Tutorial 3 Week 4

Hi guys, the first task for this tutorial seems like way too much effort after the full day i've had. So i'll do task 2.

What is the weight of the world's biggest pumpkin?

"BigPumpkins.com congratulates Ron Wallace on his 1502 pound pumpkin weighed at the Frerichs Farm GPC weigh-off in Warren, RI on October 7, 2006."
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=161&gid=49

What is the best way (quickest, most reliable) to contact Grant Hackett?

I'm guessing this question means apart from stalking him, tackling him to the ground and yelling in his face? um.. look him up in the yellow pages? how am i supposed to know?! maybe he has a blog!

What is the length of a giraffe's tongue?

"A giraffe's tongue is 18 to 20 inches (46 to 50 centimeters) long and blue-black. Some people think the color is to keep the tongue from getting sunburned." wow, you learn something new everyday dont you!
http://66.218.69.11/search/cache?p=giraffes+tongue+length&ei=UTF-8&fr=yfp-t-501&fp_ip=AU&x=wrt&meta=0&u=www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-giraffe.html&w=giraffes+tongue+length&d=dANTihIeOeiK&icp=1&.intl=us

How would you define the word 'ontology'? In your own words, what does it really mean?

1. the branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or being as such.
2. (loosely) metaphysics.
If you go to dictionary.com and turn the sound up on your computer, it even pronounces it for you! WOW! ;)
In my words: ontology is the study of how things exist. yeah yeah, paraphrasing.. i know, i know.. but i did reference!
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ontology

What was David Cronenberg's first feature film?

""Shivers" (aka "The Parasite Murders" and "They Came From Within") is the story of a parasite, designed to help ailing human organs, that goes out of control with sickening results. It's full of the straight-from-the-subconscious imagery for which Cronenberg would later become famous. Gory flesh effects were provided by Joe Blasco, who told Cronenberg that his apprenticeship in horror make-up was the stint he put in on "The Lawrence Welk Show." "Shivers" originated from a dream Cronenberg had about a spider emerging from a woman's mouth and was made for a Montreal soft-core porn outfit called Cinepix. "Sleazy distributors," Cronenberg called them. "My kind of people.""

I thought i would add all of that info in there from the site, because seriously, that is just SO WRONG. soft-core porn?! what kind of guy is this anyway? what kind of tutorial is this? (at least the guys will be excited im sure..)
http://66.218.69.11/search/cache?p=What+was+David+Cronenberg%27s+first+feature+film%3F&fr=yfp-t-501&toggle=1&ei=UTF-8&vc=&fp_ip=AU&u=www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/11/30/cronenberg/&w=david+cronenberg%27s+first+feature+features+film+films&d=PohivxIeOab-&icp=1&.intl=us

When was the original 'Hacker's Manifesto' written?

The Conscience of a Hacker (also known as The Hacker Manifesto) is a small essay written January 8, 1986
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers_manifesto

Why do all phone numbers in Hollywood films start with '555'?

FOR MANY years, 555 was unassigned as a dialling code in the US and could thus be used to prefix fictional numbers with impunity. Due to expansion, the code has recently been assigned, but scriptwriters and others maintain the use. BT maintain a list of unissued numbers for the use of authors and scriptwriters in this Britain.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-2357,00.html

What is the cheapest form of travel from Crete to Rhodes?
I'm going to be a total loser and say "walking" simply because i'm sick of trawling through endless search engines comparing prices. LOL

What song was top of the Australian Pop Charts this week in 1965?
Go-Set also published the first national Australian pop charts in October 1966 (all charts prior to this were state-based.

Ohh, someone's trying to be tricky hey hey hey!!! ;)
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:t7qPS7-
50ysJ:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_rock+Australian+Pop+Charts&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=au

Which Brisbane band includes Stephen Stockwell on keyboards and vocals?
the Black Assassins. Can anyone say.. GROUPIE?!
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:WiRAkrWUv1IJ:www.griffith.edu.au/school/art/staff/stockwell.htm+Stephen+Stockwell+Brisbane+Band&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=au

TOPIC 2B

What is a search engine?
Search Engine, software program that helps users find information stored on a personal computer, or a network of computers, such as the Internet.
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582857/Search_Engine.html

How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet? Pages are then indexed according to the words they contain, with special treatment given to words in titles and other headers. When a user inputs a query, the search engine then scans the index and retrieves a list of pages that seem to best fit what the user is looking for.http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582857/Search_Engine.html

who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results? Generally, when an engine displays a list of results, pages are ranked according to how many other sites link to those pages. The assumption is that the more useful a site is, the more often other sites will send users to it. Google pioneered this technique in the late 1990s with a technology called PageRank. But this is not the only way of ranking results. Dozens of other criteria are used, and these will vary from engine to engine. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761582857/Search_Engine.html

what are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others? My favourite is google. It is simple to use, and I guess I'm just used to using it now that it's second nature for when i want to research something to go on the internet and type in W.W.W.D.O.T.G.O.O.G.L.E.D.O.T.C.O.M

Can you find some current news stories about search engines? (for example, Google has been in the technology news a bit lately).

No i can't right at this very moment, but I may come back to this page, remember I hadn't finished this week's entry and decide to complete the questions!

Something for you to ponder until you await my return: why is the sky blue? Why do doughnuts have holes in them? Why does coke taste so much better in a glass bottle?! ;)

Love to all, goodnight

*takes bow and exits stage left

Tutorial 2 Week 3

Hello again.

Well, what a busy week! I don't like Mondays. A form of Monday-itis perhaps, which half the people I know seem to have. I think though that it is my undeterred hatred for my Monday morning alarm. Yes, we go on and on about how good technology is, but really, what can possibly be worse than the high pitched shrilling scream piercing through my slumber, to rouse me into the day that is Mon.

However, as we all know, technology goes well beyond the simple technology that is an alarm. Take my phone for example. I have learned over the past couple of years that most people are freakishly emotionally attached to their mobiles. Now I must admit, there is rarely a day that I am not carrying my mobile, but I do not consider myself part of the stereotyped society that is "all things technology".

To prove my point, Ill take you through my typical Morning.

I get up, turn on the television, watch the headlines of the news, then switch it off and go turn on the radio. I cook breakfast, maybe message a friend to see what they are doing for the day, answer the phone to respond angrily to telemarketers, get ready for the day, then pack my bag and leave. In my bag I carry my mobile, digital camera, pda, ipod and digital voice recorder.

Ok, so maybe I do rely on technology in a small way... HAHA.

Tell me, who has a fascination with pushing buttons? Now before you roll your eyes and call me Daisy, think about it. When there is a sign that says "wet paint", how many people have the overwhelming desire to touch it to see if it is really wet? I do. If a button says "don't touch", who has a desire to push it? I do. I think it's our inbuilt curiosity that makes us do things that we wouldn’t normally do. Like if there is just a wall, I don't go touch it to see if the paint is wet. Just like if there is a button, I don't immediately go push it to see what it does.. (most of the time anyway.)

Have you ever wondered how many "computer nerds" out there have thousands of online friends. I dislike myspace for this reason. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than seeing someone's personal page with 12345 friends. It just doesn’t make sense to me. They could not possibly have enough time to talk to all of those people, so why add them? Sure they could be interesting to talk to, but I'm sure that meeting people in person makes the world of difference. Expression is one of the main forms of communication. You can't see that through a computer screen. Oh, unless you have WEBCAM. Arrrgh, all of my arguments are being shot here. There seems to be a technology to overrule all my debates! So anyway, that is one example of how technology has influenced our lives. We have a need to prove that we have more "friends" than someone else. They're not friends, but I'm sure if you took a closer look, there would be some perverts amongst them!

Another form of communication technologies is the internet. Now i love the internet, so there really isn't a bad argument that I can say. I use it for email purposes, research and keeping up with the lives of friends (yes, through myspace and now blogger.com!) The only sad thing is that my Grandfather has more knowledge of technology than I do. He bought himself a computer, enlisted in the help of a golfing/fishing buddy, and together they entered into the world wide web. I feel so inferior when I can't fix my computer and I call him up and he says "just click this, then this, then type this" and my somewhat unfixable problem is miraculously cured.

So anyway, I began using technology not to keep up with trends, but to make life easier. So ok, I am keeping up with the times, but who can afford not to in this day and age?

Ok guys, that's it for another week. Be good. Love to all.

~ b

Tutorial 1 Week 2

Hi my name's Brooke!

I'm currently studying a Bachelor of Communications at Griffith Uni, waiting to graduate so that I can begin working and doing what I want to do.

In the next five years I see myself working overseas as a journalist, starting out in the UK and continuing on to wherever life may take me.

I am an easy-going person, I always strive to be the best person I can be and am always working towards my dreams. I have ambition, passion and love for what I do, and above all, try to be "real" in every situation that presents itself to me. I live life to the fullest and make the most out of every opportunity that comes within my reach.

As said previously, I am in the second year of my degree and have set up this weblog as part of my 'New Communications Technologies' course. Each week will be updates as to my thoughts and opinions on lecture and tutorial topics, and how studying is affecting my career choice!

So let's begin by talking about my thoughts on the course so far. I have to say that I was slightly hesitant when enrolling in this first year subject. Not that I had heard horror stories, but I was sceptical as to how relevant the course would be to me. Needless to say, after the second week, I am enjoying the lectures, and find the topics somewhat interesting.

In our lecture today, we studied how communication concepts have changed during the 20th Century. Now I must admit, most of my notes were scrawled in dodgy shorthand, from me frantically trying to get everything down, before remembering the lecture notes are posted on the net anyway.. Therefore, half of what I have written in those two hours is practically illegible, but some of it I did manage to retain!

For me, studying communications is just a stepping stone to what has been a life-long ambition for me. I have always dreamed of being flown to far off exotic places, reporting on the latest events. (As I am sure, that is also the dream of 80% of the people in my class..)

I believe that learning about the history of the communications industry helps students to grasp how far we have come with the age of technology. Take for instance the computer: I was in another tutorial today and my tutor said that he was one of the first people to legally use type instead of print when working at a newspaper. As I looked around the room at the sea of blank faces before me, I understood what it is that Stephen is trying to get across to us in lectures, ie, that we have to know where we have come from in the age of media, to be able to theorise about where we are going. The students around me seemed to be unable to imagine a newsroom without computers, a newsroom without technology, a newsroom where reporters had to use a pen and paper for everything they did!

Over the summer break i had the pleasure of working at the Bulletin for two weeks. It was quite an experience. The main thing I learned there is that at university, what we learn out of a textbook is valuable in its own way, but you really can't beat work experience, and getting out there and learning from those who have the experience, and know what they are doing. You can watch them at work, do what I did: sit and marvel at how easy they make everything look.

More about today's lecture in a later post, when I go home a decipher what my notes say, so I am not rambling on about nothing in my blog!

Well that's it for today, I believe that Adam and I will be the only ones lucky or stupid enough to read this, so HI ADAM! HOPE I HAVEN'T BORED YOU YET!

more soon.

~ b