emac 2322 Forty Minutes of Silence

No cell phone. No music. No internet. No talking. No distractions. This is how we were told to read "The Great Seduction" by Andrew Keen. I had 40 minutes to read chapter 1 and I've got to say it was much easier than I expected. Here are some advantages and disadvantages I came up about my experience reading without interruption for forty minutes.

Advantages

* One focus
(it was nice to be forced to shut everything off)
* the time limit
(I knew I would only read for forty minutes and
then be done whether I finished the chapter or
not so I didn't feel bogged down with the length.)
* Faster
(I was able to read through the whole thing and
faster than I normally do.)

Disadvantages

* Outside Noises
(Although I shut off all distractions in my
room, there were still noises outside such
as cars and loud people but these were minimal
distractions.)
* Not really any...

I really enjoyed reading in this style. I was surprised by how much faster I read through it and didn't get bored or distracted because there was nothing to distract me!

Multitasking emac 2322

For class we were given the assignment to read an article and listen to two audio clips and report back how well we were able to focus while reading/listening. Here's my outcome.

First: Written Article "Attention Literacy." by Howard Rheingold

I decided to read this article on the computer rather than printing it out because it was short enough to read online without being distracted. Or so I thought.. While I was reading I had the TV on with low volume and my roommate would come in and out of my room to talk to me. In the middle of the article there was a link to a related video and I clicked on it as soon as I saw it rather than finishing the reading and going back so the article itself was kind of a distraction. I made myself read aloud the rest and got through it quickly.

Second and Third: "Attention: The *Real* Aphrodisiac." and "Bad at Multitasking? Blame Your Brain."

I listened to both of these also while in my room with the TV on low. Since these were strictly audio files there was nothing to look at and it was much more tempting to watch the TV and get on Flickr/Tumblr which I did. If anyone can listen to both of these without multitasking I would be impressed!

emac 2322 Is Google Making Us Stupid? by Nicholas Carr

Summary: The attention span of the average individual has decreased dramatically due to the increase in the use of the internet. We find it hard to delve into text for hours at at time and as a result have become experts at skimming over reading. The internet is seen as an aid in our loss of concentration because of it's never-ending spew of links. These links propel us further into the mass of information on the web and more links creating an endless clicking cycle. We are still reading the same amount if not more than past generations just in a different way, a faster way. This faster need for information is what Google is trying to harness and make easily accessible. Google wants to become the search engine that " understands exactly what you mean and gives you back exactly what you want." Does that make us stupid? I think Carr would argue no. Society is changing the way it gets information but that doesn't make us stupid just different.



http://discovermagazine.com/2009/feb/15-how-google-is-making-us-smarter

In this article the author talks about how some people think the internet and technology as a whole is making us stupid while others see the intelligence in it. Some argue that texting is causing us to lose our grammar and spelling skills when in reality it is forcing us to write more than previous generations ever have before. Several studies were performed to see how the brain is adapting to our new technologically based society.

emac 2321 Photography Blog #1

Photography is my ultimate creative outlet. I love taking and editing pictures. I became interested in photography in the 8th grade while I was taking a film making/photography class and ever since then I've wanted to learn as much about it as I could. I finally was able to invest a productive amount of time into it when I came to college last year. I started just experimenting with my camera and made the best out of what I got. It wasn't until I started watching one my best friends and how she created the amazing work she did that I started to grow in my photography. I learned by watching. This same friend recommended to me that I get a Flickr account so I did and am so glad I did! I have found some incredible, inspiring, and helpful photographers through Flickr. Most of them are eager to explain elements of their photos and even comment either encouragement or constructive criticism on your own work. I don't know if you've ever heard that Flickr has the sense of being a friendly community but it truly does. I've really enjoyed having a Flickr and friends living right around me to help me grow in something I love. Who knows if I'll ever have a career out of my photography but regardless it will always be something I do for fun.

With that said here is a photo I took this past weekend!

emac 2322 Terry Flew Ch. 1

Summary of "What's 'New' About New Media" by Terry Flew

The basis of chapter 1 is how you truly decipher what is and what is not new media. Flew says that for something to be considered new media it should be new to the society. He uses the example of how our choice of television channels has grown vastly in the past few years. Although we have more channels to choose from, the actual watching of the shows has not changed. Therefore more channels and viewing options for our television is not a form of new media but merely an extension of what we already had. We are still watching TV the same way we always have we just have more options as to what we watch.

Flew goes on to say that new media should consist of the three C's: computing, communications, and content. These three components together sum up the purpose of the internet and why it is the "most significant manifestation of new media." The new media of todays society has to do with the transition from a paper to a digital format. With more and more information being saved on the internet, people are becoming more connected and knowledgeable. This phenomenon of rapidly growing connections is the future of where new media will come from.