Group items tagged

I don't have much experience with video games (I still rock out with Sonic on my Sega Genesis), but this could be a gateway game for me. I love the concept of adapting and crossing lines of genres and mediums, but it's interesting to note some of the dramatic differences and losses that must take place in translation. In this example there are some real game changers (I'm not sorry for the pun) involving plot and narrative. It's as if Dante has suddenly been inspired by Mario and must save the princess from the castle. I wonder what the equivalent of Yoshi would look like in the 7th ring of Hell...

Bogost talking with Stephen Colbert. Nation, this man believes video games aren't just for wasting time.

I know the semester has come to a close, but I still thought this was an interesting article that ties in with our last section on video games.

This is an interesting video about the young army private, Bradley Manning, who willingly passed restricted military information about the Afghan and Iraq Wars as well as over 250,000 U.S. State Department cables to WikiLeaks. Manning had access to all of this information because of his position as a low-level intelligence analyst with the military in Iraq.

Response to Kellee Santiago from Roger Ebert as he sticks to his guns claiming that video games still aren't art.

A fun video of that madcap guy Kenny Goldsmith, reading three pomes about the Brooklyn Bridge, one by Whitman, one by Crane, and one by Kenny himself.

A brief article that provides legal background info on the issue.

Unique TED talk from Kellee Santiago who claims that Roger Ebert's claim that video games can't be art is wrong.

This group is briefly mentioned in the chapter on Pranks in this week's reading. The fired game designer for the SIms helicopter game left and joined this group-- pretty much pranksters of an online nature. While it has little to do with video games, it has everything to do with ethos in an Internet age.

This is the article I referenced in class regarding exercise....

While I'm not sure if anyone in this group would actually want to buy this, this watch connects with smart phones and continues to blur lines between genres of accessories

This is the second version of a promotional video made by specialty glass and ceramics company Corning Inc. I interned there in 2008. Seems to fit with a lot of McLuhan's ideas of technology becoming an extension of our bodies. I think my fingers would get sore. Also, if this is the future, would buy stock in Windex...

This is a video of Marshall Mcluhan discussing how the medium is the message in 1977. It's interesting to both see him and hear his voice while he talks about his opinions we've already discussed in his book.

Nature Valley has definitely put a spin on what it means to explore the great outdoors. We've had a few conversations in class about the difference between reality and virtual reality. While I strongly argue that Watching a video or seeing pictures does not come close to first hand experience, sites like this are good for exploring places you might like to go or to remind you of favorite places you've been. It also makes me wonder if there's anything that Google doesn't dabble in.

This is a short cartoon that satirizes the experience of using twitter to communicate. It has some funny phrases including when one friend inquires about people on twitter "who are they talking to?" the other friend responds "this is how we communicate now in bite sized yippity-yap!" Once the first friend becomes extremely cynical and essentially awakens the people in the "twitter-sphere" from a zombie-like slumber, the whole reality begins to crumble. As silly as it is, it says some interesting things about social networking and the public's perception of the different forms of communication.  Also, it's worth noting that the video was made prior to some of the Iranian and Egyptian conflicts in which twitter played such an important role in empowering the masses (but is it the opiate of the masses?).

This is another satirical look at what's going on online and how sites like myspace seem to be loosing relevancy. In some ways the video is actually a little disturbing, but it does at least partially bring into question what makes a good social networking site and what causes us to favor sites like facebook over sites like myspace. For instance, was myspace too customizable to the point that it left the user with too many choices and left visitors feeling out of place every time they visited a page that blasted music at them they didn't actually enjoy?

The previous post referenced in "Connect With Your Creation Through a Real-Time Editor"

This is the latest on the Google/Viacom copyright issue over videos on youtube.

This article (which mentions the Manning situation that is the focus of the video I posted earlier today) outlines the pros and cons of prosecuting Julian Assange, the editor-in-chief and founder of WikiLeaks, for publishing and disseminating thousands of classified State Department cables on his site. The First Amendment is at the crux of this debate: "How do you draft a law that targets WikiLeaks but leaves intact our system of press freedoms?"

This title made me think, "Duh," but apparently 8% of survey participants thought that posting photos or videos of other people without consent should be illegal. One person said the issue "should be regarded the same as it is for printed materials." Another person pointed out that it's actually illegal to record people without their permission, but that photos/video taken in a public setting tend to fall under public domain. I usually create a private folder and then let the people in the photos review them and consent to my publishing them first. What do you think?