, CyberPsychology & Behaviour, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 237-244.

[10] Lyricsbox 2009, viewed 16 October 2009,

[11] Shorter College n.d., Livingston Libraries, viewed 16 October 2009,

[12] Weinberger, David 2002, A New World, viewed 9 October 2009,

[13] Weinberger, David 2008, ‘Everything is miscellaneous’, Topic Maps, Oslo. http://www.topicmaps.com/tm2008/weinberger.pdf

[14] Yee, Danny, 2002, Small pieces loosely joined: a unified theory of the web, viewed 16 October 2009,

"Artwork" (Week 9)

SourceForge.net was one of the sites that Jason discussed in his lecture and I thought it would lead me to be able to create all sorts all wonderful art pieces…… Boy was I wrong! After downloading programs like Inkscape, Meshlab, Hugin and various others, and spending countless hours attempting to create something on sourceforge.net, I realised I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I attempted some independant searching also on

- Top 9 Art - oriented Software programs: http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/designandcreate/tp/artsoftware.htm
- Blueman Group: http://art.blueman.com/message.php
- Art.com artPad:http://artpad.art.com/artpad/painter/

…. It then dawned on me that creating something on a computer has far less artistic meaning to me than a bowl of porridge. With that being said I realise people are capable of creating outstanding pieces of art work with help from the computer, although since I have never been particularly interested in spending too long on the computer than necessary (or particularly good at it) then I would like to take a different approach in showing some of the various aspects that I would classify as “Art”:

Let’s start of with something simple shall we. This is a piece of art work I did when I was 14-15 years old on an old wooden board. It may not be the best painting done and it is a bit random but I remembered the joy it brought to me in just being able to express myself in this manner. Plus, I’m not sure how many of you have tried this, but painting on an old wooden plank can be quite difficult indeed!

This next piece is a painting of 2 canvases my mum did after I painted my house in the same colours. She painted it as a sort of a house warming present for my partner and I. Being that she is my mum I couldn’t exactly refuse because I saw how proud she was of herself. They aren’t too bad, although they remind me of two feathers, two spines or two strands of DNA…

These next two pieces are my two favourite cards that I have kept over the years. I decided to scan them onto the computer and upload them to show you what I mean. Perhaps you are already familiar with one, or both of them…

This is my favourite inspirational card and always brings about a smile when looking at it. It says “If you can dream it, you can do it”. – Michael Flynne

This is an amusing card saying that “Life is an endless struggle, but eventually you find a hairdresser you like!” It always brings me joy and laughter when reading it.

This picture is an old, old picture of my Farmor och Farfar (Swedish Grandmother and Grandfather) in the 1940’s holding my uncle when he was a baby.

My Grandfathers art form was boxing and later handball where he won Swedish, European and world championships. He even won an Olympic medal and was one of the best goal scorers of his generation. Unfortunately I have no pictures of him, however I did manage to find and scan an old Australian boxing collage during his generation.

For ten years of my life Basketball was my one and only passion, expression and art form. I played for various regional, state and club teams in Australia. I was eventually fortunate enough to make it to a professional level in Sweden, where I played for a couple of pro teams. I even had some basketball cards made of me in Sweden and have been looking everywhere for them but to no avail. I must have left them back in Sweden where my father and younger brother are currently living. Instead, I found an old picture of when I was playing in the Australian under 16 championships in Adelaide, 2002:

The next lot of pictures I have scanned in are of my father. This first one is a T-shirt that was made after he was in the film Mad Max 2 – The road warrior. I recall my brother and I wearing them when we were merely 5 and 3 years old. It is now a kind of framed memorabilia that is amusing and makes me reminisce whenever I look at it…

The second picture of my old man is an old 1990’s pictures I scanned in of him and Jimmy Barnes. They were actually quite good mates once upon a time. Jimmy stayed with dad during his tour in Sweden and I was lucky enough to meet him and the band members of Cold Chisel during their “Last wave of summer” tour in Australia. Singing in tune is hard enough, but screaming in tune is a type of Art that not many people can pull off. Jimmy certainly could though…

These final two pictures that I have scanned are from my father and his days as a professional bodybuilder. I wanted to end with these two because I feel that body art is the most difficult kind of art to master. Just as an artist would create a statue or clay sculpture, bodybuilders form their bodies in a similar fashion. However it is more time consuming and is more agonising to go through the experience yourself. Body sculpturing/Bodybuilding has always fascinated me. I consider it to be the most self practical artwork there is, where one literally becomes the piece of art through muscular transformation. To become a bodybuilder one has to sacrifice so much and has to strive a lifetime to truly create a walking, talking masterpiece.

Finally I would like to finish off with revealing something that not that many people know of. These are lyrics to a song that I ghost wrote for an MC I met in Sweden during the time I was playing basketball. I always wrote things down after games on the team bus or before I would go to sleep because I needed another outlet for my expressionism. I had and still have books and books of content. When guys used to ask me what I was writing, I would say “they’re rap lyrics man”. Although when a nice lady would ask I would always say, “Oh that, that’s just my poetry”… Some pretty amusing times indeed. These particular set of lyrics initially began as a joke but the rapper ended up liking the stuff I wrote and made a few songs from this and some of my other content in his studio. I feel the content is far from professional, although I was flattered nonetheless….

Intro

Getting ready to spit like illmatic, still have it, With Hamlet skills my lasting will you can’t match it, smash wit slick like lubed pricks I’m comin’ at-cha, catch-a phat whip-ass quick fast withstand blasts from any which way they may hit, mayday it’s looking grey, prey is all you can do shit, rhythm n blues are there to be sung, haven’t even begun, my warm-up so come get some I fear none/ Uh

Chorus(x4): How many people out there, do really care, about expression, livin’ life our learnt lessons

Verse 1

Now allow me to no less express myself with good intentions, takin’ you to another dimension, The world looks bleek disturbed no peace re-word my piece of poetry so you can see, indeed defeat is where we’re headed embedded in our brain, is this the pain in that we cannot change, so untamed will not still got to try or we will die, estranged this way but still I do nuthin’, huffin’ n puffin’ the average Joe blow lame, “it’s not my fault it’s his I did nothing wrong” same, song and dance act we practise again and again, and close our eyes now step back as we all pretend, that all is swell and go about business as usual, well open your eyes it’s not a picture perfect paradise like guys, I wish I don’t die n end up in hells fire, we all run and hide with church Sunday lies, completely blind to the fact we’re all the devil is disguise/ Let’s ride

Chorus (x4)

Verse 2

Expression can be depressin’ especially if no one’s listenin’, whistlin’ to tunes circulatin’ like messages, bless-ed be to all people lookin’ forward, toward a brighter future I’ll try to shoot ya, with piercing lyrics if ya ignore like ignorance distorted, can you hear the hysterics with which order was the boarder before the alleged superior recked and tortured, the interior of inferior, beings believe it it seems dreams were shattered, before being civilised even mattered, the latter screams truth but we get rude and confused, don’t wanna listen that’s fine then this one’s for you/ (Que it)

Chorus: How many people out there do really care…..

Neh hold up I’m far from done, listen up numb skulls, you don’t get subtle, so let me restate n re-buttal, I’m takin’ off the muzzle pumpin’ up the muscles, you wanna tussle with the poor yet justify it with your lord, with your behaviour I’m appalled I’m disabling the cord, from the mic that hangs, bear knuckles I bang on all you fat-cat shmoozers, ya too cocky like roosters, wealthy losers turning blind eyes to mayhem that goes by and why try, coz I will be heard it might sound absurd, but 80 percent of profit goes to 20 percent of the world, ya heard what I saw now let me break it down raw, straight from the core pushin’ aside all laws, we’ve become lazy greedy sneaky money hungry whores, boredom leads to problems we solvin’ nuthin’ with wallets, I call it how I see it who wants to make a profit? stop it, you don’t get respect from money or power that’s perception, deception of our society lyin’ n bettin’ n testin’, the will of every mother’s son is coming undone in the long run, you think we’ve won? Think again we sold tons of souls for oil and gold one by one, death is inevitable but acts that are regrettable can still be heard, long after the human body has left the physical world, we searched and now we’re cursed to be honest it’s not how I want it, but we keep acting the same we will perish and that’s a promise/( Now who’s on it?)

Chorus (x4)

Outro

Just think about change how u wanna behave, what u wanna have engraved on your tomb stone the day you lay, down underground the surface it’s worthless if you learnt less, than your purpose on this earth just, don’t let material commodities control life’s qualities, I don’t wanna see greed lead obviously we aren’t all free, see time passing you by as you keep up the steep everlasting hike, what to do when you must choose wrong from right it comes at a price, let me enlighten with insight, now if it’s dark then grab the light, if your scared then learn to fight and if you do really care then in my eyes you are alright……yeh you are alright…….

I believe that art comes in all shapes and sizes and although what I have shown may not be that of modern technologies, I feel that it transcends time, becoming infinite in its meaning to me and my life.

(All websites viewed October 10th 2009)

Jasons Last Lecture (Week 9)

Jason announced today that it would be the last time he would be holding our lectures. To be honest I wasn’t sure if I was happy or sad. I would say neither due to being in a daze of bewilderedness ever since his first lecture. One thing’s for sure though, he is one funny dude and I will miss his random and wacky, yet always entertaining lectures.

He was initially going to speak about Cyber-Utopia, although he instead revealed his “All everything, gigantic and super lecture on how to teach yourself Software” (15 steps, using Adobe Flash as an example).

Step 1- Figure out what you need to do and find the best software packaging for it

Step 2- Explore different software

Step 3- How to use software?

Step 4- You cannot learn it all in a few days, it may take years

Step 5- Play around with software as a beginning

Step 6- Begin with the basics and look at the commonalities. You will know appr. 10-15% before you begin, due to using other programs with similar functions

Step 7- Save your work damnit! Save your work constantly so as to save your own ass. Do not save over the same file. Always have multiple versions and save in a name you can remember and one that makes sense to you

Step 8- Use the help file...

Step 9- The help section sucks! Most are designed for people who are advanced in the software and are thus not very useful for novices (Like me!)

Step 10- Don’t get bogged down on one thing, move on and search in different places e.g. different sites through Google. Find specific sites and don’t pay for anything, just keep searching...

Step 11- Join forums and ask questions. Since people are ego maniacs they will answer your questions, however it may take some time. The forums that have many replies would be the best bet

Step 12- Don’t fear tutorial books and video tutorials. Use them but do not buy them

Step 13- Don’t take a course about it because you can find it all free online anyway

Step 14- When you learn one kind of software, another will soon come out and replace it

Step 15- It’s all about content. If you create something that’s easy then everyone else will be able to do it too. This is very cliché and should be avoided by searching, learning and digging deeper

The information may have been straight forward and obvious to many but I actually found his insight useful. He definitely seemed to know what he was talking about (well most of the time anyway). I was ok with his entertaining steps up until step 13. I understand we as humans are all hypocrites and are all full of contradictions, however I felt that saying that we don’t need to take a course about it was a little bit strange considering it was in a course that I am paying for that I learnt that rule. It’s nothing major although it just made me reflected on the irony of it all.

Jason also let us know that he will be taking two lectures during next semester – Digital Writing and New Media Art. I may look into it since all of his three lectures to date have been entertaining, amusing and memorable. I feel it’s a good combination in facilitating one’s learning. And that’s why we’re all here right? To learn....

Democracy, Censorship & Philosophy (week 8)

Read the lecture and the readings, pursue a couple of the topics that you find most interesting and then post your blog with your well-considered thoughts about the theory and practice of politics.

CyberPolitics = “The politics of the internet that exists predominantly on the internet”.

eDemocracy = “The internet's intervention in and contribution to real world politics that exists predominantly off the internet”.

"Some apparently simple definitions of democracy continue to inform popular discussion: the rule of the many; the rule of the majority and; 'government of the people, by the people, for the people' are three common formulations."
http://rockcj.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy

I would agree with these three popular definitions of democracy, however putting the theories into practise is not as simple and can be a completely different story. Firstly, the rule of the many is more or less the rule of the majority. If we look at this definition on a global scale it is undoubtedly the minority that control the world in terms of the power in decision making.

Within Australia I feel that the majority gets a real say, although only when the power of those who steer the country is compromised.Secondly, the government of the people, by the people, for the people is a tricky one to tackle. Yes we are the people and we vote accordingly for the limited selection that is presented before us, although is it really always for the people? I am highly sceptical. I find this is not the case in regards to both a world wide, and an Australian point of view. I am aware that there are many other forms of governmental rule used for running various globally powerful nations (Russia, China etc.); however the majority of the power is still in the hands of “democratic countries”. They retain power because they are merely looking out for number one, and that is fair enough too because everyone is trying to get a head in life. I am quite content here in a country such as Australia, living a comfortable and convenient lifestyle. However I am not willing to do so at the expense of the people who are the majority, and who live in places of the world that are plagued by poverty and inequality.

Even within so-called “Democratic countries” such as Australia and USA it has often been the case that the people of both countries have been suppressed in numerous ways for a countless amount of years. How is that "for" the people? How is it that we do not all truly have equal rights? How is it that women still get payed less in some jobs? And how is it that we still haven’t properly integrated indigenous Australians into the general society, even after countless years of on-going abuse? Controversial I know, although so are the various applied practises of Democracy.

“The Allegory of the Cave – Plato”

“Plato realizes that the general run of humankind can think, and speak, etc., without (so far as they acknowledge) any awareness of his realm of Forms. The allegory of the cave is supposed to explain this. In the allegory, Plato likens people untutored in the Theory of Forms to prisoners chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads. All they can see is the wall of the cave. Behind them burns a fire. Between the fire and the prisoners there is a parapet, along which puppeteers can walk. The puppeteers, who are behind the prisoners, hold up puppets that cast shadows on the wall of the cave. The prisoners are unable to see these puppets, the real objects, that pass behind them. What the prisoners see and hear are shadows and echoes cast by objects that they do not see. Here is an illustration of Plato’s Cave: Such prisoners would mistake appearance for reality. They would think the things they see on the wall (the shadows) were real; they would know nothing of the real causes of the shadows.So when the prisoners talk, what are they talking about? If an object (a book, let us say) is carried past behind them, and it casts a shadow on the wall, and a prisoner says “I see a book,” what is he talking about? He thinks he is talking about a book, but he is really talking about a shadow. But he uses the word “book.” What does that refer to? Plato gives his answer at line (515b2). The text here has puzzled many editors, and it has been frequently emended. The translation in Grube/Reeve gets the point correctly:”
“And if they could talk to one another, don’t you think they’d suppose that the names they used applied to the things they see passing before them?”
“Plato’s point is that the prisoners would be mistaken. For they would be taking the terms in their language to refer to the shadows that pass before their eyes, rather than (as is correct, in Plato’s view) to the real things that cast the shadows. If a prisoner says “That’s a book” he thinks that the word “book” refers to the very thing he is looking at. But he would be wrong. He’s only looking at a shadow. The real referent of the word “book” he cannot see. To see it, he would have to turn his head around. Plato’s point: the general terms of our language are not “names” of the physical objects that we can see. They are actually names of things that we cannot see, things that we can only grasp with the mind. When the prisoners are released, they can turn their heads and see the real objects. Then they realize their error. What can we do that is analogous to turning our heads and seeing the causes of the shadows? We can come to grasp the Forms with our minds. Plato’s aim in the Republic is to describe what is necessary for us to achieve this reflective understanding. But even without it, it remains true that our very ability to think and to speak depends on the Forms. For the terms of the language we use get their meaning by “naming” the Forms that the objects we perceive participate in. The prisoners may learn what a book is by their experience with shadows of books. But they would be mistaken if they thought that the word “book” refers to something that any of them has ever seen. Likewise, we may acquire concepts by our perceptual experience of physical objects. But we would be mistaken if we thought that the concepts that we grasp were on the same level as the things we perceive.”
http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm

I found reading this particular theory from Plato very complex. Nevertheless whilst reading his logic and metaphors of “books”, “caves” and “shadows” etc., the main word I kept reflecting on was ignorance. The prisoners that sit in the cave unable to turn their heads see merely a shadow of an object and instantly believe it is a book. This is much like any one of us who look at something unknown and automatically believe we have an understanding of it. An example of this could be a person with an appearance we are not familiar with or are familiar with although do not know him/her personally. It would be like instantly drawing a conclusion without getting to know them or not knowing the facts. The prisoner uses the word “book” because that is all he knows and so bases his answer or interpretation on his knowledge and previous experiences.

Plato states that “in order for the prisoner to look at the real referent and not the shadow he would have to turn his head around”. My interpretation of this is that he is discussing enlightenment, gaining true knowledge of what the prisoner is referring to. In order for us to see the real person we would have to approach them, talk to them, and become friends with them to find out who they really are and what they are about. Just as the prisoners would have to turn their heads in order to see what object is really casting the shadow, thus becoming enlightened and gaining a new found insight and appreciation. Plato continues on to discuss “naming”: “For the terms of the language we use get their meaning by “naming” the Forms that the objects we perceive participate in”.

We use naming to identify objects in our language just as we use labels to quickly identify each other. Be it white, black, rapper, rocker, old, young, male, female etc. We name things because that is what we associate our perception to, however our perception can often give us a single dimensional view that can increase our ignorance and hinder our understanding. Plato was a deep, deep philosopher so my perception about what he is trying to convey in this theory may be incorrect due to my own ignorance. However in any great philosopher’s theories, all conclusions are never thought of by others as objective and are always subjective. Thus, nothing you or I say can truly be incorrect. Plato really was one of the great thinkers, however I wonder if he ever wrote something that was so deep that even he was bewildered? I would not be the least bit surprised and I am sure he has forgotten more life theories than most of us have ever read…

What do you think of the Australian Government's plans to censor the internet (the so-called "Clean Feed")?

"The Australian Federal Government is pushing forward with a plan to force Internet Service Providers [ISPs] to censor the Internet for all Australians. This plan will waste tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and slow down Internet access.
Despite being almost universally condemned by the public, ISPs, State Governments, Media and censorship experts, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is determined to force this filter into your home."

http://nocleanfeed.com/

I personally believe that the "Clean Feed" may have the right intentions initially, however if we begin with something like this now then it may end up that what we see online will be as manipulated and controlling as what we read about in the newspapers and see on TV. Obviously we can still receive the same news, however the major difference between TV, Newspapers and the internet is that we have much more freedom online. We have more of a say about certain matters without worrying about someone editing it. I understand that we want to protect our children from harm although I feel that censorship will not be of much help. Invested time and good parenting on the other hand will. Censorship represses, it does not liberate. For example it may end up that one day I will not be allowed to voice my opinion about something due to worrying about being filtered.

"It is not the function of Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error."
- Robert H. Jackson (1892-1954), U.S. Judge.

http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/cens1.html

What place does censorship have in a democracy?

Well since democracy has an aim of achieving "good" for the majority then it must be taken into consideration the fact that if the majority want censorship and vote for it accordingly, then that's the way it is going to be (and vise versa). The decision and place of censorship should be securely in the hands of each individual within the country as to determine what truly is best for the majority. If we go about the matter in this way then we all have a fair say in determining whether or not we want to be censored. I know what my vote will be that's for sure: Hell No! Because I have no intention of letting censorship dictate my freedom. However if the majority votes "yes let the government censor us" then so be it. What can I do as the minority? we only have ourselves to blame if things take a turn for the worst down the track though. However if the people do not get a vote then how can we truly call the decision a democratic one?

"Is free speech a basic right? In Australia we don't have the constitutional right to free speech - that's an Americanism. Only recently did the High Court find that free political expression was implied by the constitution and that was at the behest of a TV station concerned that they would revenue if political advertising was banned. Rather we might view free speech as self-correcting mechanism - in using free speech people make democracy happen.
- John Gilmore

https://learning.secure.griffith.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_71280_1&frame=top

The Chaser on Fox News Part 2 (Taking the piss out of Censorship)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAVOJYYwMaA

P.S F#%K Bill O'reilly, mate you are one massive douchebag! Now could I have said this if we had censorship?...

(All websites viewed on 18th September 2009)

Political tasks (week 8)

Sign an e-petition:

I visited the QLD Parliament E-Petitions website and signed the two which appealed to me the most. They included:

Abortion Discrimination in QLD (Because everyone should have a choice. We are not living in the stone ages any more, we have evolved. However this law obviously has not)

E-petition Number 7218289

E-PETITIONS CONFIRMATION

Thank you Mr Nilsson

Your name has been added to the Abortion decriminalisation in Queensland E-Petition as specified below.

Please print this page if you require confirmation.

Vehicle registration 20% increase in QLD (Different prices for different states? It's the same country people! It just seems unfair that we have to pay more than other states. However as the great modern day philosopher Nas once said, "Life's a bitch and then you die, that's why we get high, coz you never know when you're gonna go.")

E-petition Number: 2908041

E-PETITIONS CONFIRMATION

Thank you Mr Nilsson

Your name has been added to the Vehicle registration 20% increase E-Petition as specified below.

Please print this page if you require confirmation.

http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/view/EPetitions_qld/CurrentEPetition.aspx?PetNum=1302&lIndex=-1

Respond to a professional blogger at a major news site:

I visited the American ABC news website. I found a professional blog from the ABC news senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper. It is entitled "WH: President Obama Disagrees with Former President Carter that Most Animosity Towards Obama is Race-Based"

I responded to the blog under the name NAN (my initials) on Sep 16, 2009 11:18:24 PM:

-Even though race discrimination is still an on-going occurrence in America, Jimmy Carter was far too provocative to publicly state that the criticism towards Barack Obama is based on the colour of his skin. Carter insists that it is a matter that deeply concerns him, although if this is the case then he should have discussed the matter with Obama in private before going public with the issue. There are racists in all countries, although just having Obama as The US President proves that there are far more people rooting for him than there are opposing him, for whatever reason. Finally For the people out there who's prejudice is based on skin colour, I just have to say that playing the race card is such a backwards way of thinking. Your train of thought is tired and worn-out so please grow up because most of us have evolved, catch up already-

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/wh-president-obama-disagrees-with-former-president-carter-that-most-animosity-towards-obama-is-raceb/comments/page/3/#comments

What is Barak Obama up to today?

On September 16th Barack Obama addressed some vital matters. As mentioned above he disagreed with former President Jimmy Carter in that most of the animosity towards him is race-based.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/wh-president-obama-disagrees-with-former-president-carter-that-most-animosity-towards-obama-is-raceb.html

...And he supposedly called Kaye West a Jack-ass for what he did to Taylor Swift... Is it really him? I'm skeptical, however if it isn't it's still a great voice-over.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCdDKEFFU7Q&feature=player_embedded#t=37

http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=123&title=barack_obama_calls_kanye_west_a_jackass&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

Find out who your local, state and federal representatives are:

"In the Australian federal system there are three levels of government: Federal, State and Local.
Each level of government is centred on a body (a parliament or a council) democratically elected by the people as their representatives.
Each level of government has its own responsibilities, though many responsibilities are shared in various ways."

Gold Coast city Council: http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard.aspx?pid=4351

Local Representatives:

"Gold Coast City Council is a Local Government Council - part of the third or lowest level of government in Australia, often seen as being the most accessible to the people.
Local government bodies such as Council have specific responsibilities, duties and limitations on their areas of responsibility or influence. You may have concerns involving an area of government where local Council is unable to act or advise. In these cases you may wish to contact your State or Federal government representative."

http://www.qld.gov.au/government/levels-of-government.html#section-local-government-information

http://www.localgovernment.qld.gov.au/

http://www.localgovernment.qld.gov.au/LocalGovernment/StructuralReform/Localgovernmentstaffinfo.aspx

http://www.lgaq.asn.au/web/guest;jsessionid=696625EB4508F076BBFBD3C33DCC6721

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?pid=5785

I live in Coombabah so my local representatives are both Ms Peta-Kaye Croft, MP and Mr Stuart Robert MP. Ms Croft is the Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Services for the ALP (Australian Labour Party) and Mr Stuart is the Fadden electorate. (Ms Croft is the local representative for the entire Broadwater area.)

Contact Details:

Ph: (07) 5529 6000
Fax: (07) 5529 6070
Email: broadwater@parliament.qld.gov.au

Electorate Office address:

Suite 17, Level 2 Runaway Bay Marina, 247 Bayview Street, RUNAWAY BAY QLD 4216
PO Box 983, RUNAWAY BAY QLD 4216

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/fs357_government_members.pdf

Local Member of State Parliament:

"State Government represents the second level of Australian Government. State Government members (Members of Queensland Parliament) represent specific areas of the state (electorates) - the List of Government Representatives of the Gold Coast Region is a handy reference of members of State and Federal Parliaments representing areas of Gold Coast City."

Ms Peta-Kaye Croft, MP
Labour

Contact Details:

Ph: (07) 5529 6000
Fax: (07) 5529 6070
Email: broadwater@parliament.qld.gov.au or petakaye.croft@queenslandlabor.org

Electorate Office address:

Suite 17, Level 2 Runaway Bay Marina, 247 Bayview Street, RUNAWAY BAY QLD 4216 PO Box 983, RUNAWAY BAY QLD 4216

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/fs357_government_members.pdf

Local Federal Government Member:

"The Australian Federal Government is the highest tier of Government in Australia and consist of two houses of parliament - the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Members of the House of Representatives represent specific areas of their state (electorates). Decisions made by the House of Represenatatives are then reviewed in the Senate. Senators represent their state as a whole, rather than a specific electorate region - the List of Government Representatives of the Gold Coast Region is a handy reference of members of State and Federal Parliaments representing areas of Gold Coast City."

Mr. Stuart Roberts MP
Liberal

Contact details:

Ph: (07) 5580 0355
Fax: (07) 5580 0366
Email: Stuart.Robert.MP@aph.gov.au
Ph: (02) 6277 2106 (Canberra)
Fax: (02) 6277 8441 (Canberra)

Electorate Office Address:

5 Cottonwood Place
OXENFORD QLD 4210
PO Box 213
OXENFORD QLD 4210

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/attachment/factsheets/contacts-federal.pdf

Look up the Queensland or Australian hansard to find the last time your local member spoke in parliament:

"Hansard is the name given to transcripts of parliamentary proceedings. The Senate and House of Representatives Hansards are available on the Internet each morning following a sitting day. Hansards of Committee hearings are also available online. These transcripts are published shortly after the committee meets.
The electronic version of Hansard is available from 1981 onwards."

http://www.aph.gov.au/Hansard/INDEX.HTM
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/info/sittings/index.htm
http://www.aph.gov.au/house/info/infosheets/is04.pdf

The last time my local member, Ms Peta-Kaye Croft, spoke in the Queensland Parliament was on Thursday, the 17th of September 2009. The topic was The Coombabah State High School:

MsCROFT (Broadwater—ALP) (6.15pm): "Recent articles in the Gold Coast Bulletin focused on
truancy, highlighting Coombabah State High School as an example. The Gold Coast Bulletin articles focus attention on a problem not limited to Coombabah State High School; it is a problem for schools across the country. Truancy is an issue that can only be dealt with by a true partnership between parents and schools. Early this year Coombabah State High School commenced the use of a computer based system to record absences and to alert parents via SMS messaging. Iam informed by the principal, MrChris Kern, that as wireless technology improves Coombabah State High School will move to live roll marking in each class,
with SMS alerts being sent throughout the school day as attendance is checked.
The reasons for truancy are often complex, particularly where teenagers are involved, and the
challenges faced by parents in getting their children to school need to be understood. I am confident that Coombabah State High School, like other schools across the state, will continue to work with the parent body to address this issue. The Gold Coast Bulletin failed to mention in its reporting some of the great achievements of Coombabah State High School and its students, some of which I wish to inform the House about tonight. Coombabah State High School was the winner of the high school section for home economics and visual arts at the recently held Gold Coast Show. Coombabah’s string ensemble received a highly commended at the music eisteddfod earlier this month. Coombabah State High School’s year 8 group was awarded best
comedic performance for the junior division at the Gold Coast Drama Festival. At Coombabah State High School 56 students are currently combining schooling with a traineeship. Coombabah State High School students are community minded. Students from all year levels participate in Rotary’s Interact Club. A group of year 12 students are supporting year 8 boys with reading, and I was pleased to hear that another group of year 8 students is being trained to support year 2 boys at Coombabah and Biggera Waters state schools.
Coombabah State High School students are conscious of the impacts of climate change. Unlike the opposition, these students are smart. They know that their generation has to look after the environment and educate others. Coombabah State High School celebrates the academic success of its students through the honours list program and the scholarship night. Recently the school celebrated the graduation of its first group of students from a partnership program with the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE. The students gained a Certificate III in Health Services Assistance, allowing them to be employed as nursing assistants or continue on with further study to qualify as nurses. Coombabah State High School also has the Academic Rich Curriculum, the ARC program, and the amazing Synergy art exhibition and awards—a showcase of Coombabah High’s creative talent that I am proud to provide the $500 prize money for each year. Also, tonight the school celebrates the outstanding achievements— "
(Time expired)


http://parlinfo.parliament.qld.gov.au/isysquery/c2c8bda2-6363-4cf1-92d7-1db52286e0a6/211-219/list/

Let your local member know what you think about their last speech

Ms Peta-Kaye Croft's last speech was on Thursday, the 17th of September 2009 about Coombabah State High School (as stated above).

I responded to her speech via email as it is the quickest, easiest and most effective way of communication in contacting busy politicians. Since she has two contact email addresses I sent an email to both: broadwater@parliament.qld.gov.au and petakaye.croft@queenslandlabor.org

My Email:

Dear Ms Croft,

I am a current undergraduate student at Griffith University on the Gold Coast. I am a resident of Coombabah and am writing this email in regards to your most recent speech on Coombabah State High School. It was extremely refreshing how you have stood up for The School and how you addressed the positives such as the achievements, as well as acknowledging what needs improvement. I am by no means an expert in the realm of politics, although I want to commend you on your stance on these issues.
I am proud to have you as my local representative. We need more politicians like you who have our backs, as well as the backs of the next generation and the generation thereafter. Keep up the good work.

Best regards,

Nils Nilsson

http://www.qld.alp.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=365


(All websites viewed on the 17th Semptember 2009)

iReport news story (Week 7)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDtDW4i0Abk






http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-338573

Our made-up iReport news story was about teachers on strike due to excess mobile phone usage during lectures. Emma and Jeremy played the two news reporters; Jamima Biglesworth and Ted Derkley. I played the "straw that broke the camels back" so to speak and Josh did a fantastic job playing the extremely pissed off teacher that exploded during the lecture. It was particularly amusing seeing the reactions of various students in the lecture theatre who were oblivious to the our little scheme.
I really enjoyed shooting and making this film and hope to continue doing so continuosly over the upcoming years.

The return of... Jason! (week 7)

It was the return of the amusing Jason and he again gave his insight and expertise on technology, specifically downloading.... much of it was foreign substance to my ears, however I did my best to keep up....

-Bit torrent - Revolutionized file sharing.
-Mini nova - Can download Microsoft applications and adobe (which would apparently cost thousands of dollars to purchase legally). Also Microsoft has a code
-We went to Portableapps.com (free downloads). When you attempt to erase a file from your hard drive, you are merely erasing the name, not the file itself. This means that those naughty or revealing photos are not actually gone! *gulp*
However there is a solution to this problem in the form of the "Eraser portable" which is an application you can download from portableapps.com to actually erase unwanted materials from your hard drive...

openoffice.org is made from a group of "volunteers" and has everything that Microsoft office has, except it's free! However there is a slight catch because this software does not automatically update and has nothing against viruses...I suppose you get what you pay for....

-We briefly looked at blender portable which is a site where you can download 3D animations...

Sourceforge.net - More people who create software for all to use!

A lot of these downloading sites are not yet Mac ready, which is a shame because ever since commencing this course I have been contemplating saving to purchase one... Can't have it all I guess...

freewaregenius.com - Specific software packages, e.g converting file forms, re-sizing and re-naming pictures....

Most things are driven by software, something I had not contemplated much on previously, like cars, air conditioning systems etc.

One shocking bit of information was that Macs do in fact get viruses, although they are small and there really isn't that many. Nothing compared to PC's I guess, which makes me feel a bit more optimistic towards getting a Mac... Decisions, decisions!

One thing I found interesting and clever was Micro-charging. What I gathered was that it is people who create applications and charge a very small amount of money per person to download and use. I think that if an application is created that will save us all money and in turn make him/her/them a bit richer then it's a fair trade, and quite an ingenious concept.

Also, the biggest reason as to why we don't care about how things function is that we just don't give a shit. We all want the lights to switch on, the fan/air con to cool us down and the remote to turn the TV on with one push of a button, without caring too much about why it does or how it works...Ah yes comfortable and convenient ignorance...Ignorance is bliss until it kicks you square in the ass when you're not paying attention, for real.....

Finally, in yesterday's tutorial I was introduced to one of the most spectacular music videos I have ever seen. I felt it was my obligation to post it so as others can marvel at the time, thought, effort and creative art work that has been put into this.... Coldplay is far from my favourite band, however I believe that this is what a true work of art is, and this music clip should be getting more views that all of those ridiculous one hit wonders we've all seen on youtube...

Coldplay - Strawberry Swing


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb9X5jMofEo


(All websites viewed on 10th September 2009)