Blog 4

                In light of the attacks on September 11^th, I think the US  government should be allowed to block publication of material.  Many people would  disagree with me on this, saying that allowing this would only segue into less free speech.  Allowing the government to control what is published on the Internet would, undoubtedly, lessen free speech, but it would also protect national security.  Which would you rather protect: free speech or American lives?

                Wikileaks is another good example of my point.  The release of these government document was extremely dangerous for our nation’s security, and the government has every right to censor and remove them.  The documents detail our nation’s response plans, opinions on other countries, and much more.  These documents should not be made available to the public, because it severely threatens American lives.  If a terrorist organization uses these Wikileaks to attack us, and knows our response plans, then we are not safe.  Our nation’s safety should come before the release of sensitive documents.  The government has a right to keep certain matters secret; they already keep many terrorist threats that they foil every day secret to prevent national terror.  They should be allowed to keep these government documents secrets as well.

Blog 3- Doctor Who

Doctor Who Subtext

                Doctor Who is a British television show whose main character, the Doctor, travels through time and space, usually with a companion, saving the world from threats, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial.  The show originally began in 1963 and ended in 1989, only to be revamped and aired again on BBC in 2005.

                There are many different subtexts throughout all the episodes of Doctor Who.  One of the most prominent messages in the series is the constant concept of equality.  The Doctor’s companions are usually women- even though he is the smartest of the two, the women are always there to save the day because the Doctor cannot do it alone.  In the new series, the Doctor’s companions are white or African-American, and he is constantly fighting for the equality of all alien races.  Other subtext includes the Doctor’s complete aversion to guns.  He refuses to kill anyone or to use a weapon that could do such damage, and always gives the villain in the episode a choice: to continue on its deadly path which will be stopped by the Doctor, or to redeem itself.  Lastly, Doctor Who does have negative subtexts surrounding Americans and government.  The Americans are always the ones who interfere with the Doctor and make his job more difficult by taking over situations that are not theirs to take over.  They usually end up getting killed.  Government is also depicted as evil, constantly hiding the existence of aliens and choosing to sacrifice some of their own race to keep their jobs.  They constantly look out for themselves, just as the government does today.

                Doctor Who has been featured in many different types of print media.  Books have been written detailing the Doctor’s various untold journeys, in addition to academic analyses of the entire show.  The books have mostly been written by previous writers on the show such as Steven Moffat and Russell T. Davies.  Numerous magazine articles and newspaper articles have been written about the science fiction phenomenon that has been playing for over thirty-one seasons.  It’s genre is purely science-fiction: when the show first began, it was a children’s scifi show, but upon the reairing of the series, it began to reach out to an older audience, while still appealing to younger viewers.  The point-of-view is constantly changing in the show- mostly the episodes revolve around the Doctor and his current companion, but sometimes there are “Doctor-light” episodes, in which a normal human is thrown into extraordinary circumstances and the Doctor helps them a little along the way.

                Doctor Who is a revolutionary show, one that uses a wide range of aspects to draw its viewers in, whether it be through the aliens, the futuristic technology, the tragic hero, the powerful and emotional writing, or the score by Ron Grainer.  It reaches all audiences and will be commended for its revolution in television.

Blog 2- Media Diary

Friday

10-12: Clean room, Facebook

12-1: Lunch with friends

1-5: Hangout with friends, read City of Glass, Facebook, Stumbleupon

5 PM-10 PM: Visit downtown with friends, shop at Forever 21 and Barnes and Noble, see The Tourist

10 PM-12 PM- Return to dorm, watch She’s the Man with friends

Saturday

10-12: Read City of Glass

12-1: Lunch with friends

1-5: Texting, talking to people from hall, Facebook, Tumblr, Stumbleupon, Youtube

5-6: Watched Doctor Who episode

6-7: Dinner with friend

7-1: Hangout with friends, watch Fight Club, watch Youtube videos

Sunday

8-2: Visit Museum of Nature and Science with friends, texting friends during

2-4: Unsuccessfully attempt to do homework, texting people, talking to people in hall, listening to iTunes, Facebook, Postsecret, Tumblr, Youtube

4-6 Watch Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends with friends, doing homework during

6-7: Dinner with hallmates

7-8: Homework

8-1: Hangout with hall, play Halo, do homework while watching, read City of Glass

Monday

8-10: Gym with friend

10-12 Homework

12-1: French class

1-2: Lunch with friend

2-4: Homework, hanging out

4-6: Criminology class

6-7: Dinner at Delta Zeta

7-8: Meeting at Delta Zeta

8-9: Homework

9-11: Hanging out

Reflection

                What I’ve noticed is that my personal communications come first, with entertainment in second.  Most of the entertainment that occurs though, is done in a large group of people, so I am personally communicating with people at the same time.  My uses of communication are mostly typical for an active college student: always socializing, always doing something, always procrastinating on homework through use of the Internet.  Many different and time-consuming websites are easily reachable, through both my computer and my cell phone. I’m constantly in touch with one of the two.  My day to day activities are generally the same- hanging out, homework, occasionally going out, going to the gym on weekdays.  The times vary significantly though, mostly because of different times that friends can meet up.

Blog #1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

By Kaitlynne Birkett

    One of the few films I saw over break was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.  This movie continued the journeys of Harry and his two best friends, Ron and Hermione, as they desperately search for a way to defeat the mass murderer, Lord Voldemort.  The series is based upon J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, a huge phenomenon that began in the nineties and has continued a couple decades after.  This movie demonstrates many examples of technological, economic, and cultural convergence.

    Technological convergence is the combination of different types of media to create a digital media form, and is extremely prominent in the seventh Harry Potter film.  The books series the movies are derived from were print turned to a live action film.  Advertising for the movie came through many different forms like trailers before movies, Youtube videos, websites, newspaper advertisements, and commercials over the radio.  By extending to so many different forms of media, the movie was able to become well-recognized and well-known by reaching out to everyone.

    Economic convergence is where the creation of a digital media form comes from a consolidation, or combination, of companies.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was produced by Warner Brothers and Heyday Films, with additional international contributors.  In addition, the release of the Harry Potter film was covered by news stations, local and national all around the world, and articles in both magazines and newspapers gave reviews on the movie.  User experience was also amplified through IMAX, and Part 2 will also be offered in IMAX in addition to three-dimensional and D-BOX motion code (“motion stimulation systems” Wikipedia calls it).  By offering the film with a wide range of viewer experiences, more companies assist in the making of the film, such as D-BOX technologies and IMAX Corporations.

    Lastly, cultural convergence is especially relative to Harry Potter.  J.K. Rowling, the creator of Harry Potter, is a British author who lives in Scotland.  The books first became popular in the United Kingdom, then crossed the Atlantic to America as it spread to the rest of the world.  The book has currently been translated into 65 languages.  Warner Brothers, one of the production companies, is located in the United States, while Heyday Films, the other production company, is located in England.  The producer is David Heyman, head of the British Heyday Films.  David Yates, the director, is also from Britain, while Steve Kloves, the screenwriter, is from the United States of America.  Nearly all of the actors and actresses featured in the film are from England, with others from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.  Filming took place at Leavesden Studios and Pinewood Studios, both located in England.  The score for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 was created by Alexandre Desplat, a French composer.  The film reached far and wide for people to create it, truly demonstrating cultural convergence.