Well, this is my last post during my time with the Intro to New Media class. Things have come and gone and I wonder, has blogging changed anything about me?
If anything, I am person that wants to keep a low profile. My "presence" in the internet is near non-existent. As I already knew how to use social media sites, blogs, and traversing online communities, I feel like I can go on the internet with "privacy set as default." I mean, really, search me up. I think my only presence online are in the pictures some of my friends posted. Anyone can hack and see your profile online. For me, there is nothing for hackers to see (probably except for my name).
When I started this class, I knew about blogs, but I never seem to want to start one. As blogging was necessary for my grade, I feel that instead of wanting to start a blog, I was made to have one. Casual Airy is my first ever blog. Although I did not post frequently (as it is hard for me to make blogging as an habit) it was a nonetheless an unique experience.
Will I continue to post on this blog?
I don't really know.
I'll probably stop posting from here on. I'll keep this blog however. You never know, something big may prompt me to restart this blog.
I would like to thank all the viewers on my blog. I appreciate it.
さよなら！
Monday, June 9, 2014
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Looking Back...
In finals week, I tend to use the week to look at the future and the past (instead of studying and cramming things). Last post, I briefly talked about the future. This time, let's take a look at a short list about our past....about 10 years ago.
10 years ago (2004)...
10 years ago (2004)...
- Gas was $1.85 per gallon. For $20 dollars, that is about 10.81 gallons
- Nokia and Motorola were the most popular phone brands worldwide.
- Collecting DVDs were growing. Rental video stores like Blockbusters were alive and active
- Google was only a search engine...(yep no Google maps, Google drive, Google news, Google calenders, Gmail was first released in the beta stage)
- Facebook was born
Now let's look what's going on now
- Gas is currently holding at $3.69 per gallon (Wish I knew where). For $20 dollars, that is about 5.42 gallons.
- Apple and Samsung are the main brands in today's market. Nokia still sell phones and Motorola is...somewhere.
- It's all about Youtube and Netflix instead of renting DVDs from any video rental store that is still alive. (I think we use Redbox instead.)
- Google is everything
- Facebook has over a billion users.
For those graduating, congratulations! 10 years from now, I hope things are well. That gas won't be about $6 per gallon. That all graduates are not still paying their student debt. That all things are happy and connected in one network.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Our Upcoming Future
In a few weeks, summer will begin. A few months later, summer will end and fall will come. Then winter, then spring, then summer all over again. Another year will come and end...
It will never stop. Type flows constantly. It is an endless cycle.
Have you ever stop what you are doing, and think about the past? Or are we like technology where we are constantly moving forward? (Or maybe we don't move at all?)
Recently, I received an email from Microsoft talking about a report on the future of Cyberspace by 2025. The report discusses three scenarios of the status of cyberspace in the future: Canyon, Plateau, and Peak. It is pretty interesting and easy to read for those who do not know complex technological terms. While I can or should discuss about the report in this post, I'll save it for another time. Link to the report here.
What do you think?
It will never stop. Type flows constantly. It is an endless cycle.
Have you ever stop what you are doing, and think about the past? Or are we like technology where we are constantly moving forward? (Or maybe we don't move at all?)
Recently, I received an email from Microsoft talking about a report on the future of Cyberspace by 2025. The report discusses three scenarios of the status of cyberspace in the future: Canyon, Plateau, and Peak. It is pretty interesting and easy to read for those who do not know complex technological terms. While I can or should discuss about the report in this post, I'll save it for another time. Link to the report here.
What do you think?
Friday, May 16, 2014
Parents pressure me to get Facebook
Parents...I taught them how to use a computer. I taught them how to use the internet. I taught them how to sign up on Facebook. Any technological question they have, is directed towards me. ipad froze? They come to me. Computer broken? They come to me. TV not working? They come to me. Phone not working? They come to me.
Every now and then, I would teach my parents on how to handle some of the technological issue themselves (It's annoying sometimes to fix the issue myself.) But, maybe I should regret that a bit. With the little things they learn about today's technology, the more things they learn the new stuff and adapt.
Personally, I am one of the few that refuses to create any social media profile on the net (I rather not have a "persona" online). Recently though, my parents said that I have to create a Facebook account because "everybody has one nowadays." Of course I refused, but it seems, in increased amounts, my parents are pressuring me to get one. Furthermore, they said "I should get an iphone"....wait what? (They're willing to pay for it!) They said I should get one because it's "THE IPHONE!!" and that "you can do facetime and blah blah blah." As much I appreciate it, I have to refuse.
What have I done?
Every now and then, I would teach my parents on how to handle some of the technological issue themselves (It's annoying sometimes to fix the issue myself.) But, maybe I should regret that a bit. With the little things they learn about today's technology, the more things they learn the new stuff and adapt.
Personally, I am one of the few that refuses to create any social media profile on the net (I rather not have a "persona" online). Recently though, my parents said that I have to create a Facebook account because "everybody has one nowadays." Of course I refused, but it seems, in increased amounts, my parents are pressuring me to get one. Furthermore, they said "I should get an iphone"....wait what? (They're willing to pay for it!) They said I should get one because it's "THE IPHONE!!" and that "you can do facetime and blah blah blah." As much I appreciate it, I have to refuse.
What have I done?
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Copyright and Manga
When I was conducting my online ethnography, I came across an ongoing issue of fan translated manga (scanlation) and copyright. To explain the issue in simple terms, the digital age has allowed fans to unofficially translate manga from Japanese to English (or any language), and distribute them for readers to enjoy. The effects from scanlation is that readers are illegally reading manga online. Illegal because the readers didn't buy them (reading for free), and that the manga was uploaded (scanned) to the internet without the author permission. There are legal manga reading sites where licensed manga are distributed however, the amount of licensed manga is considerably smaller than scanlated manga.
In my continuation to find more information about the issue, I came across an article stating that Japanese publishers and the government are finding ways to countermeasure pirated manga. One countermeasure that I found alarming was the Japanese government seeking to revise the Copyright Law. Under current Japanese Copyright Law, authorities can only take action if the publisher and/or original author of the works, files a complaint. The revised version would allow publishers and companies to file lawsuits to pirated versions of manga/anime posted on the internet. In other words, the publisher would not necessarily have to file a complaint to take action. Any pirated version in the net found will prompt immediate removal.
Aside from pirated manga/anime posted on the net, the revised Copyright Law would also affect cosplayers or people that dress up like the character. If their costume was deemed too detailed and if a video of the costume was uploaded online, you should hide in a corner.
Right now though, it's just talk. It may or may not be official but, I think in general we are overall seeing more fights from authors and publishers against piracy.
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| Translated by Scanlators |
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| Untranslated (Original) |
In my continuation to find more information about the issue, I came across an article stating that Japanese publishers and the government are finding ways to countermeasure pirated manga. One countermeasure that I found alarming was the Japanese government seeking to revise the Copyright Law. Under current Japanese Copyright Law, authorities can only take action if the publisher and/or original author of the works, files a complaint. The revised version would allow publishers and companies to file lawsuits to pirated versions of manga/anime posted on the internet. In other words, the publisher would not necessarily have to file a complaint to take action. Any pirated version in the net found will prompt immediate removal.
Aside from pirated manga/anime posted on the net, the revised Copyright Law would also affect cosplayers or people that dress up like the character. If their costume was deemed too detailed and if a video of the costume was uploaded online, you should hide in a corner.
Right now though, it's just talk. It may or may not be official but, I think in general we are overall seeing more fights from authors and publishers against piracy.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
How Casual Airy Came to be
For those who wondered why this blog is called "Casual Airy," let me dedicate this post on why and how this blog's name came to be.
Required for my Intro to New Media class, I have stated in my "Why Should I Blog?" post that I need to manage a blog for grade purposes. So as such, I thought I should give my blog a standard name like "My Intro to New Media Blog" "My Blog" "Jeff's Blog" "Blog" or "SPC260."(This blog was really close to be named from some of those!) If this blog was used only for my grade, I could always shut the blog down after finals....However, I thought something else.
This is my first ever blog! For something that is a first to me, I feel that I should treasure it. Who knows, something big may come out of it in the future. So, if I care for this blog, I should give my blog's name with serious thought.
In serious thinking mode, I thought of my views on social media, popular trends, and new media itself. My thinking was, I really don't care about anything that deals with online stuff. Since I don't care that much, I searched up some adjectives that would describe my views. Some common words that came up were "unconcerned," "not serious," and "relaxing." Then, from taking those words, I found the word "Casual." However, I cannot simply name my blog "Casual" right? I need a second word to clearly define this blog. That second word that I came up with is...
Airy
You're welcome to tell me where I got Airy from. I'll explain why I used Airy on another time.
Required for my Intro to New Media class, I have stated in my "Why Should I Blog?" post that I need to manage a blog for grade purposes. So as such, I thought I should give my blog a standard name like "My Intro to New Media Blog" "My Blog" "Jeff's Blog" "Blog" or "SPC260."(This blog was really close to be named from some of those!) If this blog was used only for my grade, I could always shut the blog down after finals....However, I thought something else.
This is my first ever blog! For something that is a first to me, I feel that I should treasure it. Who knows, something big may come out of it in the future. So, if I care for this blog, I should give my blog's name with serious thought.
In serious thinking mode, I thought of my views on social media, popular trends, and new media itself. My thinking was, I really don't care about anything that deals with online stuff. Since I don't care that much, I searched up some adjectives that would describe my views. Some common words that came up were "unconcerned," "not serious," and "relaxing." Then, from taking those words, I found the word "Casual." However, I cannot simply name my blog "Casual" right? I need a second word to clearly define this blog. That second word that I came up with is...
Airy
You're welcome to tell me where I got Airy from. I'll explain why I used Airy on another time.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Cyber-Bullying. Simple and Complex.
This sentence is easy to read. ThIs SEnTeNcE iS HArd tO rEAD. That last sentence may be annoying than hard to read. Is it really necessary for me to type it? No, it is unnecessary to type that sentence. The sentence is simple, but annoying and complex to create.
Like that sentence, I see cyber-bullying unnecessary, annoying and complex. Unnecessary because what good can come out of it? Annoying because it disrupts people's lives. Complex because it's hard to fully understand the details about bullying.
So why then, should I post about online bullying? It's because it exists and that we need to understand it. Sadly, it won't go away. Even with 'zero tolerance' policies, bullying as a whole does not disappear. When people do not know how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way, bullying seem to be the most simplest form to handle it. Heck, it seems simple enough that teens does not even think it's bullying. Instead, some may think that's its only drama. Even without the existence of the internet I can pretty much guarantee that stories like Amanda Todd appeared elsewhere in the world. The real question that should be considered is why was it blown to wide proportions? Was it because the story was tragic? Was it because that it spread through the internet like wildfire and caused immediate reactions? Or was it because humans like to gossip and spread news in general?
To dedicate a post about cyber-bullying must mean that its a serious issue. A solution would be to ask the bully, the bullied, and anyone else involved, "How are you feeling about this?" "Why do things you choose to do?" There's no wrong answer, we have our needs. I just inherently believe that humans are born with some evil. We are all fools to sit back and do nothing but gossip and spread news online the negative aspects of life.
Like that sentence, I see cyber-bullying unnecessary, annoying and complex. Unnecessary because what good can come out of it? Annoying because it disrupts people's lives. Complex because it's hard to fully understand the details about bullying.
So why then, should I post about online bullying? It's because it exists and that we need to understand it. Sadly, it won't go away. Even with 'zero tolerance' policies, bullying as a whole does not disappear. When people do not know how to deal with their emotions in a healthy way, bullying seem to be the most simplest form to handle it. Heck, it seems simple enough that teens does not even think it's bullying. Instead, some may think that's its only drama. Even without the existence of the internet I can pretty much guarantee that stories like Amanda Todd appeared elsewhere in the world. The real question that should be considered is why was it blown to wide proportions? Was it because the story was tragic? Was it because that it spread through the internet like wildfire and caused immediate reactions? Or was it because humans like to gossip and spread news in general?
To dedicate a post about cyber-bullying must mean that its a serious issue. A solution would be to ask the bully, the bullied, and anyone else involved, "How are you feeling about this?" "Why do things you choose to do?" There's no wrong answer, we have our needs. I just inherently believe that humans are born with some evil. We are all fools to sit back and do nothing but gossip and spread news online the negative aspects of life.
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