All good things must come to an End

Probably my last post (not sure what I would add after this). Looking back at this class, it was been one of the most educational yet entertaining classes I have taken. The concept of realness seemed vague and intangible at first, but through this class we have tackled various aspects of it. While we have barely touched the subject, I still feel we have covered so much. I now have new ways to look at reality, new criteria to judge the world by, and a broadened my views. I guess a reflection of the class wouldn't be complete without a nod to our last big assignment: this blog. As with every assignment, it has its own sense of realness. There was no cookie cutter way to make a blog work, no easy way to meet the requirements. You had to genuinely find content and apply it to class. However there was just as much a fake element to this as well. I mean, here I sit dating half these posts as if I did them months ago, and have been updating it regularly.

What Comes Next

So at the end of Decoded, I had a lot more respect for Jay-Z. Yesterday was his birthday, and for his birthday he released a short documentary on his work in making the Barclay's Center. Reading his story, I wasn't sure if it was credible. He could have easily exaggerated the story to make himself sound better. However after watching this documentary, I really do feel his book is accurate. I am sure he really did work for his success. What is more impressive is that he doesn't simply make it to the top and sit. He still works for things he believes in. Several times in this video to people mention how it is bringing jobs to the community. Not only that but several people address him with the utmost respect. He's not just the guy who was put in charge. He is seen as the guy who belongs there. The man with the vision, and the mind-set to get it done. I feel like this video shows him following up on the kind of person he was in the book, and gives both the book, and Jay-Z much more respect in my eyes. Also the subway scene where he talks to an elderly woman was extremely surprising. He wasn't arrogant, or egotistic  but rather humble, and respectful. I would have never guessed that through his stage presence. I can definitely say, Jay-Z is the real deal.

Making Waldo

This last project has been a blast. We got to vandalize school property FOR A GRADE. This project had so much flexibility. At first I was clueless on what to do. Never really thought about "If I was to suddenly turn to street art, what would I put up?" Eventually the Waldo idea came to me, and my group ran with it. It was tons of fun. Trying to hide Waldo's everywhere, printing a giant Waldo, taking pictures of observers, all of it. The making of the website was more of a chore, especially with the manifesto and sources. However, with the freedom of the project, the medium by which we showed it must also be free. A simple word document, or 1 video wouldn't have been able to show all the different parts, the meaning behind it, and our reflections  While making the website wasn't a smooth process, it came out nicely in the end.

http://findingwaldo.wix.com/finding-waldo

IMPROVising

One of my favorite types of comedy is improv. Improv, when done well is hilarious. Stand-up is funny, but it's so practiced and tailored, it doesn't have the same effect. Improv is spontaneous, and to be good at improv, one has to be a really funny person in real life. Those spur of the moment, on the spot jokes are what make someone truly funny, not how well you can practice 1 or 2 routines. To me, improv has a sense of realness to it. It isn't practiced, or censored. There are no parts cut out of it, or bad jokes that are skipped. Its real funny situations arising from real funny people.

Liar Liar

Every year England has a "World's Biggest Liar" competition. Participants are required to come up with a story on the spot and make it as believable as they can. While it sounds like a terrible competition, it mostly comes down to who can tell the best story. The winner is not a sneaky, weasel-faced, scumbag. Instead it was a nice pleasant old man, who simply told a great story enthusiastically with great charisma. This made me rethink "On Bullshit." In class, we agreed that lying and bullshitting are not the same, nor are they mutually exclusive. I mean here there is a lying competition that is simply who can make the best story. Is it testing your ability to bullshit? In that case, are all authors just really good bullshitters?

Wiki Link

In a Land Far Far Away

So my previous post was about pictures of real life Disney princesses. Well apparently it has been taken one step further. ABC has a show called Once Upon a Time that is about what would happen if all our favorite characters were dropped in a town without any of their memories. And I ask you: why? Why take perfectly good innocent fairy tale characters and make them real? From what I've heard, the show shows that in real life, the characters aren't great people. You rarely actually like any of them because of personality, and every episode seems to have more and more bad stuff happen. Long story short, I won't be watching it any time soon. But it does raise an interesting point: is this simulacrum? I categorize it as a simulacrum (it's a show) of a simulacra (real life people based on cartoons). I bet Baudillard would enjoy figuring out how that one works.

Is This a Dream? Is it Real?

Re-watched the movie Inception the other day. Now here's a movie worth watching twice. I love how you don't find out the story in order. You find out about some of the first events (Molly's death, and Cobb's exile) towards the end of the movie. But besides that, the movie does take an original look at reality and our perception of it. Where the Matrix choose to simply have a false reality (ours), and the real world, Inception has multiple layers, all seeming real when inside of them. Ultimately, the story leads to Limbo, a dream-state where time doesn't pass, and you can be trapped forever. With each layer seeming real while inside, once you realize that there are layers, how can you tell when you are out? Molly is utterly convinced that the real world (was it the real world?) is just another layer and commits suicide to escape into an outer world she believes exists. In the end, there is no definite way to know. If Cobb made the totem in a dream, it would spin exactly how he would want it to in the real world, rendering it useless entirely. In the end, he never does wait to find out if it's a dream or not. What it comes down to is that he is happy. And if the only way he can be that happy is in a dream, why not dream?

On a side note, the movie has one an amazing soundtrack.
Hans Zimmer does it again
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imamcajBEJs

Cartoons to Reality

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  Ariel from The Little Mermaid
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  Belle from Beauty and the Beast

  
  

  
  
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  Megara from Hercules
• Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty
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  Esmeralda from the Hunchback on Notre Dame
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  Princess Jasmine from Aladdin
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  Pocahontas
  
  
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  Snow White
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  Cinderella
  
  
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  Alice from Alice in Wonderland
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  Jane from Tarzan
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  Tinkerbell from Peter Pan

  
  

  So here's an interesting example of simulacra. Someone decided to post a few reverse caricatures. Usually you see real people made into cartoons, but this is the first time I've seen someone take cartoons and try to draw them as real life people. Personally I don't like it. I like the my cartoons as cartoons. These pictures try to bring them to life, and make them out to be real people. But they aren't. They live in fantastical worlds, with magic carpets, and happy endings. That's where they belong. Making them look real just seems...wrong. It also doesn't help that a few of them look like people I know. That's just awkward.

  Original Link

  
  

Back to the Beginning

I realized that I started this blog a bit late, and should probably talk about some of the earlier things we read. The one that I liked the most was Maggie Jackson, "A Nation Distracted." Starting off, I decided that the only proper way to read this would be without getting distracted. So I told my roommates to let me focus, and tried to get through the entire article. Didn't happen. I think I made it to like page 2 before I switched tabs (its a habit) and started chatting on Gmail. After a few more diversions, I did make it though. But reading 5-7, I felt like I was living proof of it. I, a well-educated college student, couldn't muster up enough focus to read a single article continuously. I always thought I didn't because it wasn't convenient. But honestly, I can't. I'm slightly ashamed.

Still don't get the name

Watched Exit Through the Gift Shop again. First time i watched it, I expected a documentary, and felt was unsure at the end. Watching it again, I am almost sure that it's a hoax, or at least the last part is. Going back a 2nd time and seeing it all knowing the ending, it seems impossible that this kinda thing actually happen, and just happen to be caught on tape. Not buying it. Still, it was entertaining, and I do like the style, so I won't complain about the lack or realness (is that why we choose to watch it?). It did get me to look at some of Banksy artwork, which I found really interesting. I love how he combines serious things, such as war or death, and adds his own little nice, or innocent twist.

Well that was quick...

I felt I had more time to get this done than I actually did. Since I already talked about the actual content this will be more Need to work on knowing about deadlines more than the day before. I didn't get as much time as I would have liked but I did get all of the corrections I wanted in. Just wish I had more time to look over it, and consider how to get my point across. The peer review worked better than I expected. Usually in class peer reviews are not helpful because the reviewer either doesn't understand the paper, or is rushing to finish it so he/she can do more interesting things. However in this class, when you finish the review, you discussed it with the person. I feel people actually read my paper, and critiqued it insightfully and actually helped me improve my paper. I did try to include their inputs in the final paper, as well as tried to clean up a few corners. Hopefully it came out nicely.

This I Believe

I believe people are inherently good. Now that's not to say every person is good in their hearts, but simply that as a whole, humans are compassionate, generous, and trustworthy. Now most people would immediately mark this off as me being optimistic, or sheltered, and I couldn't say that it isn't true. However, the  most compelling argument for me is simply this: If humans weren't naturally good, how could we have made it this far?
At this point I think it's necessary to define "good". I don't mean good as in smart, or good as in never lies or cheats. I mean good as in most people are not driven simply by selfish motives of greed and power. They have a moral code and care about being accepted in society over materials goods. Now this often does lead people to take misguided actions, but they do have good intentions most of the time. Now there are some outliers. You do occasionally run across some people who act based on selfish desires, spite, or even sometimes just to cause chaos. But none of those are the norms.
Most people act based on what they think is sociably acceptable. We are a race driven by communication, by interaction, by unity. For tens of thousands of years we have worked together overcoming obstacles to get to where we are today. There is a psychological desire each of us has to be accepted and part of a community. Without it, we would like to be as far apart as we could, and would never have developed civilizations, never built cities, or raised monuments, never became the dominant species on Earth. Instead, we will try to help where we can, however we can, because that is what makes a society work. And ultimately, most people understand that by being part of something bigger, they themselves will benefit more as well.
However, this can, and has, led many people down the wrong path. Often times society does push people to make choices they wouldn't normally make, and commit crimes that they wouldn't even consider by themselves. Society leads to wars and destruction, has stagnated progress, and encouraged atrocities. But that's what makes it all the more important that we don't let ourselves be pulled down into one of these times of darkness. As long as we as a society hold true to our morals, it will ensure that others do the same. It is vital that we stay a society built upon community, and altruism, and not let our actions be governed purely by greed and hate.

Cos-playing Around

I went to Dragon Con earlier this year, and saw a lot of great cosplays. It never seemed odd to me, growing up with Halloween, to see people dressed up as fictional characters. But with all of the talk of simulation, and simulacra, I realized how odd it was. Someone created a fake character in a fictional world. And here in the real world we spent hours upon hours to re-create them in real life. Some cost hundreds of dollars and countless hours

Baudrillard describes simulacrum as a terrible denial of reality. However, in this case it seems as a creative way to show your interests. While dressing up as fictional characters is simulacrum, its definitely doesn't have the negative aspects Baudrillard describes  And its kinda cool to walk around in a giant spec-ed out suit of armor. 

How naive can I be?

This I Believe

I don't feel it necessary to post the rough draft here, but rest assured, I will talk about it again when its fully polished. This was mostly a last minute, thrown together version of it, done at midnight. However, that doesn't change the central message, which is "I believe people are good." I have always held this belief. People have stolen from me, betrayed my trust, and so on. But i for the life of me still find myself more trusting than most. When I meet a random person, even if I don't see anything about them, I feel they will be nice and helpful to me as long as I am nice and helpful to them. It's hard to put it into words, but I see people volunteering or donating millions of dollars, and I wonder how "humans can be selfish creatures." I just don't see it.


Also I do stuff like this.
http://www.4000saturdays.com/rak/
C'mon. That's like it. Its gotta be.

The Mask

So reading Reality Hunger and On Being Authentic got me thinking about masks and such. I don't like the word mask. It makes it seem fake, and a cover. I think of it more as a side than a cover. While the sides may seem unconnected, they are all part of our true self. Any time we pretend to be something different, it becomes a part of us, our true self. Sometimes we don't even realize it, but eventually it will be just another side to you. The 'me' from class isn't a cover for the 'me' in my dorm, or anywhere else. They are all really me, just in different lights.

Retro Reality

There's a big move towards "retro cool." Not sure if this is a new thing, or it happens every generation. But there's a feel that retro is more "real" or more authentic. So much of today's world is fake and manipulated by the media, people seem to believe that things from earlier times are more real and authentic. A coke from a can is processed and a drain cleaner. But put it in a glass bottle, and its retro, and therefore awesome. I don't agree with retro. Just because something was cool at a previous time doesn't mean that it is more authentic. Things were just as commercialized back then as they are today. The only difference is that people are more aware of it now. Or at least that's how it seems to me. I wasn't there after all.

Back to Work

Finally back from Fall Break. Went to North Ga for an apple festival, and enjoyed the break with the family. Time to get back to work. I keep reading Reality Hunger hoping that eventually it will all tie together and make sense. It doesn't (yet). It still seems like an alphabet soup of jumbled ideas thrown together and bounded. It's really hard to sit down and read a book like this. I could get through it if I tried in small short bursts, but I prefer to sit and read for hours, and that seems impossible with this book. On Being Authentic is better. Still hard to follow at times, but better. I don't really get the emphasis on individuality. The implications made are true, but it seems like a odd focus.

The World is an Egg

I was surfing the web when I came across this story.

http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html

I love this story. First, I'm skipping the religious implications. I always find belief systems very interesting, and because I was raised believing in reincarnation, it was a very interesting idea that all people were the same single soul. Even more interesting was the idea this was this world was just an egg for us to develop. It makes you pause and wonder about our world. Even though it doesn't have much followup, I still think its something to wonder about. We know so very little about our reality and the bigger picture (if there is one) it is a part of.

Keeping it Real

Real Talk
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0llYSYodMAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0llYSYodMA

So here's a link to my video focused around a dialogue with Yuvraj. First allow me to say that for a project called "real talk:," the video is not extremely real. That being said, it was fun to make. Working with Yuvraj was awesome, and he had lots of great ideas. The idea to have people fighting in the background was one that someone originally said as a joke, but we liked it so much we ran with it, and it came out really nicely. I also have to credit Yuvraj for the editing, because it to was spot on. Overall, I did like the final video was awesome, as was the process of making it. Probably one of my favorite projects all year. The actual dialogue was... odd. I generally don't talk to fast when it comes to intellectual conversations, so trying to keep a good pace was hard for me. Even though I knew what I was saying it was hard to get it out without adding a "you know", or a "well..." every other word.

Looking without Seeing

This class has talked not only about what reality is, but how we perceive it as well. However one thing that we didn't discuss is how much our perception is based on our knowledge. What we know makes a huge impact on what we see, and more specifically, what we notice. My favorite example of this is movie poster colors. [warning: once you read the next part, you will start seeing this everywhere, and movie posters will no longer look as cool] All movie posters aim to catch people attention, but do so subtlety; after all, making it too obvious would make the audience move on, and defeat the purpose. The way most graphic artist do this is by putting in contrasting colors, while keeping the colors seem natural. There are 2 main pairs that can do this: green and red, and blue and orange (yellow works as well). Since green and red yell Christmas, most graphic artist will try to add blues and oranges to their posters to add that POP. Here's a few examples:

As soon as someone told me this, I immediately began seeing it everywhere. Everything from the new Avengers posters to the Hobbit seems to have thrown in some extra color here and there. It's been happening for years, but I only noticed once I knew about it. I feel that this is the case many times. We don't see things that should be obvious to us until we know to look for them, at which point we can't help but notice. Our perception of reality is just as much determined by what we know as by what is actually there.

Learning from Video Games? Eww...

So first post. Not sure exactly how I expect this blog to turn out, or how it will. Guess I might as well jump straight into the first topic. So last Wednesday I had to do my presentation on the Rhetoric of Video Games. I feel my presentation went pretty well and got the essence of the topic. The article was by Ian Blogost about how video games can and should be a medium to deliver a message. He talked about how previous forms of rhetoric lacked the audience participation that video games have, and how the processes the game makers use can lead to delivering a message. While I like the idea, and definitely think it has potential, I find it unlikely to happen in the near future. The main obstacles to VG becoming a common rhetoric device is where they are now. Any video game made today to teach a lesson has to compete with other video games that are made for pure enjoyment. Most games are bought for how fun they are, not how well they deliver a message. Just like it would be tough for nonfiction stories to compete with fiction on topics of pure interest, the same will happen with video games. What needs to happen is people start seeing video games as a medium.


My Prezi