For this assignment, we are looking into the world of gaming using discussion boards from different gaming sites where the gamers self-identify as a culture or subculture.
The first site that I visited was www.gaymer.org. This site is specifically geared towards gay gamers. On this site I found two discussion boards dealing with homosexuality and gaming. The first forum was "Which is more difficult?, Coming out as gay or as a gamer." The topic as can be guessed from the title discussed if people thought that it is harder to come out as being gay or as being a gamer. According to the discussion, there are a lot of stereotypes with being a gamer including, all gamers are virgins, anti-social, and/or socially awkward which makes people keep it a secret that they are gamers. Reading some of the post, it seems that the group is divided between those that think that there is no such thing as "coming out" as a gamer and that it doesn't compare to coming out about being gay, and those who do believe that it is the same situation, when it coming out to friends. I think that those that didn't think it was the same, never really answered the question, they just gave reasons for why it wasn't the same but not if it was more difficult to come out about being gay or a gamer. Those that said it was stated how they were accepted by parents and friends for being gay, but had lost numerous friends and significant others because they were gamers. I thought that overall this was a very interesting topic and something to think about when considering something that you are passionate about and how it may affect how those you care about treat you.
The next forum also from gaymer.com is "Xbox against the gays". This discussion tackled the issue of how Microsoft disallowed a man to use the screen name "theGAYERgamer" on Xbox Live because it was an offensive user name. According to Xbox Live Service, it wasn't allowed because of its sexual nature. The groups main issue was that they wanted to know if The division among this group, was very slim. Most people did believe that the name should have been allowed because it expressed who the man is. They also thought that it was most likely that if it said "theSTRAIGHTgamer" it would not have been a problem. Others did however, saw where Microsoft was coming from and understood why they disallowed the name, because of the growing issue of the word being used as a negative term. A Xbox Live team member said that he didn't know how they would explain to a young child's mother why they saw a gamertag that contain content of sexual nature. Personally in my opinion, I believe that if you are going to enable your child to be exposed to violent, explicit video games in the first place, there is no place for a parent to talk about what gamertag their child sees. There were no points really to be made that had not been touched on in this forum.
The final site that I visited was www.gamespot.com, which is mainly for women gamers. The discussion board that I chose for this site was "Women's Portrayal in Video Games". The creator of this forum wanted to know what people thought about a recent article she had down on women's clothing in video games. The main point that came about in this discussion was how company's geared their games towards boys, teenagers to be exact, so they feel a need to have the women characters with big breast and provocative clothing. One person did switch the topic around and talk about how female gamers don't like how the character Ivy looks, but they don't mind how Aries looks in Final Fantasy. The final point brought about was why does it really matter how the character is dressed, and whether it would make the game anymore enjoyable. The group was pretty divide across the board in this forum, but did answer the question of how they felt about the way women are portrayed in video games. Overall, I don't think that it should matter what the characters are wearing, male or female, because someone is always going to not like the way the character is dress, how they act, or what they say. The game isn't about what they are wearing but how they perform in the game.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Gaming Platforms
In this lab exercise, our groups were given the task of playing video games, tough right?! We had to sample a game from each platform and then write evaluations on them, taking into consideration their genre, audience, features, publishers, and other games made from those publishers. Below is what we found out about the games and the networking incorporated with them.
Console Gaming
In class today, we were picked one console game that none of the group members were familiar with. We chose the Xbox 360 and played Kung Fu Panda. There was no networking involved in this game. Thinking this game would be for smaller children, and not considering the title, the game was very violent. Going through only level one, we had to beat off about 60 hog looking things in order to become a Dragon Warrior. Although we went into this game thinking it was for kids, it was a pretty fun game and we sped through the first level quickly. The genre of this game was Action Adventure/Comedy. Activision published this game along with all Cabela hunting games, Call of Duty 3, and the Pimp My Ride video game.
Console Gaming
In class today, we were picked one console game that none of the group members were familiar with. We chose the Xbox 360 and played Kung Fu Panda. There was no networking involved in this game. Thinking this game would be for smaller children, and not considering the title, the game was very violent. Going through only level one, we had to beat off about 60 hog looking things in order to become a Dragon Warrior. Although we went into this game thinking it was for kids, it was a pretty fun game and we sped through the first level quickly. The genre of this game was Action Adventure/Comedy. Activision published this game along with all Cabela hunting games, Call of Duty 3, and the Pimp My Ride video game.
PC Gaming
The game I worked with during the lab was World of Warcraft. It is a MMORPG (Massive multiplayer online role playing game) for all PC platforms. the publisher of the game is Blizzard Entertainment which is a big name in the gaming industry. World of Warcraft has been out since 2005 and has had many expansions since then but that is not the first big name game that Blizzard has come out with. In 1997 Blizzard came out with Diablo, an RPG (Role playing game) type game that players moved in completing quests and gaining experience to beat the game. In 1998 Blizzard unveiled Starcraft which is still considered to be the best strategy game ever made with its extremely fast paced game play and environment setting in the far future on different planets.
Mobile Gaming
The group used the iPod for our mobile device to access the games, "Crayon Physics", "Jelly Car", and "Spore". "Crayon Physics" was made in January 2009 by Hudson Entertainment. The purpose of the game is to create different paths using the crayon tool to get to the golden star. It is a logic type game, and is classified under the genre Puzzle. Three other games published by Hudson Entertainment similat to "Caryon Physics" include: "Puzzloop Free," "nikoli SUDOKU Free," and "Aqua Forest." For the next game we played with "Jelly Car" created in 2008. The object of this game is to get to the check point by changing the form of your car to get through obstacles. This is another logic type game, but it also involves physics which classifies this under Physics Puzzles. There are no other games published by Timothy FitzRandolph, the creator of this game. The final mobile game that we played was "Spore" made in 2008 by Electronic Arts. The purpose of this game is to EAT or BE EATEN. You must evolve your Spore as you avoid bigger creatures and eat smaller ones. This game is considered to be an Action and Strategy type game. Three other games similar to "Spore" are, "Scrabble," "Skate It," "TETRIS."
Networking
The group used the iPod for our mobile device to access the games, "Crayon Physics", "Jelly Car", and "Spore". "Crayon Physics" was made in January 2009 by Hudson Entertainment. The purpose of the game is to create different paths using the crayon tool to get to the golden star. It is a logic type game, and is classified under the genre Puzzle. Three other games published by Hudson Entertainment similat to "Caryon Physics" include: "Puzzloop Free," "nikoli SUDOKU Free," and "Aqua Forest." For the next game we played with "Jelly Car" created in 2008. The object of this game is to get to the check point by changing the form of your car to get through obstacles. This is another logic type game, but it also involves physics which classifies this under Physics Puzzles. There are no other games published by Timothy FitzRandolph, the creator of this game. The final mobile game that we played was "Spore" made in 2008 by Electronic Arts. The purpose of this game is to EAT or BE EATEN. You must evolve your Spore as you avoid bigger creatures and eat smaller ones. This game is considered to be an Action and Strategy type game. Three other games similar to "Spore" are, "Scrabble," "Skate It," "TETRIS."
Networking
Networking is supported by the PC and the three main console gaming systems right now. Almost all games have online capabilities now to keep you connected with friends. Whether it's taking each other on a head-to-head race or competing on leaderboards, most games offer some kind of online feature. As for console games, online networks have also been practically mandated as vital for new games. Both Nintendo and Playstion's networks are free for anyone who owns the system whereas Xbox's online network, Xbox Live, is around $3-4 a month.
If you'd like to learn more about each network, click on a link below:
As for mobile gaming, like the games we sampled for the iPod Touch, having an online community is not as developed. The games we touched on have no options for online gaming, or community interaction. There are some games that may utilize the wifi capabilities of the iPod Touch, but because being online isn't as constant as it's brother, the iPhone, the games available for it don't exercise that option.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Video Teleconferencing
For this assignment, we are evaluating the use of three different voice chatting services; Yahoo! Messenger, Google Chat, and Skype. We saw how these different services worked, by networking with each other in class.
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Messenger would not install on to the computers, but we were able to use instant messenger online. With Yahoo! Messenger, we were just able to instant messenger each other, which is not ideal for holding conferences for a business. We were not able to voice chat, video chat, or chat on one instant messenger with multiple people.
Google Chat
Google Chat is a great way to keep in touch through your e-mail contacts in other ways than just e-mail. One is able use voice chat, group instant messenger, and video chat (we did not use this feature in class, but it is available with just one person). Conference calls cannot be made, which does not make Google Chat the right service for teleconferencing with a business.
Skype
Skype offers the most out of the three services. While voice chatting with classmates, we exchanged videos and documents, chatted, played games, and continued talking without any interruption. With this service we could do all of the things that we were unable to do with Google Chat and Yahoo Messenger.
The use of each service was fast and easy, but I think that overall, Skype is the best chatting service to use. It gives you the most options for holding calls with multiple people including voice calls, the ability to instant message comments, and share files. This is great for business conference calls, because it enables you to talk with multiple people at once. The newest version of Skype also now allows you to video chat with more than one person at a time, which is why for professional use Skype is the best choice for teleconferencing.
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Messenger would not install on to the computers, but we were able to use instant messenger online. With Yahoo! Messenger, we were just able to instant messenger each other, which is not ideal for holding conferences for a business. We were not able to voice chat, video chat, or chat on one instant messenger with multiple people.
Google Chat
Google Chat is a great way to keep in touch through your e-mail contacts in other ways than just e-mail. One is able use voice chat, group instant messenger, and video chat (we did not use this feature in class, but it is available with just one person). Conference calls cannot be made, which does not make Google Chat the right service for teleconferencing with a business.
Skype
Skype offers the most out of the three services. While voice chatting with classmates, we exchanged videos and documents, chatted, played games, and continued talking without any interruption. With this service we could do all of the things that we were unable to do with Google Chat and Yahoo Messenger.
The use of each service was fast and easy, but I think that overall, Skype is the best chatting service to use. It gives you the most options for holding calls with multiple people including voice calls, the ability to instant message comments, and share files. This is great for business conference calls, because it enables you to talk with multiple people at once. The newest version of Skype also now allows you to video chat with more than one person at a time, which is why for professional use Skype is the best choice for teleconferencing.
Skype VIOP on iPod Touch
For this assginment, the group had to download the program Skype to an iPod, and analyze the features that it gives you. We then compared Skype used on an iPod to Skype used on a desktop PC or laptop PC.
iPod Skype vs. Cell Phone
iPod Skype is free to call any other skype user, which enables you to make calls to anyone that you want to without paying a monthly bill. Skype is also member based, which allows individuals to keep in touch through the same ways as a cell phone for free. Some phones are not able to instant message with people online, but with Skype on the iPod Touch you are able to.
From Desktop PC
Everything is free and easier to navigate than on the iPod Touch. With your PC, you are also able to voice chat if you have a microphone available to use.
From Laptop PC
The features that you are able to do with a Desktop PC are pretty much the same for a Laptop PC. With a laptop PC however, most cameras are built in, which enables you to video chat with others, unlike with the iPod Touch, there is no camera feature that allows you to do this.
Overall, Skype is better when used on a Desktop or Laptop PC. Having Skype on your iPod Touch is great for instant messaging with friends when your on the go and you have access to some form of wifi, but nothing else. Skype on an iPod Touch will not truly be successful until a video feature is added, that enables users to video/voice chat on the go. This is what would set Skype apart from your typical cell phone. All in all, I personally am fine using my cell phone to be able to call anyone no matter their provider, and video chatting on my laptop to someone out of state. So for me Skype is not needed on my iPod Touch.
iPod Skype vs. Cell Phone
iPod Skype is free to call any other skype user, which enables you to make calls to anyone that you want to without paying a monthly bill. Skype is also member based, which allows individuals to keep in touch through the same ways as a cell phone for free. Some phones are not able to instant message with people online, but with Skype on the iPod Touch you are able to.
From Desktop PC
Everything is free and easier to navigate than on the iPod Touch. With your PC, you are also able to voice chat if you have a microphone available to use.
From Laptop PC
The features that you are able to do with a Desktop PC are pretty much the same for a Laptop PC. With a laptop PC however, most cameras are built in, which enables you to video chat with others, unlike with the iPod Touch, there is no camera feature that allows you to do this.
Overall, Skype is better when used on a Desktop or Laptop PC. Having Skype on your iPod Touch is great for instant messaging with friends when your on the go and you have access to some form of wifi, but nothing else. Skype on an iPod Touch will not truly be successful until a video feature is added, that enables users to video/voice chat on the go. This is what would set Skype apart from your typical cell phone. All in all, I personally am fine using my cell phone to be able to call anyone no matter their provider, and video chatting on my laptop to someone out of state. So for me Skype is not needed on my iPod Touch.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Business Analytics Proposal
For this assignment, we are presenting a business proposal to a flower shop owner who would like to expand her brick-and-mortar flower shop into an online business. There are numerous e-commerce software that someone can use. I have chosen what I believe are the three best platforms for the flower shop owner and below I have provided a proposal with the pros and cons of each software. Of the three I have also written which one I believe is the best overall for the flower shop owner.
osCommerce
The first software is osCommerce which is an e-commerce and online store-management solution that offers a wide range of out-of-the-box features. The software enables online stores to be setup fairly quickly with a little effort.
Pros:
Free!
Automatic Web-based installation
Unlimited Number of products and categories
Multi-currency support/Multilingual
Different Shipping Options
Cons:
Add-ons have to be installed yourself
Harder to modify the design of page because there is no graphic template system
Magento
A feature-rich eCommerce platform built on open-source technology that provides online merchants with unprecedented flexibility and control over the look, content and functionality of their eCommerce store.
Pros:
FREE!
Site Management (Control multiple websites)
Training on how to use the site
Mobile Commerce
Marketing Promotions and Tools (Coupons, Promotional pricing)
Customer Service and Customer History Options
Catalog Browsing Option
Cons:
Complicated coding style
ProStores
An eBay Company, that enables small and medium-sized businesses to sell products and services online. This software provides merchants with everything they need to set up, design, and manage a customizable virtual storefront.
Pros:
Free One Month Trial; No Setup Fee
Up to 5,000 products; 5GB of storage
Easy Setup
Cons:
$29.95/a month
Simple Design Choices
In conclusion, I think that the best software choice for my flower shop client would be Magento. Magento offers all that my client needs in order to start up an online shop for her small business. It's free and the most user-friendly of the three options which is key for a floweriest. It also offers more options for providing the customer with the most efficient way to shop online. All of the e-commerce software's are good choices but, I believe that Magento is the best one.
Website Sources:
www.oscommerce.com
www.magentocommerce.com
www.prostores.com/index.html
www.linuxlinks.com
For this assignment, we are presenting a business proposal to a flower shop owner who would like to expand her brick-and-mortar flower shop into an online business. There are numerous e-commerce software that someone can use. I have chosen what I believe are the three best platforms for the flower shop owner and below I have provided a proposal with the pros and cons of each software. Of the three I have also written which one I believe is the best overall for the flower shop owner.
osCommerce
The first software is osCommerce which is an e-commerce and online store-management solution that offers a wide range of out-of-the-box features. The software enables online stores to be setup fairly quickly with a little effort.
Pros:
Free!
Automatic Web-based installation
Unlimited Number of products and categories
Multi-currency support/Multilingual
Different Shipping Options
Cons:
Add-ons have to be installed yourself
Harder to modify the design of page because there is no graphic template system
Magento
A feature-rich eCommerce platform built on open-source technology that provides online merchants with unprecedented flexibility and control over the look, content and functionality of their eCommerce store.
Pros:
FREE!
Site Management (Control multiple websites)
Training on how to use the site
Mobile Commerce
Marketing Promotions and Tools (Coupons, Promotional pricing)
Customer Service and Customer History Options
Catalog Browsing Option
Cons:
Complicated coding style
ProStores
An eBay Company, that enables small and medium-sized businesses to sell products and services online. This software provides merchants with everything they need to set up, design, and manage a customizable virtual storefront.
Pros:
Free One Month Trial; No Setup Fee
Up to 5,000 products; 5GB of storage
Easy Setup
Cons:
$29.95/a month
Simple Design Choices
In conclusion, I think that the best software choice for my flower shop client would be Magento. Magento offers all that my client needs in order to start up an online shop for her small business. It's free and the most user-friendly of the three options which is key for a floweriest. It also offers more options for providing the customer with the most efficient way to shop online. All of the e-commerce software's are good choices but, I believe that Magento is the best one.
Website Sources:
www.oscommerce.com
www.magentocommerce.com
www.prostores.com/index.html
www.linuxlinks.com
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Creative Commons
For this assignment, I needed to first explore the website, CreativeCommons.com and what its purpose is. Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that was created to increase the amount of creativity people could have with the work that is available to the public for free and legal sharing, use, repurposing, and remixing without any copy right issues. Below you can find five different photos that were taken with different forms of home video technology. All were found under the Creative Commons Attribution License which makes them legal to share and edit, as long as the original publisher is given credit.
Dolphin Frisbee
by: Dan4th Flickr account
Music Baby
by: Ted's Flickr account
Key West-Mile 0
by: Twodolla Flickr Account
King Neptune-Virginia Beach
by: Anthroscribe Flickr Account
White Tiger Cub
Joaquinuy Flickr Account
Dolphin Frisbee
by: Dan4th Flickr account
Music Baby
by: Ted's Flickr account
Key West-Mile 0
by: Twodolla Flickr Account
King Neptune-Virginia Beach
by: Anthroscribe Flickr Account
White Tiger Cub
Joaquinuy Flickr Account
The next part of the assignment was then to find a documentary film on photography using the Prelinger Archives. The Prelinger Archives were taken from the Prelinger Library in San Francisco, in a move to building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Prelinger Archives are also be found under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
Digital Photography
This is a video about digital photography. Digital photography got its start in the mid 1990's. This program looks at early examples of digital photography hardware and software. Included are demonstrations of the Fuji D5-7, Ricoh RDC2, Kodak DC25, LivePix, Adobe Photo Shop 4.0, HP DeskJet 693C, Epson Stylus Color 500, Sony DMM155, Logitech Pagescan Color, and Microtek ScanMaker E3. Guests include Michael Mcnamara of Popular Photography magazine, Kyla Carlson of PC Computing magazine, and John Goddard of PC World.
Overall, I liked this assignment. It enabled us to see what types of rights we have, to be able to express ourselves freely using bits and pieces of others work. I think Creative Commons is a great organization idea, and will continue to make a huge impact in the world of creative expression through photography, music, videos, etc.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Free Music for the iPod Touch
In this lab, our group was asked to find several sources of free music downloads and streaming music providers. Below is what we found:
Free Music Streaming:
Downloads for iPod Touch:
We found multiply sites where we could listen to music freely based on the Artist, the Genre of Music, and the year that the music was produced. We also included places on the website where one could find free downloadable music for their iPod Touch. When looking on the sites, we found that one could get recent music, but it was harder than finding old and/or undiscovered music. All the sites overall, were easy to navigate through and gave no problem when downloading the music. I think that this exercise was fun and one that will benefit me in the future. It allowed us to research about something that millions of people do every day, download illegal music, but it challenged us to find legal ways to do it.
Free Music Streaming:
- Napster.com (offered World Music)
- AOL.com
- Last.fm (offered World Music)
- Grooveshark.com
- flytunes.fm (offered World Music)
- Pandora.com (offered World Music)
- MusicIndiaOnline.com (offered World Music)
- radiomaqam.com (offered World Music)
- mymusicstream.com
- audiolizer.com
Downloads for iPod Touch:
- B.o.B-Airplanes: Blog from "Hypemachine" called "I hope your ears bleed"
- 3Oh3- Don't Trust Me: from LastFM.com
- Hot Hot Heat- Goddess on the Prairie: Free Mps on MP3.com
- The Pains of Being Pure at Heart-Higher than the Stars: LastFM.com
- Usher-OMG: Blog from "Hypemachine" called "Vacay Wave"
- The Ready Set-Sweetest Girl: PureVolume.com
We found multiply sites where we could listen to music freely based on the Artist, the Genre of Music, and the year that the music was produced. We also included places on the website where one could find free downloadable music for their iPod Touch. When looking on the sites, we found that one could get recent music, but it was harder than finding old and/or undiscovered music. All the sites overall, were easy to navigate through and gave no problem when downloading the music. I think that this exercise was fun and one that will benefit me in the future. It allowed us to research about something that millions of people do every day, download illegal music, but it challenged us to find legal ways to do it.
Local TV Consumption
For this lab exercise the group had to develop a short survey about when, where, and why people watch TV. We also included which mediums they used and why they used these mediums. Below are the results compiled:
As can be seen in our table the majority of people do watch TV, but there are some who do not. Most ways that people seemed to watch TV were, broadcast, cable, and Internet. The survey was very interesting and showed that most people didn't go for more, but for convenience, since broadcast is free, Internet gives lots of options, and cable is included in a lot of people's rents.
As can be seen in our table the majority of people do watch TV, but there are some who do not. Most ways that people seemed to watch TV were, broadcast, cable, and Internet. The survey was very interesting and showed that most people didn't go for more, but for convenience, since broadcast is free, Internet gives lots of options, and cable is included in a lot of people's rents.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Radio Brodcasting
This lab is set up to show how the two main online radio services, Pandora and Last.fm, relate various artists from various genres to other recommendations within that genre.
Pandora.com
What we found was that Pandora seems to be better at giving you more songs from the artist you actually requested and more recommendations that fit closely to your artist's genre. If you register with Pandora, you are allowed to save your radio stations for later use and listen to more songs without the interruption of pop-ups. Some other features that Pandora offers are lyrics and quick links to buy the music you hear on Pandora.
LastFM.com
As for lastfm, without being a member, the service it provides is not up to that of Pandora. The radio for an artist is plagued with similar artists and songs (sometimes) but almost never plays songs from the actual artist you requested. If you register with Last.fm though, its features far outweight those of Pandora. Lastfm has a "scrobble" feature that allows you to sync up your personal media player with your last.fm profile. This enables more accurate artist recommendations, an accurate radio player with just your music, and allows last.fm to recommend local shows and concerts.
For the casual listener, Pandora is the better website with it's ease of use and accurate recommendations. For the music junkie, last.fm offers more information about music, tours, album releases and has a very strong community network setup to run similar to that of other networking sites like Facebook or MySpace.
Listed below are a collection of artists that we tested with both sites to see what recommendations the two sites gave us:
Beyonce
An American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas. Beyonce rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child. During the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Beyonce released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love (2003) and later after the bands disbandment (2005), two more very successful albums (B-Day in 2006 & I am...Sasha Fierce in 2008).
Pandora
Crazy In Love-Beyonce
If I Ain't Got You-Alicia Keys
Lose My Breath-Destiny Child
Miss Independent-Ne-Yo
Upgrade You-Beyonce
LastFM
Crazy In Love-Beyonce
Unfaithful-Rihanna
Work-Kelly Rowland
Hurt- Christina Aguilera
Obessessed-Mariah Carey
Taylor Swift
An American country pop singer and songwriter born in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. She released her debut single “Tim McGraw”, then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, in 2006. In November 2008, Swift released her second album, Fearless.
Pandora
Today Was a Fairytale-Taylor Swift
So Small- Carrie Underwood
Bubbly-Colbie Caillet
Hey, Soul Sister-Train
I Heart?- Taylor Swift
Last FM:
Today Was A Fairytale-Taylor Swift
7 Things- Miley Cyrus
Hello World- Lady Antebellum
Zingara 'nnammurata- Gloriana
I Wonder- Kellie Pickler
Drake
Aubrey “Drake” Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Grammy award nominated Canadian actor, rapper and singer signed to Universal Motown. So far in his much hyped music career he has released three mixtapes, 2006’s Room for Improvement, 2007’s Comeback Season and 2009’s critically acclaimed So Far Gone, which is considered one of the best mixtapes of 2009. He has just finished recording his major label debut, Thank Me Later, which will be released 15th June, 2010. The album will also feature confirmed appearances from Jay-Z, The-Dream, Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, T.I., Swizz Beatz, Nicki Minaj and Young Jeezy.
Pandora
Forever - Drake
Nothin' On You - B.o.B
Money to Blow - Birdman
Lollipop - Lil' Wayne (Remix)
Fear - Drake
LastFM
Damn Thing - Wiz Khalifa
Service With a Smile - B.o.B
Lollipop - Lil' Wayne
The Potential - Tyga
Paris, Tokyo - Lupe Fiasco
Spice Girls
Spice Girls were in an English girl group, formed in 1994 and primarily successful between the summer of 1996 and the fall of 2000. As a five-piece, the Spice Girls became the best selling and most successful girl group of all time, releasing two multi-platinum albums, “Spice” and “Spiceworld”, scoring six consecutive UK #1 hits (9#1 hits and one #2 hit in a total of 10 singles), and appearing in their own motion picture, video game, Pepsi, Polaroid and Impulse commercials as well as grossing millions of dollars in band merchandising alone. Estimated combined album sales are 65 million copies worldwide
Pandora
2 Become 1 - Spice Girls
Crazy - Britney Spears
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morsette
No Scrubs - TLC
Spice Up Your Life - Spice Girls
LastFM
Who do You Think You - Spice Girls
Two in a Million - S Club 7
What Took You So Long - Emma Bunton
A Mind of it's Own - Victoria Beckham
Sound of the Underground - Girls Aloud
MXPX
A Christian punk rock band from Bremerton, Washington. The band recorded eight studio albums, four EPs, four compilation albums, a live album, a VHS tape, a DVD and released 20 singles. Their sound has gone though many stages, though still has roots of punk, and now they're compared to the likes of bands like New Found Glory and Hawk Nelson (both associated acts) with more of a pop punk sound.
Pandora
MXPX - Under Lock and Key
Green Day - Westbound Sign
New Found Glory - Listen to Your Friends
Blink-182 - Mutt
MXPX - One Step Closer to Life
LastFM
MXPX - Invitation to Understanding
No Use For A Name - Life Size Mirror
Zebrahead - Falling Apart
Autopilot Off - Missing the Innocence
Fenix TX - All My Fault
Def Leppard
Def Leppard is an English rock band from Sheffield, who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Largely on the strength of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria, Def Leppard became one of the top-selling rock bands throughout the 1980s, selling over 65 million albums worldwide, including over 35 million in the United States alone.
Pandora
Pour Some Sugar on me - Def Leppard
Why Can't This Be Love - Van Halen
Runaway - Bon Jovi
Girls, Girls, Girls - Motley Crue
Rock Rock (Till You Drop) - Def Leppard
LastFM
Now you're Gone - Whitesnake
When The Children Cry - White Lion
Smokin' In The Boys Room - Motley Crue
Dawn Incognito - Winger
Love Of A Lifetime - Firehouse
Pandora.com
What we found was that Pandora seems to be better at giving you more songs from the artist you actually requested and more recommendations that fit closely to your artist's genre. If you register with Pandora, you are allowed to save your radio stations for later use and listen to more songs without the interruption of pop-ups. Some other features that Pandora offers are lyrics and quick links to buy the music you hear on Pandora.
LastFM.com
As for lastfm, without being a member, the service it provides is not up to that of Pandora. The radio for an artist is plagued with similar artists and songs (sometimes) but almost never plays songs from the actual artist you requested. If you register with Last.fm though, its features far outweight those of Pandora. Lastfm has a "scrobble" feature that allows you to sync up your personal media player with your last.fm profile. This enables more accurate artist recommendations, an accurate radio player with just your music, and allows last.fm to recommend local shows and concerts.
For the casual listener, Pandora is the better website with it's ease of use and accurate recommendations. For the music junkie, last.fm offers more information about music, tours, album releases and has a very strong community network setup to run similar to that of other networking sites like Facebook or MySpace.
Listed below are a collection of artists that we tested with both sites to see what recommendations the two sites gave us:
Beyonce
An American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas. Beyonce rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child. During the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Beyonce released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love (2003) and later after the bands disbandment (2005), two more very successful albums (B-Day in 2006 & I am...Sasha Fierce in 2008).
Pandora
Crazy In Love-Beyonce
If I Ain't Got You-Alicia Keys
Lose My Breath-Destiny Child
Miss Independent-Ne-Yo
Upgrade You-Beyonce
LastFM
Crazy In Love-Beyonce
Unfaithful-Rihanna
Work-Kelly Rowland
Hurt- Christina Aguilera
Obessessed-Mariah Carey
Taylor Swift
An American country pop singer and songwriter born in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. She released her debut single “Tim McGraw”, then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, in 2006. In November 2008, Swift released her second album, Fearless.
Pandora
Today Was a Fairytale-Taylor Swift
So Small- Carrie Underwood
Bubbly-Colbie Caillet
Hey, Soul Sister-Train
I Heart?- Taylor Swift
Last FM:
Today Was A Fairytale-Taylor Swift
7 Things- Miley Cyrus
Hello World- Lady Antebellum
Zingara 'nnammurata- Gloriana
I Wonder- Kellie Pickler
Drake
Aubrey “Drake” Graham (born October 24, 1986) is a Grammy award nominated Canadian actor, rapper and singer signed to Universal Motown. So far in his much hyped music career he has released three mixtapes, 2006’s Room for Improvement, 2007’s Comeback Season and 2009’s critically acclaimed So Far Gone, which is considered one of the best mixtapes of 2009. He has just finished recording his major label debut, Thank Me Later, which will be released 15th June, 2010. The album will also feature confirmed appearances from Jay-Z, The-Dream, Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, T.I., Swizz Beatz, Nicki Minaj and Young Jeezy.
Pandora
Forever - Drake
Nothin' On You - B.o.B
Money to Blow - Birdman
Lollipop - Lil' Wayne (Remix)
Fear - Drake
LastFM
Damn Thing - Wiz Khalifa
Service With a Smile - B.o.B
Lollipop - Lil' Wayne
The Potential - Tyga
Paris, Tokyo - Lupe Fiasco
Spice Girls
Spice Girls were in an English girl group, formed in 1994 and primarily successful between the summer of 1996 and the fall of 2000. As a five-piece, the Spice Girls became the best selling and most successful girl group of all time, releasing two multi-platinum albums, “Spice” and “Spiceworld”, scoring six consecutive UK #1 hits (9#1 hits and one #2 hit in a total of 10 singles), and appearing in their own motion picture, video game, Pepsi, Polaroid and Impulse commercials as well as grossing millions of dollars in band merchandising alone. Estimated combined album sales are 65 million copies worldwide
Pandora
2 Become 1 - Spice Girls
Crazy - Britney Spears
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morsette
No Scrubs - TLC
Spice Up Your Life - Spice Girls
LastFM
Who do You Think You - Spice Girls
Two in a Million - S Club 7
What Took You So Long - Emma Bunton
A Mind of it's Own - Victoria Beckham
Sound of the Underground - Girls Aloud
MXPX
A Christian punk rock band from Bremerton, Washington. The band recorded eight studio albums, four EPs, four compilation albums, a live album, a VHS tape, a DVD and released 20 singles. Their sound has gone though many stages, though still has roots of punk, and now they're compared to the likes of bands like New Found Glory and Hawk Nelson (both associated acts) with more of a pop punk sound.
Pandora
MXPX - Under Lock and Key
Green Day - Westbound Sign
New Found Glory - Listen to Your Friends
Blink-182 - Mutt
MXPX - One Step Closer to Life
LastFM
MXPX - Invitation to Understanding
No Use For A Name - Life Size Mirror
Zebrahead - Falling Apart
Autopilot Off - Missing the Innocence
Fenix TX - All My Fault
Def Leppard
Def Leppard is an English rock band from Sheffield, who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Largely on the strength of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria, Def Leppard became one of the top-selling rock bands throughout the 1980s, selling over 65 million albums worldwide, including over 35 million in the United States alone.
Pandora
Pour Some Sugar on me - Def Leppard
Why Can't This Be Love - Van Halen
Runaway - Bon Jovi
Girls, Girls, Girls - Motley Crue
Rock Rock (Till You Drop) - Def Leppard
LastFM
Now you're Gone - Whitesnake
When The Children Cry - White Lion
Smokin' In The Boys Room - Motley Crue
Dawn Incognito - Winger
Love Of A Lifetime - Firehouse
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Podcasting
For this lab exercise, the group viewed ten different podcasts about media and technology news using itunes. Below are the podcasts and informatio about each.
The iPad Show
The iPad Show is a video podcast all about the Apple iPad, the applications, hardware reviews, and the latest news.
Producers:Steve Bostedor and David Buchanan
Format of podcast: News and Interview
Published: Live recording every Sunday at 3:30PM EST
Intended Audience: Geared towards Apple iPad users
Popularity: 4 stars (64 ratings total)
Sponsors: http://www.gotoassist.com/ (only sponsor mentioned during episode)
For more information visit:
ipadshow.com
This Week in Tech
TWiT is an audio (MP3 Edition) podcast that hold discussions about the latest trends in high tech by tech luminaries.
Producers: Leo Laporte, Patrick Norton, Kevin Rose, and John C. Dvorak
Format of podcast: News and Opinion
Published: Live recording every Wednesday
Intended Audience: Geared towards anyone that is interested in Technology
Popularity: 4 stars (1051 ratings total)
Sponsors: AOL Music, http://www.spinner.com/, and http://www.gotomeeting.com/, http://www.audible.com/, and http://www.carbonite.com/ (only sponsor mentioned during episode)
For more information visit:
thisweekintech.com
Tech News Today (Audio)
Tom Merritt, former host of CNET's "Buzz OUt Loud," joins the TWiT network to bring you "Tech News Today." Tom and co-hosts Becky Worley (TechTV, Good Morning America), Sarah Lane (TechTV, Revision3) and others take you on a fun and friendly ride through the need-to-know tech news highlights of the day.
Who Produces the Podcast: Eric Lanagen
Format of Podcast: Audio, News, Interviews, Talkshow
Publication Frequency: Daily (Monday-Friday)
Intended Audience: Anyone looking for tech news
How Popular is the Podcast: Very (5 Stars with 220 Ratings)
Commercial Sponsors: Cachefly, Audible.com, Slingbox.com
For more information visit:
twit.tv
Buzz Out Loud (Audio)
Buzz Out Loud features Molly Wood, Rafe Needleman and producer Jason Howell, along with CNET's top tech experts reviewing the day's tech news. Each episode, the crew analyzes
interprets, and argues about what all the technology means and what it's doing to us. Fans can take part by calling, emailing, or commenting on the blog.
Who Produces the Podcast: Jason Howell
Format of Podcast: Audio, News, Interviews, Talkshow
Publication Frequency: Daily (Monday-Friday)
Intended Audience: Anyone looking for tech news
How Popular is the Podcast: 4.5 Stars with 999 Ratings
Commercial Sponsors: CNET.com seems to support this podcast without the help of sponsors
For more information:
cnet.com
Attack of the Show (Video)
Attack of the Show gets you inside, underneath, around, and behind the newest tech, the hottest games, the fastest-breaking news, and the oddest oddities from the fringe. There's the inside track, and then there are those who pave the inside track.
Who Produces the Podcast: G4
Format of Podcast: Video, Talkshow, News
Publication Frequency: Daily (Monday-Friday)
Intended Audience: Consumers and common public looking for tech news
How Popular is the Podcast: 4.5 Stars with 323Ratings
Commercial Sponsors: G4TV, Gcycle.org, other internal programs from G4TV
For more information visit:
g4tv.com
The Big Web Show
The Big Web Show features special guests and topics like the future of publishing, art direction online, content strategy, web fonts and typography, CMS shootouts, HTML5 and CSS3, building an audience, and more.
Who produces the podcast: Hosted by Dan Bengamin and Jeffrey Zeldman
What is the format of the podcast: Interview & Information
How frequently is the podcast published: About once a week
Who is the intended audience: Anyone interested in today's and the new coming technology.
How popular is the podcast (as measured by subscribers): 5 Stars. All comments are positive about the hosts and how they present their discussions.
Who are there commercial sponsors of the podcast?: mailchimp.com
For more information:
5by5.tv
Tech Radio on Rockland USA
An irreverent, entertaining review and comment of the latest tech news headlines without the slanted media bias. If you love the News with Robin on the Howard Stern show, you will love Tech Radio.
Who produces the podcast: Hosted by Craig Luecke and Jen Reynolds
What is the format of the podcast: Call-in Talk
How frequently is the podcast published: Once a day
Who is the intended audience: People interested in an entertaining discussion and calling in their own opinions.
How popular is the podcast (as measured by subscribers): 4 1/2 Stars. Some subscribers find the entertainment very funny and amusing while other listeners who are more serious about learning about the technology world do not take the entertainment part as lightly.
Who are there commercial sponsors of the podcast: This podcast never mentions any sponsors, but I would assume it to be Rockland USA.
For more information:
rocklandusa.tv
The Tech Guy
The complete aircheck of Leo Laporte's technology call-in radio show minus commercials, news, and traffic.
Who produces the podcast: Leo Laporte
What is the format of the podcast: Call-ins and opinions
How frequently is the podcast published: once to twice a week
Who is the intended audience: People interested in "toy store" kind of technology.
How popular is the podcast (as measured by subscribers): 4 1/2 Stars. On 111 Stations on Satellite radio.
Who are there commercial sponsors of the podcast: CacheFly.com
For more information visit:
twit.tv
Buzz Report
Ruthless analysis in column, blog, podcast, and video form of the latest in consumer electronic products to hit the market, as well as commentary on the most buzz-worthy technology news.
Publisher of the podcast: CNET
Format of the podcast: News/Opinion
How frequently the podcast is updated: Once a week
Intended audience: Technology consumers such as people looking to by new smartphones, digital cameras, and other devices.
Number of subscribers: 77 Ratings, Four Stars
Commercial sponsors of the podcast: Lexus
For more information:
cnettv.cnet.com
Apple Keynotes
Vidoes of the Apple company's most important annoucements, including Apple CEO Steve Jobs' annual keynotes from MacWorld.
Publisher of the podcast: Apple
Format of the podcast: News
How frequently the podcast is updated: Periodically. Ranges from 1 month to 2-3 months depending on any statements that Apple makes.
The intended audience: Apple product users/Consumers. People who use Mac's Iphones, and Ipads.
Number of subscribers: 4.5 Stars 2594 Ratings.
Commercial sponsors of the podcast: Apple
For more information:
Apple.com
The iPad Show
The iPad Show is a video podcast all about the Apple iPad, the applications, hardware reviews, and the latest news.
Producers:Steve Bostedor and David Buchanan
Format of podcast: News and Interview
Published: Live recording every Sunday at 3:30PM EST
Intended Audience: Geared towards Apple iPad users
Popularity: 4 stars (64 ratings total)
Sponsors: http://www.gotoassist.com/ (only sponsor mentioned during episode)
For more information visit:
ipadshow.com
This Week in Tech
TWiT is an audio (MP3 Edition) podcast that hold discussions about the latest trends in high tech by tech luminaries.
Producers: Leo Laporte, Patrick Norton, Kevin Rose, and John C. Dvorak
Format of podcast: News and Opinion
Published: Live recording every Wednesday
Intended Audience: Geared towards anyone that is interested in Technology
Popularity: 4 stars (1051 ratings total)
Sponsors: AOL Music, http://www.spinner.com/, and http://www.gotomeeting.com/, http://www.audible.com/, and http://www.carbonite.com/ (only sponsor mentioned during episode)
For more information visit:
thisweekintech.com
Tech News Today (Audio)
Tom Merritt, former host of CNET's "Buzz OUt Loud," joins the TWiT network to bring you "Tech News Today." Tom and co-hosts Becky Worley (TechTV, Good Morning America), Sarah Lane (TechTV, Revision3) and others take you on a fun and friendly ride through the need-to-know tech news highlights of the day.
Who Produces the Podcast: Eric Lanagen
Format of Podcast: Audio, News, Interviews, Talkshow
Publication Frequency: Daily (Monday-Friday)
Intended Audience: Anyone looking for tech news
How Popular is the Podcast: Very (5 Stars with 220 Ratings)
Commercial Sponsors: Cachefly, Audible.com, Slingbox.com
For more information visit:
twit.tv
Buzz Out Loud (Audio)
Buzz Out Loud features Molly Wood, Rafe Needleman and producer Jason Howell, along with CNET's top tech experts reviewing the day's tech news. Each episode, the crew analyzes
interprets, and argues about what all the technology means and what it's doing to us. Fans can take part by calling, emailing, or commenting on the blog.
Who Produces the Podcast: Jason Howell
Format of Podcast: Audio, News, Interviews, Talkshow
Publication Frequency: Daily (Monday-Friday)
Intended Audience: Anyone looking for tech news
How Popular is the Podcast: 4.5 Stars with 999 Ratings
Commercial Sponsors: CNET.com seems to support this podcast without the help of sponsors
For more information:
cnet.com
Attack of the Show (Video)
Attack of the Show gets you inside, underneath, around, and behind the newest tech, the hottest games, the fastest-breaking news, and the oddest oddities from the fringe. There's the inside track, and then there are those who pave the inside track.
Who Produces the Podcast: G4
Format of Podcast: Video, Talkshow, News
Publication Frequency: Daily (Monday-Friday)
Intended Audience: Consumers and common public looking for tech news
How Popular is the Podcast: 4.5 Stars with 323Ratings
Commercial Sponsors: G4TV, Gcycle.org, other internal programs from G4TV
For more information visit:
g4tv.com
The Big Web Show
The Big Web Show features special guests and topics like the future of publishing, art direction online, content strategy, web fonts and typography, CMS shootouts, HTML5 and CSS3, building an audience, and more.
Who produces the podcast: Hosted by Dan Bengamin and Jeffrey Zeldman
What is the format of the podcast: Interview & Information
How frequently is the podcast published: About once a week
Who is the intended audience: Anyone interested in today's and the new coming technology.
How popular is the podcast (as measured by subscribers): 5 Stars. All comments are positive about the hosts and how they present their discussions.
Who are there commercial sponsors of the podcast?: mailchimp.com
For more information:
5by5.tv
Tech Radio on Rockland USA
An irreverent, entertaining review and comment of the latest tech news headlines without the slanted media bias. If you love the News with Robin on the Howard Stern show, you will love Tech Radio.
Who produces the podcast: Hosted by Craig Luecke and Jen Reynolds
What is the format of the podcast: Call-in Talk
How frequently is the podcast published: Once a day
Who is the intended audience: People interested in an entertaining discussion and calling in their own opinions.
How popular is the podcast (as measured by subscribers): 4 1/2 Stars. Some subscribers find the entertainment very funny and amusing while other listeners who are more serious about learning about the technology world do not take the entertainment part as lightly.
Who are there commercial sponsors of the podcast: This podcast never mentions any sponsors, but I would assume it to be Rockland USA.
For more information:
rocklandusa.tv
The Tech Guy
The complete aircheck of Leo Laporte's technology call-in radio show minus commercials, news, and traffic.
Who produces the podcast: Leo Laporte
What is the format of the podcast: Call-ins and opinions
How frequently is the podcast published: once to twice a week
Who is the intended audience: People interested in "toy store" kind of technology.
How popular is the podcast (as measured by subscribers): 4 1/2 Stars. On 111 Stations on Satellite radio.
Who are there commercial sponsors of the podcast: CacheFly.com
For more information visit:
twit.tv
Buzz Report
Ruthless analysis in column, blog, podcast, and video form of the latest in consumer electronic products to hit the market, as well as commentary on the most buzz-worthy technology news.
Publisher of the podcast: CNET
Format of the podcast: News/Opinion
How frequently the podcast is updated: Once a week
Intended audience: Technology consumers such as people looking to by new smartphones, digital cameras, and other devices.
Number of subscribers: 77 Ratings, Four Stars
Commercial sponsors of the podcast: Lexus
For more information:
cnettv.cnet.com
Apple Keynotes
Vidoes of the Apple company's most important annoucements, including Apple CEO Steve Jobs' annual keynotes from MacWorld.
Publisher of the podcast: Apple
Format of the podcast: News
How frequently the podcast is updated: Periodically. Ranges from 1 month to 2-3 months depending on any statements that Apple makes.
The intended audience: Apple product users/Consumers. People who use Mac's Iphones, and Ipads.
Number of subscribers: 4.5 Stars 2594 Ratings.
Commercial sponsors of the podcast: Apple
For more information:
Apple.com
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Streaming Video Players
For this assignment, using Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox as my web browsers, I viewed the trailer for Toy Story 3. Viewing the trailer on the following video streaming sites, Youtube, Hulu, Joost, Fancast, and OVGuide I was able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each site. The results can be found in the following paragraphs.
Youtube:
Youtube is one of the streaming sites that I use on a daily bases. It is a great place to look for old movies, show clips, trailers, music videos, and more. Youtube is the number one video sharing website with over 300 million accounts. The site is run using Adobe Media Player showing videos in Standard Quality, HQ, and HD format. Youtube is very user friendly, allowing for easy access to their website and the videos streamed to it. Anyone can visit the site, look up a clip from one of their favorite shows for example, and rate/comment on the video, find similar video clips, share the video with friends and family through social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, or blogger, or mark for later if they have a free Youtube account. As for the Toy Story 3 trailer, the video was very pleasing to watch. I was able to embed the clip with no problem. Some clips however, are not embeddable. In those situations one can simply share the video. There was no advertisement before this particular video, the two minute clip loaded with no problem, and ran smoothly for the entire time. However, with the pros comes some cons, but not too many in my perspective. The main problem that users have with Youtube is that they can't view full episodes of shows/newly released movies. Even though there are no advertisements in the beginning of all the clips one views, there are some every so often as one watches clips continuously or watches a full length movie. Pop-up ads can also be found throughout the viewing of a video. Overall, Youtube is one of my favorite sites that provides people with the ability to watch and share video clips for free.
Youtube:
Youtube is one of the streaming sites that I use on a daily bases. It is a great place to look for old movies, show clips, trailers, music videos, and more. Youtube is the number one video sharing website with over 300 million accounts. The site is run using Adobe Media Player showing videos in Standard Quality, HQ, and HD format. Youtube is very user friendly, allowing for easy access to their website and the videos streamed to it. Anyone can visit the site, look up a clip from one of their favorite shows for example, and rate/comment on the video, find similar video clips, share the video with friends and family through social networking sites such as facebook, twitter, or blogger, or mark for later if they have a free Youtube account. As for the Toy Story 3 trailer, the video was very pleasing to watch. I was able to embed the clip with no problem. Some clips however, are not embeddable. In those situations one can simply share the video. There was no advertisement before this particular video, the two minute clip loaded with no problem, and ran smoothly for the entire time. However, with the pros comes some cons, but not too many in my perspective. The main problem that users have with Youtube is that they can't view full episodes of shows/newly released movies. Even though there are no advertisements in the beginning of all the clips one views, there are some every so often as one watches clips continuously or watches a full length movie. Pop-up ads can also be found throughout the viewing of a video. Overall, Youtube is one of my favorite sites that provides people with the ability to watch and share video clips for free.
Hulu:
Another one of my favorite sites, Hulu, is used mainly for watching full length shows and old/unknown featured movies. Hulu, is very similar to Youtube in the features that it offers to users and can be accessed by anyone with internet. Hulu is run using Adobe Media Player, and unlike specific network websites such as FOX, Hulu allows for a faster loading time and better quality sound and video viewing. Along with the embedding and sharing abilities that the site offers, Hulu also allows the user to watch the entire season of a show with their auto-play button, view the video in full screen, dim the lighting of your desktops background for better viewing, and search for memorable clips within the video using the caption tab. Hulu takes a different approach to advertisement, and splits up the shows/movies into segments. This allows the site to place a 30 second to a one minute clip in for a company/product. A new feature added to the advertisement clips is a "does this ad relate to you" button, which gets rid of later clips that may not pertain to the user. Even though the movie selection isn't the best, Hulu is a great place to catch up on missed episodes or seasons, and discovers movies you have never heard of.
Another one of my favorite sites, Hulu, is used mainly for watching full length shows and old/unknown featured movies. Hulu, is very similar to Youtube in the features that it offers to users and can be accessed by anyone with internet. Hulu is run using Adobe Media Player, and unlike specific network websites such as FOX, Hulu allows for a faster loading time and better quality sound and video viewing. Along with the embedding and sharing abilities that the site offers, Hulu also allows the user to watch the entire season of a show with their auto-play button, view the video in full screen, dim the lighting of your desktops background for better viewing, and search for memorable clips within the video using the caption tab. Hulu takes a different approach to advertisement, and splits up the shows/movies into segments. This allows the site to place a 30 second to a one minute clip in for a company/product. A new feature added to the advertisement clips is a "does this ad relate to you" button, which gets rid of later clips that may not pertain to the user. Even though the movie selection isn't the best, Hulu is a great place to catch up on missed episodes or seasons, and discovers movies you have never heard of.
Joost:
A site that I have not used before is Joost was a very simple website to navigate as for searching for the videos you are looking for. Joost however, does not offer a huge selection of choices once you search for your preferred video. Other than being able to share the video on a social network or through email, I feel that Joost doesn’t have a lot to offer and has more bad than good. It was hard to find how to embed a clip, and the site seems very cluttered with advertisement in the background, on the sides, and before the videos. Joost focuses more on movie trailers, behind the scenes music videos, and clips of shows. The quality of the Toy Story 3 trailer that I chose wasn’t good compared to the other streaming sites, even though it is run off of Adobe Media Player. I don’t think I would use Joost in the future unless the quality of the videos was updated.
A site that I have not used before is Joost was a very simple website to navigate as for searching for the videos you are looking for. Joost however, does not offer a huge selection of choices once you search for your preferred video. Other than being able to share the video on a social network or through email, I feel that Joost doesn’t have a lot to offer and has more bad than good. It was hard to find how to embed a clip, and the site seems very cluttered with advertisement in the background, on the sides, and before the videos. Joost focuses more on movie trailers, behind the scenes music videos, and clips of shows. The quality of the Toy Story 3 trailer that I chose wasn’t good compared to the other streaming sites, even though it is run off of Adobe Media Player. I don’t think I would use Joost in the future unless the quality of the videos was updated.
Fancast:
Fancast, was also a new site that I had not previously viewed. I found that the site was very similar to Hulu and offered just as much if not more for users. The site is well organized making it easier to find full length movie, TV episodes and even what is on TV for the night, which allows you to view the previously aired episode. All the other options such as sharing, embedding, rating/commenting, and full screen clear viewing of videos using Adobe Media Player, are offered on Fancast and are easy to operate. For embedding, all one needs to do is chose the video they want to embed, click the embed button below, and copy and paste the text to their chosen location. The advertisement for this site is sometimes shown in the beginning and along the top and side as small text sidebars. One different feature that I liked was that if you exited out of Fancast before finishing a video, you could go back to the site, click on the same video, and resume play. Overall, I really liked Fancast and will use it in the future. Highly recommend.
Fancast, was also a new site that I had not previously viewed. I found that the site was very similar to Hulu and offered just as much if not more for users. The site is well organized making it easier to find full length movie, TV episodes and even what is on TV for the night, which allows you to view the previously aired episode. All the other options such as sharing, embedding, rating/commenting, and full screen clear viewing of videos using Adobe Media Player, are offered on Fancast and are easy to operate. For embedding, all one needs to do is chose the video they want to embed, click the embed button below, and copy and paste the text to their chosen location. The advertisement for this site is sometimes shown in the beginning and along the top and side as small text sidebars. One different feature that I liked was that if you exited out of Fancast before finishing a video, you could go back to the site, click on the same video, and resume play. Overall, I really liked Fancast and will use it in the future. Highly recommend.
Anivide:
Anivide is a streaming site that is geared more towards viewing anime videos only. For the Toy Story 3 trailer specifically, I was unable to find a clip for. I did however notice that for a few other searches such as The Office, I was able to find a video, but it sent me to other streaming sites. Anivide does not allow for embedding videos, but one can share with others through email. Seeing that the links directed me to the Hulu website, I would say that Anivide is operating off of Adobe Media Player. The site overall, was a little confusing and hard to navigate. I would suggest the site to someone who wants to specifically watch anime or connect with others who do.
Web Browsers:
All the browsers I feel worked the same and didn't show any differences. I usually use Internet Explorer because that is what I have on my computer, but I have used Google Chrome and Mozilla Fox before. All supported the video streaming sites of choice and none had trouble loading. I do believe that the quality of your computer also contributes to how successful you are at loading a video so all can't be put on the Web Browser.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Multimedia Mania
For this assignment, I chose to find the availability of the groups six shows in the Chicago (zip code 60601) area if someone were to use Direct TV. When looking up information, I found that majority of the channels could be found in the basic Direct TV package, but for the WGN channel, one would need to purchase the Choice Xtra package. The basic Direct TV package consists of 150 channels plus digital channels for $29.99 while the Choice Xtra package has 210 channels plus digital channels at $34.99. When finding how often the television shows appeared using this service, I looked to see how often the shows came on each day of that week. For some shows they were broadcasted everyday of the week so I put down what network the show played on and how often a day one could view the show. For the other shows that were on specific days of the week, I wrote how many times a week they were shown. The showings are as follows:
-Casa Cerrado: Telemundo twice a day
-The Office: Fox, CW west, NBC, and TBS eight times a day
-The Colbert Report: Comedy Central 23 times a week
-Family Guy: WGN, TBS, Cartoon Network, CW, seven times a day
-Law & Order: TNT three times a day
-Glee: Fox six times a week
Overall, I believe that purchasing the Direct TV basic package is all someone needs to access these shows at least twice a week and more than 800 channels.
The source that was used to find all of this information was DirectTV.com
-Casa Cerrado: Telemundo twice a day
-The Office: Fox, CW west, NBC, and TBS eight times a day
-The Colbert Report: Comedy Central 23 times a week
-Family Guy: WGN, TBS, Cartoon Network, CW, seven times a day
-Law & Order: TNT three times a day
-Glee: Fox six times a week
Overall, I believe that purchasing the Direct TV basic package is all someone needs to access these shows at least twice a week and more than 800 channels.
The source that was used to find all of this information was DirectTV.com
Friday, June 4, 2010
Personal Privacy
Claims to Own and Reserved Rights to Use
Facebook.com
-Keeping track of some actions you take on their website such adding connections.
-When accessing the website from any device, the right to collect information from that devices about your browser type, location, and IP.
-Cookies are used to make Facebook to make their advertising better.
-Facebook has the right to share your name and picture with anyone who seraches for you on Facebook.
-Information about you can be collected from other Facebook users and advertisers.
Whentowork.com
-They reserve the right to change the privacy policy from time to time.
-Supervisors can access your information at anytime.
-They may preserve content and may also disclose content if required by law.
Yahoo.com
-Automatically receives and records information from your computer and browser.
-They provide information to trusted partners who work on behalf of or with Yahoo!
-They transfer information about you if Yahoo! is acquired by or merged with another company.
-Set and access Yahoo! cookies on your computer.
NavyFederal.org
-Maintain transactions made with the bank.
-Collects information about you from outside sources such as credit reporting agencies.
Blogger.com
-Google servers automatically record information about your use of the service.
-Information displayed or clicked in the Blogger interface is also recorded.
-Account information and copies of your weblog posts and comments is stored and maintained in order to provide service.
Custom Privacy Settings
Facebook: The information that I am withholding is who can see what about me. Majority of the information that I share only friends can see. The information that third-parties can access is also limited.
Whentowork: The information that I am withholding includes my email, address, and telephone number. My schedule is the only thing available to be seen by other coworkers without my permission.
Yahoo!: With Yahoo! I am using the default settings. This means that the company can see and use any information that I provide for them.
Navy Federal: With this online banking, a lot of privacy withholds are done in person or over the phone with the bank. No information other than financial information is kept by the bank.
Blogger: The information that I am withholding includes my real name, my email address, and my age.
Facebook.com
-Keeping track of some actions you take on their website such adding connections.
-When accessing the website from any device, the right to collect information from that devices about your browser type, location, and IP.
-Cookies are used to make Facebook to make their advertising better.
-Facebook has the right to share your name and picture with anyone who seraches for you on Facebook.
-Information about you can be collected from other Facebook users and advertisers.
Whentowork.com
-They reserve the right to change the privacy policy from time to time.
-Supervisors can access your information at anytime.
-They may preserve content and may also disclose content if required by law.
Yahoo.com
-Automatically receives and records information from your computer and browser.
-They provide information to trusted partners who work on behalf of or with Yahoo!
-They transfer information about you if Yahoo! is acquired by or merged with another company.
-Set and access Yahoo! cookies on your computer.
NavyFederal.org
-Maintain transactions made with the bank.
-Collects information about you from outside sources such as credit reporting agencies.
Blogger.com
-Google servers automatically record information about your use of the service.
-Information displayed or clicked in the Blogger interface is also recorded.
-Account information and copies of your weblog posts and comments is stored and maintained in order to provide service.
Custom Privacy Settings
Facebook: The information that I am withholding is who can see what about me. Majority of the information that I share only friends can see. The information that third-parties can access is also limited.
Whentowork: The information that I am withholding includes my email, address, and telephone number. My schedule is the only thing available to be seen by other coworkers without my permission.
Yahoo!: With Yahoo! I am using the default settings. This means that the company can see and use any information that I provide for them.
Navy Federal: With this online banking, a lot of privacy withholds are done in person or over the phone with the bank. No information other than financial information is kept by the bank.
Blogger: The information that I am withholding includes my real name, my email address, and my age.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Communication Databases
Information on Media Industries
ProQuest Telecommunications
Communication Studies: A SAGE Full-Text Collections
Communication & Mass Media Complete (Ebsco)
Journalism and Mass Communication Abstracts
Communication Abstracts
Information on Media Policy
Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications
Hoovers
Lexis-Nexis
Periodicals Index Online
ACM Digital Library
Below are links to Media Industry News:
Variety: This website includes information ranging from TV Ratings and Daily Box Office Film Ratings to Top Albums for the Day and Top Media Stories.
Media News Group: What to find out the latest news on print, digital, magazines and mobile advances? Check out the website of the second largest Media company in the United States.
Associated Press: Fast, global, unbiased news at the click of the mouse.
Yahoo Entertainment: Get updates on New Releases, What's on TV, Hot New Music, & Upcoming Local Events.
Cnet: List of the new technology from Computers and Digital Cameras to Software and GPS. Also available reviews, news, and downloads.
ProQuest Telecommunications
Communication Studies: A SAGE Full-Text Collections
Communication & Mass Media Complete (Ebsco)
Journalism and Mass Communication Abstracts
Communication Abstracts
Information on Media Policy
Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications
Hoovers
Lexis-Nexis
Periodicals Index Online
ACM Digital Library
Below are links to Media Industry News:
Variety: This website includes information ranging from TV Ratings and Daily Box Office Film Ratings to Top Albums for the Day and Top Media Stories.
Media News Group: What to find out the latest news on print, digital, magazines and mobile advances? Check out the website of the second largest Media company in the United States.
Associated Press: Fast, global, unbiased news at the click of the mouse.
Yahoo Entertainment: Get updates on New Releases, What's on TV, Hot New Music, & Upcoming Local Events.
Cnet: List of the new technology from Computers and Digital Cameras to Software and GPS. Also available reviews, news, and downloads.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Snowball Sample
Digital Media Problems
Woman Sues Google Over Utah Walking Directions
A File Sharing Suit With My Name On It
iRipoff? First iPad Knock-Off Goes On Sale
Apple Vulnerable To Lawsuit
Netflix App for ipad Hacked to Run on the iPhone
Digital Media & Culture
Classroom Uses of Social Networking Sites: Traditional Practices or New Literacies
Where a Cellphone is Still Cutting Edge
Steve Jobs Apple iPad Will Not save Journalism
Being An Illiterate Cure for Search Overload
Sonic acquires DivX to Expand Online Movie Delivery Options, Share of Kazaa Downloads
Digital Media & Society
Is Google Encouraging an Apple-Microsoft Alliance
Zuckerberg: Sharing Is What Facebook Is About
Net Neutrality: Who's In Charge Of The Internet
Talking Past Each Other: Academic and Media Framing of Literacy
I2T Security Camera Generates Searchable Text Transcript in Real-Time
Woman Sues Google Over Utah Walking Directions
A File Sharing Suit With My Name On It
iRipoff? First iPad Knock-Off Goes On Sale
Apple Vulnerable To Lawsuit
Netflix App for ipad Hacked to Run on the iPhone
Digital Media & Culture
Classroom Uses of Social Networking Sites: Traditional Practices or New Literacies
Where a Cellphone is Still Cutting Edge
Steve Jobs Apple iPad Will Not save Journalism
Being An Illiterate Cure for Search Overload
Sonic acquires DivX to Expand Online Movie Delivery Options, Share of Kazaa Downloads
Digital Media & Society
Is Google Encouraging an Apple-Microsoft Alliance
Zuckerberg: Sharing Is What Facebook Is About
Net Neutrality: Who's In Charge Of The Internet
Talking Past Each Other: Academic and Media Framing of Literacy
I2T Security Camera Generates Searchable Text Transcript in Real-Time
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