Tunis, Walter. “Remastered and reissued, these are the albums that started it all.” PopMatters 19 June 2009 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/102245-remastered-and-reissued-these-are-the-albums-that-started-it-all/>.
With the 40 year anniversary approaching of Woodstock, a plethora of albums and performance tapes from all the artists will be released in its entirety. The music festival took place in 1969 during political unrest and was the defining moment of the cultural revolution that had been taking place. Three days worth of music has still left an impact on popular music today as such great acts came out for the concert and others found their starts at the festival. In 1970, the original soundtrack from the concert accompanied with the Oscar-winning documentary was a hit. It contained the mind-melting rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Star Spangled Banner.” It also had the important performance of Santana and The Who.
In 1971, Woodstock 2 was released. This soundtrack contained even more songs and sound clips from the festival. While it did not contain as many gems as Hendrix and Santana, it still was popular. It contained a trippy song by Jefferson Airplane and the little known band of Hendrix, Gypsy Sun and Rainbows. Walter Tunis writes that these two albums is what started the Woodstock enterprise and the material expected to be released in August will have its similarities (obviously) with these two albums.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Twitter Features
Hoak, Amy. “Tweet success: It’s easy to lose interest in Twitter, but there are reasons to stick with it.” PopMatters 18 June 2009 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/102173-tweet-success-its-easy-to-lose-interest-in-twitter-but-there-are-rea/>.
Twitter has emerged on the public scene as a revolutionary technological feature. Amy Hoak examines the features of Twitter that require a bit of exploring in order to use this feature to its fullest potential. Research from Nielson has shown that 60 percent of the people that sign up for an account on Twitter end up abandoning their account. Hoak continues the argument from Nielson that the reason is due to the fact that many of Twitter’s features require a bit more time to figure out and a second chance.
Hoak goes into the various benefits of Twitter such as networking, a real-time opinion aggregator and a way to find deals on items. Businesses use it to gain customer opinions and employees use it to find new jobs. Frugal shoppers can follow companies like Dell and find out about deals on refurbished laptops. According to Hoak, the possibilities are large. She lists five different features that are worth a second chance such as the hash mark narrowing tool. She also brings up the trending topics that appear on the right hand side of the Twitter page, that allow users to know about recent events as they happen and people’s opinions. Twitter may require a bit more time to find out the point of it, but the possibilities are plenty.
Twitter has emerged on the public scene as a revolutionary technological feature. Amy Hoak examines the features of Twitter that require a bit of exploring in order to use this feature to its fullest potential. Research from Nielson has shown that 60 percent of the people that sign up for an account on Twitter end up abandoning their account. Hoak continues the argument from Nielson that the reason is due to the fact that many of Twitter’s features require a bit more time to figure out and a second chance.
Hoak goes into the various benefits of Twitter such as networking, a real-time opinion aggregator and a way to find deals on items. Businesses use it to gain customer opinions and employees use it to find new jobs. Frugal shoppers can follow companies like Dell and find out about deals on refurbished laptops. According to Hoak, the possibilities are large. She lists five different features that are worth a second chance such as the hash mark narrowing tool. She also brings up the trending topics that appear on the right hand side of the Twitter page, that allow users to know about recent events as they happen and people’s opinions. Twitter may require a bit more time to find out the point of it, but the possibilities are plenty.
Food Inc.
Rea, Stephen. “Don’t watch ‘Food, Inc.’ if you don’t want to ruin your appetite.” PopMatters 18 June 2009 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/102200-dont-watch-food-inc.-if-you-dont-want-to-ruin-your-appetite/>.
Stephen Rea offers a synopsis of the documentary Food Inc that delves into the world of mass produced food. The images presented to consumers in a grocery store are misleading. They present a picture of cows in rolling pastures and the family farm. However, upon closer inspection, the food that is at the market is from commercial farms where cows are standing in their own excrement and chickens are pumped with chemicals and never see the light of day. It follows companies such as Monsanto, that chase small farmers out of business by suing them for planting their genetically altered soy seed or by the simple politics of a monopoly.
The creator of the documentary does not aim to change people’s eating habits necessarily. Instead he wants to allow more information to be available to the consumer. He claims that the misleading information provided about food is un-American and people should have the right to know what exactly they are buying. He also advocates for there to be a greater choice when it comes to the kind of food that can be bought. There should be more organic and slow-grown foods made available. The documentary has been met with some amount of resistance from the large companies, in particular Monsanto. However, they refused to be contacted during the making of the film and so far the documentary has been a success.
Stephen Rea offers a synopsis of the documentary Food Inc that delves into the world of mass produced food. The images presented to consumers in a grocery store are misleading. They present a picture of cows in rolling pastures and the family farm. However, upon closer inspection, the food that is at the market is from commercial farms where cows are standing in their own excrement and chickens are pumped with chemicals and never see the light of day. It follows companies such as Monsanto, that chase small farmers out of business by suing them for planting their genetically altered soy seed or by the simple politics of a monopoly.
The creator of the documentary does not aim to change people’s eating habits necessarily. Instead he wants to allow more information to be available to the consumer. He claims that the misleading information provided about food is un-American and people should have the right to know what exactly they are buying. He also advocates for there to be a greater choice when it comes to the kind of food that can be bought. There should be more organic and slow-grown foods made available. The documentary has been met with some amount of resistance from the large companies, in particular Monsanto. However, they refused to be contacted during the making of the film and so far the documentary has been a success.
The Evolution of Popular Music
Jenkins, Chadwick. “Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music.” PopMatters 19 June 2009 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/95063-selling-sounds-by-david-suisman/>.
A review of David Suisman’s book, Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music, Chadwick Jenkins covers the basic history of the development of popular music at the turn of the century. The Witmark brothers created the market for published music with their steam-powered printing press. Before them, popular music was limited to local sensations and the few exceptions did not make it big in today’s sense of fame and fortune. The innovation of the printing music made it possible for popular music to become popular on a grander scale.
The review also looks into the career of music-pushers, who were the salesmen of music back in the day. They would play the song at retail counters and would try to win the opinion of the sales girls behind the counters by dedicating the songs to them and buying them perfume. The new market made music a more urgent commodity, as you had to buy today’s music today before it became yesterday’s music. The invention of the gramophone also aided the evolution of the music industry. Jenkins writes that Suisman tells the story accurately and the book is very enlightening.
A review of David Suisman’s book, Selling Sounds: The Commercial Revolution in American Music, Chadwick Jenkins covers the basic history of the development of popular music at the turn of the century. The Witmark brothers created the market for published music with their steam-powered printing press. Before them, popular music was limited to local sensations and the few exceptions did not make it big in today’s sense of fame and fortune. The innovation of the printing music made it possible for popular music to become popular on a grander scale.
The review also looks into the career of music-pushers, who were the salesmen of music back in the day. They would play the song at retail counters and would try to win the opinion of the sales girls behind the counters by dedicating the songs to them and buying them perfume. The new market made music a more urgent commodity, as you had to buy today’s music today before it became yesterday’s music. The invention of the gramophone also aided the evolution of the music industry. Jenkins writes that Suisman tells the story accurately and the book is very enlightening.
Cliches of a Slasher Movie Revived
Fuchs, Cynthia. “Dead Snow (Død snø).” PopMatters 19 June 2009 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/102208-dead-snow-dd-sn/>.
Cynthia Fuchs reviews the IFC movie, Dead Snow, commenting on the movie’s awareness of the clichés it plays off of. Fuchs gives a large synopsis of the movie, tracing the build up of tension resulting in Nazi zombies. A group of medical students on vacation go to the mountains to stay in a cabin and partake in snow activities. A “wanderer” ends up in their cabin, surprising them. He warns the young people about the town’s past, a past that the students did not look up before arriving at their destination. In 1942 there had been a conflict between the Nazis and the Norwegian villagers. Not much detail is given as to what exactly happened in the conflict, but the wanderer warns the students that there are things that should not be woken up.
Of course, the students wake up the Nazi zombies. This is Fuchs point. The movie is fully aware of the clichés and actually has characters refer to the clichés—they just do not realize that they are in one. The characters’ survival is also based off of clichés. The oversexed girl does not have much luck, while the one with morals and sensibility lasts longer. The jerk guy ends up having more trouble than the valiant guy. Yet, the clichés do not overpower the appeal of Nazi zombies.
Cynthia Fuchs reviews the IFC movie, Dead Snow, commenting on the movie’s awareness of the clichés it plays off of. Fuchs gives a large synopsis of the movie, tracing the build up of tension resulting in Nazi zombies. A group of medical students on vacation go to the mountains to stay in a cabin and partake in snow activities. A “wanderer” ends up in their cabin, surprising them. He warns the young people about the town’s past, a past that the students did not look up before arriving at their destination. In 1942 there had been a conflict between the Nazis and the Norwegian villagers. Not much detail is given as to what exactly happened in the conflict, but the wanderer warns the students that there are things that should not be woken up.
Of course, the students wake up the Nazi zombies. This is Fuchs point. The movie is fully aware of the clichés and actually has characters refer to the clichés—they just do not realize that they are in one. The characters’ survival is also based off of clichés. The oversexed girl does not have much luck, while the one with morals and sensibility lasts longer. The jerk guy ends up having more trouble than the valiant guy. Yet, the clichés do not overpower the appeal of Nazi zombies.
Current's Stuggle
Kim, Gina. "Arrested journalists’ TV network on a mission." PopMatters 19 June 2009. 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/article/102227-arrested-journalists-tv-network-on-a-mission/>.
Current TV is trying to find its voice with a targeted audience of ages 18-34 year olds. They have recently gained more media attention as the two journalists in the custody of the North Korean government were doing a story for Current when they were arrested for crossing the border into the communist nation. Regardless of their guilt in such an act, the journalists were in the pursuit of a story that follows Current’s mission. They want to provide news that the mainstream news outlets are not airing. They are not necessarily looking for trouble but they want to air stories that are otherwise being neglected. Gina Kim offers some examples of Current’s past targets such as the Mexican drug wars and the risks taken by Somali refugees.
The article focuses on Current’s struggle to find their voice. They have earned a sizable amount of money through cable licensing and advertising. However, they have not reached a big enough audience to qualify for Nielson ratings. Their target audience is part of a “self-centered age” which troubles the company’s ambitions. Their audience would rather watch their stories for free online than pay for a subscription to their cable channel. They have made some progress but more has to be done for them to reach their intended place of destination.
Current TV is trying to find its voice with a targeted audience of ages 18-34 year olds. They have recently gained more media attention as the two journalists in the custody of the North Korean government were doing a story for Current when they were arrested for crossing the border into the communist nation. Regardless of their guilt in such an act, the journalists were in the pursuit of a story that follows Current’s mission. They want to provide news that the mainstream news outlets are not airing. They are not necessarily looking for trouble but they want to air stories that are otherwise being neglected. Gina Kim offers some examples of Current’s past targets such as the Mexican drug wars and the risks taken by Somali refugees.
The article focuses on Current’s struggle to find their voice. They have earned a sizable amount of money through cable licensing and advertising. However, they have not reached a big enough audience to qualify for Nielson ratings. Their target audience is part of a “self-centered age” which troubles the company’s ambitions. Their audience would rather watch their stories for free online than pay for a subscription to their cable channel. They have made some progress but more has to be done for them to reach their intended place of destination.
Isolation in Technology
Colville, Liz. "Surfing Alone: Is Digital Technology Destroying Relationships?." PopMatters 15 June 2009. 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/94800-surfing-alone-is-digital-technology-destroying-relationships/>.
Technology has created a society more isolated from each other than before, argues Liz Colville. She examines the evolution of people’s actions through the development and acceptance of technology. More and more people are embarking upon solo journeys into the internet, arranging their meetings through written electronic communication as opposed to calling them or making face-to-face plans. The etiquette of communication differs online than in person. It is okay for someone to ignore an attempt to a conversation online, whereas in person, it would be considered rude for someone to walk away from another. She argues that people need to make the effort to arrange more in person meetings. She quotes Keith Ferrazzi in the beginning as ordering the audience of his speech to “Have one long, slow dinner this week.”
Colville pulls from Robert D. Putnam’s “Bowling Alone,” a book written when the internet was still new. She hails it as an ominous warning of what has now occurred. People meet online and get along great but when they meet in person, the relationship ends due to the awkwardness. She turns her examination to the positives that the internet and other technology offer. There are more opportunities for people to connect with others from different countries and societies due to the far-reaching influence of certain websites. She aims to persuade readers to strike a balance between online facilities and maintaining personal, physical relationships.
Technology has created a society more isolated from each other than before, argues Liz Colville. She examines the evolution of people’s actions through the development and acceptance of technology. More and more people are embarking upon solo journeys into the internet, arranging their meetings through written electronic communication as opposed to calling them or making face-to-face plans. The etiquette of communication differs online than in person. It is okay for someone to ignore an attempt to a conversation online, whereas in person, it would be considered rude for someone to walk away from another. She argues that people need to make the effort to arrange more in person meetings. She quotes Keith Ferrazzi in the beginning as ordering the audience of his speech to “Have one long, slow dinner this week.”
Colville pulls from Robert D. Putnam’s “Bowling Alone,” a book written when the internet was still new. She hails it as an ominous warning of what has now occurred. People meet online and get along great but when they meet in person, the relationship ends due to the awkwardness. She turns her examination to the positives that the internet and other technology offer. There are more opportunities for people to connect with others from different countries and societies due to the far-reaching influence of certain websites. She aims to persuade readers to strike a balance between online facilities and maintaining personal, physical relationships.
Ethical Questioning in TV Western
MacFarlane, Kit. "‘Have Gun - Will Travel’: Return to Fort Benjamin." PopMatters 18 June 2009. 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/73926-have-gun-will-travel-return-to-fort-benjamin/>.
Kit MacFarlane’s analysis of the ethical questioning of 1950s TV show, “Have Gun - Will Travel,” offers some problems with the military’s portrayal in the politics of TV back then. The article starts off with some general comments concerning the political siding of TV shows in the mid-1900s. The majority of shows were conservative with the few liberal ones not totally outspoken with their ideas. MacFarlane questions the absence of critique for the military institute. This opening leads the reader to believe that the article will be more about the military’s portrayal in Westerns and the public’s response to these shows.
However, the article continues with a summary of a particular episode of “Have Gun – Will Travel” where the main character, Paladin, is confronted by a Native American chief to secure a traditional burial for his son who is charged with murder. MacFarlane delves into the play by play of this episode, as Paladin is pursuing the ethical treatment of a guilty man. Later, it is revealed that the man is actually innocent. McFarlane develops his argument that this show pushes the questions of ethical treatment and by using certain cinematic choices, questions the infallibility of the U.S. Military.
Kit MacFarlane’s analysis of the ethical questioning of 1950s TV show, “Have Gun - Will Travel,” offers some problems with the military’s portrayal in the politics of TV back then. The article starts off with some general comments concerning the political siding of TV shows in the mid-1900s. The majority of shows were conservative with the few liberal ones not totally outspoken with their ideas. MacFarlane questions the absence of critique for the military institute. This opening leads the reader to believe that the article will be more about the military’s portrayal in Westerns and the public’s response to these shows.
However, the article continues with a summary of a particular episode of “Have Gun – Will Travel” where the main character, Paladin, is confronted by a Native American chief to secure a traditional burial for his son who is charged with murder. MacFarlane delves into the play by play of this episode, as Paladin is pursuing the ethical treatment of a guilty man. Later, it is revealed that the man is actually innocent. McFarlane develops his argument that this show pushes the questions of ethical treatment and by using certain cinematic choices, questions the infallibility of the U.S. Military.
Art in Response to War
Hag, Nav. " Declarations: The Polemics of Art Engaged with Conflict." Axis 19 June 2009. 19 June 2009 <http://www.axisweb.org/dlForum.aspx?ESSAYID=18025>.
This article examined the connection between art that is created in response to a national event such as war and the uncertainty of the conflict itself. Nav Hag tries to examine the appropriate type of art and audience that was created in response to certain events such as the assassination of an important Armenian and the Iraq War. He emphasizes the importance of ambiguity in the purpose of such art work. He says that for a joke to be funny it should not be preceded by, “I’m going to tell a joke.” In the same way, a protest piece of art should not be disclaimed as a protest piece. There has to be room for interpretation for the piece to have the maximum effect.
He also questions the kinds of audiences that the artists bring their work to. He fears the phenomenon of “preaching to the converted.” He calls upon the example of situation where the audience was right and the piece of artwork had a powerful statement in the march following the assassination of Hrant Dink. The signs were made very fast and said, “We are all Armenians.” The timing and the audience was right, but as Hag concludes, the precision of those two are just as foggy as war itself.
This article examined the connection between art that is created in response to a national event such as war and the uncertainty of the conflict itself. Nav Hag tries to examine the appropriate type of art and audience that was created in response to certain events such as the assassination of an important Armenian and the Iraq War. He emphasizes the importance of ambiguity in the purpose of such art work. He says that for a joke to be funny it should not be preceded by, “I’m going to tell a joke.” In the same way, a protest piece of art should not be disclaimed as a protest piece. There has to be room for interpretation for the piece to have the maximum effect.
He also questions the kinds of audiences that the artists bring their work to. He fears the phenomenon of “preaching to the converted.” He calls upon the example of situation where the audience was right and the piece of artwork had a powerful statement in the march following the assassination of Hrant Dink. The signs were made very fast and said, “We are all Armenians.” The timing and the audience was right, but as Hag concludes, the precision of those two are just as foggy as war itself.
Smoking Obsession
Indar, Josh. "Bumming Smokes in Paris and London: George Orwell’s Obsession with Tobacco." PopMatters 19 June 2009. 19 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/94064-bumming-smokes-in-paris-and-london-orwells-obsession-with-tobacco/>.
Smoking habits in George Orwell’s works has not been as thoroughly analyzed as other features. Josh Indar attempted to delve into the significance of the repetition of smoking throughout Orwell’s works. He traces the occurrences in chronological order of when they were written, analyzing their significance at the time they were written and within the piece itself. He analyzes the class boundaries of smoking cigarettes. Health issues resulting from the habit of tobacco smoking were not known and smoking was at the time, a habit that reached all the classes. Indar argues that perhaps a reason why Orwell smoked himself was to shed a middle class standing for a lower class appeal. At the same time, Indar calls upon an example from one of Orwell’s novels that a poor man smoked cigarettes to appear more gentlemanly and upper class.
Indar goes into a lengthy discussion about the significance of cigarettes in 1984. The name of the cigarettes, “Victory Cigarettes,” uses the technique of “doublethink” as the state of Oceania could never actually declare victory as their livelihood depended on there being constant work. The poor quality of the cigarettes continued the irony as the government was claiming that they could provide for their citizens, but the tobacco would fall out of the cigarettes. Orwell almost suggests, according to Indar, that a state without decent cigarettes is not a good place to live.
Smoking habits in George Orwell’s works has not been as thoroughly analyzed as other features. Josh Indar attempted to delve into the significance of the repetition of smoking throughout Orwell’s works. He traces the occurrences in chronological order of when they were written, analyzing their significance at the time they were written and within the piece itself. He analyzes the class boundaries of smoking cigarettes. Health issues resulting from the habit of tobacco smoking were not known and smoking was at the time, a habit that reached all the classes. Indar argues that perhaps a reason why Orwell smoked himself was to shed a middle class standing for a lower class appeal. At the same time, Indar calls upon an example from one of Orwell’s novels that a poor man smoked cigarettes to appear more gentlemanly and upper class.
Indar goes into a lengthy discussion about the significance of cigarettes in 1984. The name of the cigarettes, “Victory Cigarettes,” uses the technique of “doublethink” as the state of Oceania could never actually declare victory as their livelihood depended on there being constant work. The poor quality of the cigarettes continued the irony as the government was claiming that they could provide for their citizens, but the tobacco would fall out of the cigarettes. Orwell almost suggests, according to Indar, that a state without decent cigarettes is not a good place to live.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
The Sims 3: Art Mimicking Real Life
Dunston, Jamie Lynn. "The Sims 3." PopMatters 17 June 2009. 18 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/94894-the-sims-3/>.
In a review of The Sims 3, Jamie Lynn Dunston examines the success of the newest addition to The Sims game. A game that simulates life and allows the player to create their own story, The Sims has had a lot of success in the past ten years, culminating in the latest addition.
Dunston evaluates the various aspects of the game in a typical review style (not pulling from the previously discussed technique of New Game Journalism). There are new features that enable the player to create more stories and add a more unique feel to their game. Character traits are chosen from a list and these traits determine a Sim’s lifetime and short term wishes. There is more freedom when designing the look of your character and the ability to zoom in closer allows the player to inspect their piece of art.
Players are able to move their Sims’ locations without the interval of a load screen, allowing more freedom of the game. The modest amount of memory the game requires is also an improvement from previous installments that included many expansion packs.
The appeal of The Sims is that players can either mimic real life or create outrageous situations such as an evil genius. It has been one of those games that dances the line of the relationship between art and real life.
In a review of The Sims 3, Jamie Lynn Dunston examines the success of the newest addition to The Sims game. A game that simulates life and allows the player to create their own story, The Sims has had a lot of success in the past ten years, culminating in the latest addition.
Dunston evaluates the various aspects of the game in a typical review style (not pulling from the previously discussed technique of New Game Journalism). There are new features that enable the player to create more stories and add a more unique feel to their game. Character traits are chosen from a list and these traits determine a Sim’s lifetime and short term wishes. There is more freedom when designing the look of your character and the ability to zoom in closer allows the player to inspect their piece of art.
Players are able to move their Sims’ locations without the interval of a load screen, allowing more freedom of the game. The modest amount of memory the game requires is also an improvement from previous installments that included many expansion packs.
The appeal of The Sims is that players can either mimic real life or create outrageous situations such as an evil genius. It has been one of those games that dances the line of the relationship between art and real life.
Relevancy of George Orwell's 1984
Purewal, Nav. "Love Your Big Brother: What Orwell’s ‘1984’ Tells Us About 2009." PopMatters 12 June 2009. 18 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/94848-love-your-big-brother-what-orwells-1984tells-us-about-2009/P0/>.
Nav Purewal illustrates the relevance of George Orwell’s 1984 in today’s society and current events. He introduces the reader to his topic by going into some amount of detail as to why this book has entered the depths of political culture with its neologisms and the ideas of a government lying to its citizens. From there the article takes a more serious analytical turn, going into detail about the finer similarities and lessons that could be learned from 1984 and how sometimes the words of Orwell are misconstrued to better suit a particular side’s argument.
Orwell critiques nationalism and after September 11, 2001, a portion of one of his essays was circulated about a minority of pacifists who blame Britain and America and wish to commit acts of violence against them. What the circulators of the passage failed to realize was that the rest of the essay is actually a critique on nationalism and actually offered material that could be defaming to the circulators. One such piece of evidence is that Orwell argued that nationalism makes an individual refuse to the similarities between similar camps of thought—a parallel between the different political parties.
The article also goes into some length of detail about the similarities between the Ministry of Love’s Room 101 used for the torture of thought criminals and the use of torture in the past administration which information about is getting released. The defense and similar types of torture in the book and in the current times can be shocking. The euphemisms for torture being used also shares the use of certain vocabulary used by the Ministry in 1984.
Purewal offers plenty of evidence about the relevancy of 1984 but argues for caution when quoting it.
Nav Purewal illustrates the relevance of George Orwell’s 1984 in today’s society and current events. He introduces the reader to his topic by going into some amount of detail as to why this book has entered the depths of political culture with its neologisms and the ideas of a government lying to its citizens. From there the article takes a more serious analytical turn, going into detail about the finer similarities and lessons that could be learned from 1984 and how sometimes the words of Orwell are misconstrued to better suit a particular side’s argument.
Orwell critiques nationalism and after September 11, 2001, a portion of one of his essays was circulated about a minority of pacifists who blame Britain and America and wish to commit acts of violence against them. What the circulators of the passage failed to realize was that the rest of the essay is actually a critique on nationalism and actually offered material that could be defaming to the circulators. One such piece of evidence is that Orwell argued that nationalism makes an individual refuse to the similarities between similar camps of thought—a parallel between the different political parties.
The article also goes into some length of detail about the similarities between the Ministry of Love’s Room 101 used for the torture of thought criminals and the use of torture in the past administration which information about is getting released. The defense and similar types of torture in the book and in the current times can be shocking. The euphemisms for torture being used also shares the use of certain vocabulary used by the Ministry in 1984.
Purewal offers plenty of evidence about the relevancy of 1984 but argues for caution when quoting it.
A Review of Ismail's Kadare's The Siege
Collins, Will. " The Siege by Ismail Kadare." PopMatters 18 June 2009. 18 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/95065-the-siege-by-ismail-kadare/>.
A review for Ismail Kadare’s The Siege, Collins summarizes some of the main points of the book while questioning the relevancy of Kadare’s work. The Siege tells the story of the Ottoman Empire’s attack on Albania and the Albanians’ decision to defend their land despite the appealing terms offered by the Turks. It goes into great lengths describing the military superiority of the Turks and the futility of the Albanians’ resistance. Collins pulls specific examples from the book, such as a particularly poignant part where a mining tunnel collapses, trapping several people there. Most of the book centers on the Turks’ camp and their military precision. The few offshoots of Albanian discourse only accentuate the dire situation. Collins critiques the book, saying that his characters’ meandering digressions” require patience.
The book was written in the 1970s and implies a comparison between the events in the 15th century and the USSR’s attempts to incorporate Albania into their red countries. Collins spends most of the article talking about the events in the story, which lead up to his question about the author’s success in creating a lasting comparison with the conflict between the USSR and Albania. He offers a suggestion that perhaps at the time the book came out originally, that it seemed “fresh and vital” but now seems “anachronistic.”
A review for Ismail Kadare’s The Siege, Collins summarizes some of the main points of the book while questioning the relevancy of Kadare’s work. The Siege tells the story of the Ottoman Empire’s attack on Albania and the Albanians’ decision to defend their land despite the appealing terms offered by the Turks. It goes into great lengths describing the military superiority of the Turks and the futility of the Albanians’ resistance. Collins pulls specific examples from the book, such as a particularly poignant part where a mining tunnel collapses, trapping several people there. Most of the book centers on the Turks’ camp and their military precision. The few offshoots of Albanian discourse only accentuate the dire situation. Collins critiques the book, saying that his characters’ meandering digressions” require patience.
The book was written in the 1970s and implies a comparison between the events in the 15th century and the USSR’s attempts to incorporate Albania into their red countries. Collins spends most of the article talking about the events in the story, which lead up to his question about the author’s success in creating a lasting comparison with the conflict between the USSR and Albania. He offers a suggestion that perhaps at the time the book came out originally, that it seemed “fresh and vital” but now seems “anachronistic.”
New Gaming Journalism
Jeffries, L.B. "The New Games Journalism." PopMatters 18 June 2009. 18 June 2009 <http://www.popmatters.com/pm/feature/73112-the-new-game-journalism/>.
Taken from the concept created by Tom Wolfe, New Games Journalism is a technique of writing incorporating the writer within the description of the gaming experience. The article written by Jeffries elaborates on what NGJ is, separating the concept from common misconceptions from the public. He emphasizes, with the support of Kieron Gillen, the author of the original article that NGJ was born from, that NGJ is another form to analyze or critique a game’s experience. To analyze or to critique a game cannot be limited to the facts about graphics and sometimes storyline. It is about the level of submersion and the experience the game creates for the player.
To emphasize his point, Jeffries draws on several examples of NGJ, such as an article written about the experience of one player in Jedi Knight II: Outcast. The player encountered a racist player and a duel ensued. The dynamics of the duel created an interesting insight into the layers of the game and the complexity of the issue. NGJ allows readers to understand the dynamics of games, in particular a multi-player game or games that offer a lot of choice so as to create a unique experience.
Jeffries insists that the point of NJG is to offer a new form to write about video games while emphasizing the experience the game creates for the individual.
Taken from the concept created by Tom Wolfe, New Games Journalism is a technique of writing incorporating the writer within the description of the gaming experience. The article written by Jeffries elaborates on what NGJ is, separating the concept from common misconceptions from the public. He emphasizes, with the support of Kieron Gillen, the author of the original article that NGJ was born from, that NGJ is another form to analyze or critique a game’s experience. To analyze or to critique a game cannot be limited to the facts about graphics and sometimes storyline. It is about the level of submersion and the experience the game creates for the player.
To emphasize his point, Jeffries draws on several examples of NGJ, such as an article written about the experience of one player in Jedi Knight II: Outcast. The player encountered a racist player and a duel ensued. The dynamics of the duel created an interesting insight into the layers of the game and the complexity of the issue. NGJ allows readers to understand the dynamics of games, in particular a multi-player game or games that offer a lot of choice so as to create a unique experience.
Jeffries insists that the point of NJG is to offer a new form to write about video games while emphasizing the experience the game creates for the individual.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Preliminary Research Findings for Junky
Oliver Harris, a professor at Keele University has the most articles on William S. Burroughs. According to his introduction in the 50th Anniversary Definitive edition of Junky, Harris was personally acquainted with Burroughs and took a special interest in him in the early 1980s. He has published a paper called, “Can You See a Virus? The Queer Cold War of William Burroughs.”
There is not a whole lot of publications that seem to publish texts on Burroughs more than others. Due to his fame and widespread literary appeal, literary critics and even psychologists have studied his works, creating a widespread publication basis.
Recent research done on Burroughs is based off of interviews done while he was alive and building upon the research done by others. There is no one specific research center where this kind of search is done.
Most of my recent findings related to my topic are somewhat contradictory on whether they refer to Junky as autobiographical or fiction. It is a major debate that even as an unbiased reader encounters. The prologue and knowledge of his life lends people to believe that is autobiographical while the pseudonym and the label of fiction makes others believe it is just fiction.
A major hypothesis existing towards my research problem is how Burroughs was portrayed by the media and how that contrasts with the actual man. A fair amount of research will have to be done to surface the differences between his public persona and his actual person and intentions.
There is not a whole lot of publications that seem to publish texts on Burroughs more than others. Due to his fame and widespread literary appeal, literary critics and even psychologists have studied his works, creating a widespread publication basis.
Recent research done on Burroughs is based off of interviews done while he was alive and building upon the research done by others. There is no one specific research center where this kind of search is done.
Most of my recent findings related to my topic are somewhat contradictory on whether they refer to Junky as autobiographical or fiction. It is a major debate that even as an unbiased reader encounters. The prologue and knowledge of his life lends people to believe that is autobiographical while the pseudonym and the label of fiction makes others believe it is just fiction.
A major hypothesis existing towards my research problem is how Burroughs was portrayed by the media and how that contrasts with the actual man. A fair amount of research will have to be done to surface the differences between his public persona and his actual person and intentions.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Career Choices Evolution
Since coming to college my career choices have changed almost by semester. I first intended to work in the publishing industry as someone who eventually gets to decide what gets published and what doesn’t. I refined that after my first semester to becoming a copy editor of novels in a publishing house, in the hopes of working my way up the commercial hierarchy.
But that year I had to copy edit Falling for the Story at my job with the Northern Virginia Writing Project. I had copy edited before with my high school’s literary art magazine, Eddas, but Falling for the Story is a larger publication and we were editing it on a more in-depth level. After eight hours a day editing writing from students aged Elementary school to High school, I found that editing made me a very critical person outside of work. I started paying attention to small details all around me and while I enjoyed the actually editing, the critical behavior I had to adopt was stressful. I couldn’t enjoy things quite as much after a long day of editing.
That summer, I attended a talk by an author of a teen book about vampires. Hearing her talk about the publishing process made me wonder what it would be like to be on the marketing side of the publishing industry. I then was about to make the switch from an English major to a Marketing major. But after closer examination, I realized I am not cut out for the marketing world.
I returned to my copy editing idea, even after experiencing the same behavior change once I began work as a copy editor with the Office of Student Media. I continued to work at the Northern Virginia Writing Project where I have felt some form of happiness from helping create programs that help children learn how to write creatively and to help teachers become better teachers of writing by doing behind the scenes office work.
I started job hunting for a job that I could start working at now and would transfer into a solid job upon graduation in two years. I discovered that the Department of State and CIA were hiring. I was immediately interested. As my dad has said, “You should serve your country. I served in the military so you wouldn’t have to, but you should still serve your country.” I realized that in the current economy with copy editors being laid off and print media a dying industry; I could find stability with a government job. I would be paid well with all the benefits that come from a government job. I would be doing work that would matter on a grand scale which would give me satisfaction.
I want to ideally be doing something like an analyst’s job. I would like to be the person finding the common factor in a group of information given to me from other specialists. I would like to turn my skills at finding anomalies within writing and in the outside world to a job where such skills could be helpful on a larger scale. I would like to study other cultures and assist my country in the best way I can.
But that year I had to copy edit Falling for the Story at my job with the Northern Virginia Writing Project. I had copy edited before with my high school’s literary art magazine, Eddas, but Falling for the Story is a larger publication and we were editing it on a more in-depth level. After eight hours a day editing writing from students aged Elementary school to High school, I found that editing made me a very critical person outside of work. I started paying attention to small details all around me and while I enjoyed the actually editing, the critical behavior I had to adopt was stressful. I couldn’t enjoy things quite as much after a long day of editing.
That summer, I attended a talk by an author of a teen book about vampires. Hearing her talk about the publishing process made me wonder what it would be like to be on the marketing side of the publishing industry. I then was about to make the switch from an English major to a Marketing major. But after closer examination, I realized I am not cut out for the marketing world.
I returned to my copy editing idea, even after experiencing the same behavior change once I began work as a copy editor with the Office of Student Media. I continued to work at the Northern Virginia Writing Project where I have felt some form of happiness from helping create programs that help children learn how to write creatively and to help teachers become better teachers of writing by doing behind the scenes office work.
I started job hunting for a job that I could start working at now and would transfer into a solid job upon graduation in two years. I discovered that the Department of State and CIA were hiring. I was immediately interested. As my dad has said, “You should serve your country. I served in the military so you wouldn’t have to, but you should still serve your country.” I realized that in the current economy with copy editors being laid off and print media a dying industry; I could find stability with a government job. I would be paid well with all the benefits that come from a government job. I would be doing work that would matter on a grand scale which would give me satisfaction.
I want to ideally be doing something like an analyst’s job. I would like to be the person finding the common factor in a group of information given to me from other specialists. I would like to turn my skills at finding anomalies within writing and in the outside world to a job where such skills could be helpful on a larger scale. I would like to study other cultures and assist my country in the best way I can.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
The Voice of Shuttle's Resources for an English Major
There are lots of resources available on English literature on the Web site The Voice of Shuttle at http://vos.ucsb.edu/. There were many divisions of English literature that were divided into further sub-categories. There were a few that I thought could be interesting upon closer evaluation. Those included “Contemporary (Brit. & Amer.),” “Creative Writing,” and “American Literature.”
Within the division of “Contemporary (Brit. & Amer.),” there are subdivisions with lists of links. One of the divisions deals with the Beats, a favorite topic of mine. However, I think it’s time I delve into something new. In the British category, there’s a subdivision called “Bohemian Ink: Guide to Writers of Coffee, Angst, & Experimentation” that seems particularly interesting. The link “Modern Boheme” did not originally work, but after finding the correct URL, it is a very cool Web site (http://www.levity.com/corduroy/). Called “Bohemian Ink: literary underground review,” it contains links for different magazines and zines, Spoken Word resources, performance art, and alternative publishing. They have different categories such as “Subterraneans” which offers different pages for “writers of the underground who have surfaced in certain circles and cliques, but have yet to break the major league skin.” They have another category with pages for the Beat writers. Apparently I am just attracted to this kind of writing.
In “Creative Writing,” there are lots of links to various works by authors of fiction and poetry. There are links for various publications. AHA! Poetry (http://www.ahapoetry.com/homepage.htm) offers even more links for writers including resources to find a publisher and reading an issue of a magazine. The Web site however, does appear to be outdated.
In “American Literature,” there are resources pertaining to various eras of American literary history. As I have recently taken a class on Early American Literature, the link for “American Literature on the Web: 1620-1820” was of particular interest to me. It was a simple Webs site with brief timelines and summaries (http://www.nagasaki-gaigo.ac.jp/ishikawa/amlit/17_8/overview17_8.htm). It would be helpful if a quick idea was needed of a particular time or event in American history. It had standard authors from that time period with a biography and list of works with links to those pieces. It would be helpful in the event of searching for the right author for a particular research project.
Overall, I believe that The Voice of Shuttle is a great resource to find even more resources for an English major. My main critique would be that a lot of the links have not been updated for a while so searching for recently updated sites might be tricky.
A Brief Overview of Research and Sources in English
Research in the field of English is varied. Within
For my particular concentration of Nonfiction Writing and Rhetoric, there is research being done on the difference of rhetoric in different presidents. I could not find any current trends or theories specifically about copy editing, but I have read the advice from Bill Walsh, a copy editor for the Washington Post. He has some interesting advice such as, “If I catch an error somebody else missed, that doesn't mean I would have caught all the errors that person caught” (http://www.theslot.com/).
According to U.S. News & World Report, the best schools for English in 2009 were University of California—Berkeley, Stanford University, Yale University, Columbia University, Harvard University, and University of Pennsylvania (http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-english-schools/rankings/).
The National Council of Teachers of English is an important association to English majors who wish to become teachers. At my job with the NVWP, we have several publications published by NCTE that are used in the training of our Teacher Consultants. The American Copy Editors Society is an important association for copy editors. They provide training and aim to help the rise of copy editors in different “different journalistic endeavors” (http://www.copydesk.org/).
The best publication available to writers is the Writers’ Market. It is an annual publication that contains information on a myriad of publications, what they publish and information on how to submit works. It is a wonderful resource that can lead writers to explore the large world of publications available to them.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Versatility of an English Education
A common question when you are in college is, “What is your major?” Whenever I answer with, “English,” the response is the same. “Oh. That’s cool.” As a matter of fact, I believe being an English major can be cool. The common assumption with this course of study is that your goal in life is to teach or you will go through life with a useless degree. Many people do not realize how far-reaching English and writing skills actually are. In almost any field, writing is necessary. Some form of editing is necessary for the business, government, or individual to accurately convey their message. I find that I have to explain this to individuals and elaborate that my concentration is Nonfiction Writing and Rhetoric and that I had planned on being an editor in some capacity in the business world. Though recently my attention has shifted to civil servant jobs for their security and value to the nation, I still feel strongly that an English degree or line of study is not useless.
A major issue that I have found with my field of study is the question of the relevance of print forms of publication. There is a continuing debate over the livelihood of publishing houses with a poor economy and the growth of resources available online. Numbers are rising of college graduates not finding the kinds of jobs they had originally hoped for and the future of publishing houses and other print forms of media can cause worry for an English major.
My expectations of what I would learn as an English student are being met. I expected to read a lot of classics and write analytical essays about the texts being discussed in class. I’ve taken one Creative Writing course so far that also met my expectations. I have been well prepared by a four year program at my high school, the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts in the concentration of Creative Writing. The coursework I experienced there is consistent with the work expected of me as an English student at the college level. I have learned how to write better essays that deviate from the five-paragraph form. Reading critical literary articles have benefited my analytical skills.
I have “researched” my field outside of the classroom. I have been published in Broadside and in the spring 2009 issue of Volition as well as small publications in the past. I have worked at the Northern Virginia Writing Project for two years where I have observed the teaching of writing and have copy edited the annual Falling for the Story Anthology of Exemplary Student Writing. I have also worked as a copy editor for the Office of Student Media, editing the news section of Broadside each week for the past semester. This has helped me understand what my major can help me to achieve and understand the work environment an education in English can lead to. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of a newsroom. I enjoy listening to little kids read their short stories out loud, proud of their achievement.
Currently, I am looking into jobs and internships with the government, such as the Department of State. Being an English major allows me freedom to delve into different fields. It has a versatility that can be a lot of fun. And even cool.
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