Gamer Sites and Gamer Self-Identity

Lab Exercise 16: Gamer Sites and Gamer Self-Identity

The purpose of this lab exercise is to select one gamer site that we do not ordinarily visit where gamers self identify as a culture or subculture. We are to identify two discussion threads on the site where questions of personal identity and gaming are explicit. It was interesting to explore the different gamer sites. I have never visited gamer sites so this was a new experience. There were many interesting discussions that took place on these sites.

Final Fantasy XIII: New Game, Same Colors?
This particular discussion thread falls under the category of race, race representations, and video games. Racialicious is a blog about the intersections of race and pop culture. This discussion thread is not moderated by a forum moderator. This discussion debates about a question that is provocative: why do Japanese game companies create so many games where the protagonists all look European or white? The writer of this blog asks, why aren't there any Asian characters? The writer finds it fascinating that Japanese companies, again and again, create predominantly white characters. The following are arguments and counter-arguments found on the site.

• Game sites don’t report on things like this because they’re not political. I beg to differ. Many game sites publish stories on workers and developers getting overworked, underpaid, and exploited by corporations. That is absolutely political. And I’m glad that they do – these stories need to be heard. My point is, there are different political stories and discussions happening on game sites all the time – but people still shy away from race issues.

• It’s fantasy, it’s not real. Exactly – fantasy is only limited by our imagination. If we are free to create entire worlds and characters, why do we only create ones that look white?

• My best friend/girlfiend/wife/boyfriend/game designer is Asian and says it’s not racist, so you’re wrong. So by this logic, if I polled my white friends and got them to say it IS racist, I would win? I don’t hide behind my white friends, why should you get to hide behind your Asian ones? Don’t hide behind your friends: argue the points.

• It’s not about race, it’s about money. This ignores the fact that some of these blockbuster Japanese franchises made tons of money in Japan, with Japanese audiences, before they were exported here. And even if it were true, then can we have a discussion on how the exportation of culture, the massive wealth and power of U.S. western media makers, is gendered and racial as well as economic?

Although the author of this blog, has not reached a conclusion, resolution or answer, the topic is still up for debate in which opinions are asked for.

Don't Hate the Player, Hate the Game: The Racialization of Labor in World of Warcraft
This discussion board is a blog about race and pop culture. This blog examines the racialization of informational labor in machinima about Chinese player workers in the massively multiplayer online role playing game World of Warcraft. This blog discussion is not moderated by a forum moderator. The author of this discussion board goes on to make the following arguments for the purpose of debate. The main argument is about racism towards the Chinese and Asian population.

• People don’t hold video games accountable for racism; however they do hold them responsible for violence. Gaming has to constantly defend its portrayals of violence, but almost never discusses how it reinforces racism.

• More people play Warcraft now than were on the internet in 1995. There are a significant number of players in China and S. Korea. Digital games are one of the only platforms we had that were transnational from the inception. People who would never think of trying out Japanese media has actually been engaging for a long time without being aware of it through the gaming world.

• Machinima are fan made vids using graphics and scenarios from Warcraft. Some machinima are very critical of Chinese players; likening them to service workers like maids.

Many bloggers on this site did agree with the issue at hand and people who played World of Warcraft stated that they recognized the racial issues. One blogger has similar arguments and stated the following:
"I think it is also important to point out the color pigmentation options and facial features of customizable characters in games like World of Warcraft. In World of Warcraft for example, the pigments for characters are predominantly various shades of a “white” skin tone, while the facial features tend to resemble only those of European descent. So that even if one were to choose a darker skin tone, it would mostly resemble a dark-skinned white person."

Final Thoughts
Both discussion threads were quite similar and had similar arguments about racial issues. Although I am not a gamer myself, I think it is important to acknowledge these issues and not leave them ignored. Issues like these can be very offensive to a huge population of people. It was interesting to see the interaction between gamers and their opinions on the blog.

Video Games

Lab Exercise 15: Video Games

The purpose of this lab exercise was to observe the different features of video games. My teammates were Tim and Taylor. The class met at the video game lab and each of us was to play one game on each of the three gaming platforms: 1 console game, 1 PC game, and 1 mobile game. The following is a short report describing our experiences playing games on the different platforms.

PC Gaming

World of Warcraft
The first PC game that our group analyzed at any length was that of World of Warcraft (WoW). We were all encouraged to examine games that would push us outside of our comfort zones. Because of this Taylor volunteered to attempt to work through the gaming world of WoW. WoW is published by Blizzard Entertainment which is a subsidy of Activision Blizzard Inc. a leading software company in the United States. The game is an online game which requires an active network connection. WoW is what is referred to as a MMORPG, a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. The game is at its core a PC game which works on a client server bases. Basically this means that the game needs to be connected to a server in order to function. Otherwise it won't work. The software installed on the individual PC's is basically thin client software which then registers and connects to the servers operated by Blizzard. The gameplay is fairly complex though at the same time intuitive. Three other titles published by Blizzard are Warcraft, Starcraft II, and Diablo II.

Cave StoryThe second PC game that we looked at is Cave Story. Cave Story is an action adventure game which was developed by Daisuke Amaya as freeware. The game is fairly simple in and of itself. It works on a screen crossing paradigm which most gamers are familiar with as it is the most common form of gameplay incredibly prevalent in the 1980's and 1990's, the heyday of stand alone arcade game machines. The game is freeware and was developed for cross platform portability. The game is available on Microsoft Windows, Macintosh OS X, Linux Operating Systems, PSP, Xbox, Amiga Operating System, GP2X, and the Wii. The game is freely available and was first released in 2004. It exhibits many of the characteristics of the nostalgic gaming community. Mr. Amaya also developed a game entitled Ikachan which is similar in design and gameplay.

Console Gaming

Wii Sports
I chose to play the Wii Sports game because I had never played it before and because I had heard so many good things about it. At first I didn't even know how to work the game at all but my classmates helped me. It was definitely not hard to learn. Wii is a sports video game developed and produced by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii Video Game console. Wii Sports is part of the Touch! Generations brand. The Wii Sports game offered different options of what specific game to play. It offered five sports including tennis, golf, bowling, boxing and baseball. Because of time constraints I was only able to play the tennis and bowling games, but it was definitely a fun experience. While watching other classmates play different games on different platforms, it was apparent that the Wii Sports was one of the most technologically advanced video games. I used the Wii remote which was used to perform the action used in real life sports, such as swinging the tennis racket and using the bowling technique. Wii Sports is classified as action/sports. Wii also offers games such as Wii Fit and Wii Dance that are also classified in the action/sports genre.


Mobile Gaming

Fieldrunners
Fieldrunners is a tower defense game which is a sub-genre of the Real Time Strategy gaming sphere. The game was published by Subatomic Studios for the iPhone OS in 2008. We played the game on an iPod Touch. The gameplay was fairly simple, the player places defense fortifications in an attempt to stop enemies from traversing the length of the screen. This continued until the game was complete after 10 levels. Subatomic Studios is a very small company has not yet published any other titles. The company itself is incredibly small and only employs six people.


Spore
This game allows the user to try to survive as a multicellular organism in a tide pool with the opportunity to upgrade its features with the collection of new DNA from other organisms. This game is operated on the iPod Touch by moving the device in the direction that you'd like the character on the screen to go. With other devices, such as mobile phones that lack a touchscreen, the character is moved by pressing keys in ordinal directions of the desired movement. The player advances after their organism eats a certain amount of new DNA from other creatures. I found this game to be really complicated, probably because I never play any sort of video game. I'm also not extremely familiar with the iPod Touch device, so moving the device in order to control the screen was difficult for me to get used to. The graphics of the game were outstanding however, and once I became comfortable with the screen movements the game became more enjoyable. Games like this that are available for mobile music devices or mobile phones can provide entertainment to the user no matter where they are located. The program ran smoothly and efficiently and loaded immediately. Another positive aspect of this game is that it does not require an internet connection in order to run. This really makes the game accessible in any location. Overall, this is an entertaining game that operates well in any location.

Crayon Physics
I also got to experiment and use the Crayon Physics Game on the iPod Touch. Crayon Physics is a crayon game published by Petri Purho and released in 2009. It is classified under the genre of a video puzzle game. The objective of the game was to guide a ball from the start point so that it touches all the stars to reach the next level. Using the touch screen you draw your own path to reach the star (which is the points). The drawing techniques offered was interesting. However, I probably would not play this game again. It was entertaining but it seemed to be meant for a younger age group. It does come with over seventy levels and players can upload custom levels as well. This publisher also offers the games Pocket Physics and Crayon Physics Deluxe which is under the same genre of a video puzzle game.

Final Thoughts
Overall, this was a fun and interesting lab. It was interesting to observe the different technologies used to produce each game and how technology advances over the years produce much better gaming features. I am not a gamer myself but I loved having the opportunity to experience the various video games that I probably would not experienced on my own outside of class. I feel much more knowledgeable of video games and how to play video games. I can now understand how it is such a popular hobby. When I was little, the only games I ever played was SEGA. Now, years later, the video games are so advanced. Technology has definitely come into play and this lab exercise was a great experience. I am glad we got to fit this lab into our syllabus.

Video Teleconferencing

Lab Exercise 14: Video Teleconferencing

The purpose of this lab exercise was to test and evaluate Yahoo, Google, and Skype video chat platforms for usability. We were to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each service and compare the quality of service. I did not have a Yahoo or Google account so I had to create an account for the purpose of this assignment. To use video chat you simply log in as a user and select the messenger option. You can then invite and add people to join your call. This was a fun assignment and allowed everyone in class to interact with each other via voice calling. A microphone and headphones was necessary. We were unable to work with the video teleconferencing, but we were able to work with the voice call capabilities.

Skype
Skype was my favorite service for voice chatting. Skype offered conference calling and allowed you to talk with many people at the same time. I was able to add everyone in class to my contact list and was invited to a conference call in which we could all hear each other and converse with each other. Skype also offered instant messaging and other features such as games. My classmates and I played Bingo on Skype and were able to talk to each other through the conference call. Anyone can call anyone who has a Skype account, you simply press answer, and you will automatically be on the line. With Skype I was able to hear the other line very clearly with no problems at all. This was a very convenient way to conference call other people. Skype offers file sharing as well which is also another advantage to using Skype over the other software.

Google
Google Talk had a disadvantage because it only works between two users. Google Talk does not offer the option of conference calling so this is definitely a weakness to the software. The quality of the voice calls was good but not nearly as good as Skype. Personally, I would not use Google Talk again because I did not like the fact that it does not offer conference calling. I would not recommend this software to businesses or clients.

YahooYahoo Messenger is really similar to Google Talk. Anyone with a username can log on to Yahoo Messenger and begin talking with any of their contacts. Me, Taylor, and Tim were able to voice call each other at the same time. However, the quality of the voice calls was not that good. Google Talk and Skype were better quality than Yahoo. The call was not as clear and had a lot of static. Yahoo can also make and receive calls from landlines.

Final SummaryIn conclusion, Skype is the best software compared to the other two software options. I would definitely use Skype again to do voice calls. I like the advantage it has of being able to also have the option of video conferencing if a web camera is available. Skype seems like a beneficial software for businesses and client interaction. It is a great way of communication, and a very much improved way of technological communication.

Skype VOIP on the Ipod Touch

Lab Exercise 13: Skype VOIP on the Ipod Touch

The purpose of this exercise is to install Skype on the iPod Touch and make observations of the functions of the Skype software on the iPod Touch as well as on the cell phone, desktop PC, and laptop PC. I am new to Skype and have never used it before. For the purpose of this assignment I created an account, and I actually look forward to using the account I created in the future. Many people I know use Skype and it seems as if I am the only one that doesn't use it.

From what I observed, Skype offers various features and is a very convenient method to communicate with people who live in another city or in another country. My group members for this assignment were Tim and Taylor and together we discussed the advantages, disadvantages, and various functions of the software.

I installed Skype on the iPod Touch and my group and I were able to make phone calls but the phone calls were not able to go through since the iPod Touch does not have a microphone or speakers. You cannot use video calling on the iPod Touch. The advantage of using Skype on the desktop PC or laptop PC is that you can use video calling. With video calling you can see the person you are talking to through a web camera. On the desktop PC or laptop PC you can do skype-to skype calls, video calls, skype-to skype conference calls, and instant messaging (just to name a few features). However, not all these features are available through the iPod touch.

You can make Skype calls from any phone. You can set up a Skype To Go number and make calls to mobiles and landlines abroad from any phone. The advantages is that they offer really inexpensive rates to make calls out of country. You can also make calls for free in the U.S; there is also a free trial period you can use. Sending text messages via Skype is also cheaper then sending text messages from a mobile service. You can also have an online number and receive calls from landlines and mobiles with a desktop PC or laptop PC. Skype offers numbers available in over 25 countries. Also, friends in the same country as your number only pay a local rate to call you and you pay nothing to answer the call.

Overall, I would definitely use Skype again but not on the iPod touch. I would definitely use it on my PC laptop or desktop. I don't like the disadvantage that the iPod does not allow for video calling. That was the biggest disadvantage. There are many more features available with a laptop or desktop.

Business Analytics Proposal

Dear Client:
The purpose of this report is to offer you advice in making your decision about what business software you should choose for you new online Flower Shop. I will provide you with a choice of e-commerce platforms and business analytics software. I will recommend business software and also discuss the pros and cons and evaluate the similarities and differences compared to other business software.

OBJECTIVE: VOLUSION E-COMMERCE
This report will focus on the Linux Volusion E-Commerce Solution. Volusion will help your online business succeed by providing the most innovative, user-friendly e-commerce available. It has many features including product management/merchandising, administrative tools, marketing features, design suite, shipping options, payment methods, security protections, world class support, integrations, premium hosting, customer shopping tools, and live software updates. This software offers real time management, unlimited photos per product, full featured Customer Relationship Manager, free customizable ready to use templates, improved language settings, integration with all major shipping companies, multiple administrator log-in and many other features as well.

PRICES
There are a variety of software packages to choose from ranging in price. The options include a Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum package. The Steel package is $24.99 a month and includes 25 products and 1GB data transfer. The Bronze package is $39.99 a month and includes 250 products and 3GB data transfer. The Silver package is $59.99 a month and includes 1000 products and 5GB data transfer. The Gold is the most popular package and is $99.99 a month and includes 5000 products and 15GB data transfer. The Platinum is $159.99 a month and includes unlimited products and 25GB data transfer. The pros is that this software offers a wide range of prices for your convenience and preference but the con is that it charges a $49 setup fee. However, the software packages also include professional templates, customer rewards feature, innovative marketing features, and step-by-step training videos. A major pro of this Linux software is that it is cheaper than other software such as Getelastic, Webtrends, and Clicktale (Just to name a few). These other online software programs were much more expensive so if you decide to go with Linux Volusion you are in for a good deal.

How to Get Started
If you decide to use Volusion Linux the first step you need to do is secure your products. In this case, your products would be flowers so step one is complete. The next thing you would have to do is get your domain. The good thing about Volusion is that it offers domain name registration for $7.99 a year so you can pick the perfect web address for customers to find you. You can also sign up for a free trial if you wish. However, one con to this is that the trial is only 14 days. Other software options do offer longer free trial periods. But with all the features Volusion provides, you shouldn’t need longer than two weeks to realize it is the right choice. Next, you would have to pick your plan. Volusion has an e-commerce plan that will meet your needs for your flower store. Each plan comes with many features to help your online business grow. This is definitely a major pro compared to other software options because this software offers more features than others I have seen. However, the plans are an additional cost of $24.99 a month. Volusion software does have several fees, but in the end the fees will be worth it because you will have an incredible online flower shop with top features only Volusion can offer. After you pick your store plan, you can finish creating your online store by loading your products and picking a template. A great advantage of this software is that they offer unlimited 24/7 in house phone support, along with tons of online training materials. Providing online training materials is a major advantage of choosing Volusion especially if you are new to the online business. Volusion also offers several methods for customer payment which is also a great advantage. You can accept customer payment via PayPal, Google Checkout, or by accepting credit cards directly on your site. Volusion credit card processing offers the ultimate payment solution and provides friendly support.

Services
Another pro of using Volusion is that it provides design, marketing and professional services. This software offers free template, premium templates, and custom design templates. These templates will catch the attention of your customers with an elegant professional look and feel. The templates are also organized and easy to manage which is an advantage compared to other software programs. This software also offers a professional services team to assist you with anything you need for launching your new online store. Volusion also has top-notch marketing services. Marketing services offered are Fast Track, Search Engine Optimization, Optimized Press Releases, and Site Analytics.

Final Thoughts
Overall, this is an excellent online e-commerce software and the pros definitely outweigh the cons. It is important to meet the needs of the customer and Volusion will do just that. They may charge more fees than other software, but like anything else it is an investment for the good of your business. The investment into choosing this software will be worth it because the top-notch features and easy to use templates will bring in the customers!

Free Music on the iPod Touch

Lab Exercise 10: Free Music on the iPod Touch

For this assignment I worked with Tim Walker and Crystal Castaneda. We were each provided an iPod Touch by the RCLab and were asked to identify at least three sources for free, legal music available for download to an iPod Touch and at least two sources of free music streaming. The three App sources that provide free music streaming are Pandora, Last.fm, and Caribbean Nitro. We were also asked to find six sites that provided free and legal music that could be downloaded to the iPod. These sites are listed below:

Six Sources for Free Legal Music:

1. Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin: http://music.aol.com/

2. InComposition: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/music/icompositions/

3. Love Album, Angels and Airwaves: http://modlife.com/angelsandairwaves/love

4. The Journal, Stacy Bearden: http://www.usa-links.com/thejournal/

5. Water Get No Emeny, Sahr Ngaujah: http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com/

6. Finn bikkjen!, Casiokids: http://www.mp3.com/free-music/

One piece of music that is not new and that is in the public domain:
http://www.mp3.com/free-music/
Band: Shout Out Louds
Song: "Walls"

One piece of new music:
http://www.mp3.com/free-music/
Band: Lamb of God
Song "Hour Glass"

A ringtone found on a free and legal website.
Usher, "Throwback"free ringtones:
http://www.mobiletoones.com/downloads/f36684-usher-throwback-free-ringtone.htm

Local TV Consumption

Lab Exercise 6: Local TV Consumption

Television Survey:

Web-Ready Table of Results

The results of our TV survey were rather interesting. As can be seen in our table the majority of people do watch TV, but there are some who do not. I find it interesting to not the ways in which people watch TV. Most ways seem to be broadcast, cable, and Internet. All of them stem from convenience, since broadcast is free, internet gives lots of options, and cable is included in a lot of people's rents. The survey was certainly an educational experience.

Radio Broadcasting

Lab Exercise 9: Radio Broadcasting

Pandora

Lady Gaga Radio

1. Lady Gaga-"Lovegame"

2. Taio Cruz (Ft. Ludacris)- "Break Your Heart"

3. Britney Spears- "Toxic"

4. Rihanna- "Disturbia"

5. Lady Gaga- "Boys Boys Boys"

Paramore Radio

1. Paramore- "Emergency"

2. Fireflight- "Core of My Addiction"

3. Flyleaf- "Missing"

4. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus- "Face Down"

5. Paramore- "Fences" (Live)

Paul Potts Radio

1. Josh Groban- "Per Te"

2. Glacomo Puccini- "Turandot Opera"

3. Howard Gregson-Williams- "Arrival At Asian's How"

4. Frencesco Sartori- "Time to Say Goodbye"

5. Luciano Pavarotti- "Forever"

House of Pain Radio

1. House of Pain- "Top O' The Morning To Ya"

2. Cypress Hill- "What Go Around Come Around, Kid"

3. Beastie Boys- "Girls"

4. Onyx- "Slam"

5. House of Pain- "Shamrocks And Shenanigans"

Keith Urban Radio

1. Keith Urban- "Making Memories of Us"

2. Tim McGraw- "Something Like That"

3. Kenny Chesney- "Don't Blink"

4. Rascal Flatts- "These Days"

5. Keith Urban- "Your Everything"

Evanescence Radio

1. Evanescence- "Imaginary"

2. Linkin Park- "Leave Out All the Rest"

3. Three Days Grace- "I Hate Everything About You"

4. Poumb- "In My Arms"

5. Evanescence- "Sweet Sacrifice"

Last.FM

Lady Gaga (Pop Genre)

1. Lady Gaga-"Money Honey"
2. Rihanna-"Rude Boy"
3. Kesha-"Take it Off"
4. Christina Aguilera-"Keeps Gettin Better"
5. Eva Simons-"Silly Boy"

Paramore (Rock Genre)

1. Paramore-"Whoa"
2. Automatic Loveletter-"Shut Your Mouth"
3. Hey Monday-"Set Off"
4. Boys Like Girls-"Broken Man"
5. Avril Lavigne-"When You're Gone"

Evanescence (Alternative Genre)

1. Evanescense-"Imaginary"
2. Linkin Park-"Leave Out All the Rest"
3. Three Days Grace-"I Hate Everything About You"
4. Plumb-"In My Arms"
5. Evanescense-"Sweet Sacrifice"

Paul Potts (Pop Opera Genre)

1. Paul Potts-"Nella Fantasia"
2. Luciano Pavarotti-"O Sole Mio"
3. Andrea Bocelli-"Silent Night"
4. II Divo-"O Holy Night"
5. Jose Carreras-"Pel Tev Amor"

House of Pain (Hip Hop Genre)

1. Funkdoobiest-"Rock On"
2. Cypress Hill-"Lick a Shot"
3. Das EFX-"Jussummen"
4. Lordz of Brooklyn-"American Made"
5. The Psycho Realm-"The Big Payback"

Keith Urban (Country Genre)

1. Keith Urban-"Making Memories of Us"
2. Jason Aldean-"Big Green Tractor"
3. Kenny Chesney-"I Go Back"
4. Dierks Bentley-"How Am I Doing"
5. Tim Mcgraw-"Southern Voice"

Summary

For this assignment I once again had the pleasure and privilege to work with Miss Crystal Castaneda and Miss Taylor Miller. We worked together to compile the list of artists and then collect the data from the two websites: Pandora and Last.FM.

The list of artists that we selected are restated below along with their specific genres:

1. Lady Gaga - Pop
2. Paramore - Rock
3. Evanesence - Alternative
4. Paul Potts - Pop Opera
5. Houst of Pain - Hip Hop
6. Kieth Urban - Country

The first three artists on this list are from the United States and female. The last three are male and are international artists.

Overall the experience of using the two different websites was fairly straightforward and simple. We simply entered the name into the websites search box and then listed the results that it produced associated with that artist. The we would listen to part of the song and then skip to the next one. This eventually became a problem with Pandora because it restricts the number of times that you can skip tracks. Pandora claims this is a result of licensing issues but Last.FM didn't have a limitation at all as far as we could tell.

Another interesting note is that both websites did a good job of keeping in with the genre of the requested artist. Pandora would also deliver song lyrics along with the song. Last.FM delivered photos, videos, and information about the artist.

Using these two services was an interesting comparison. None of us had actually used Last.FM at any length before and we were fairly impressed with the offerings of that website. Pandora while well known can be frustrating because of the limit on the number of times that one can skip tracks. Overall, we would agree that there is a very healthy competition between these two companies. This will drive for further innovation and an increase in song libraries which will in turn render the end user or consumer as the overall winner.

Podcasting

Lab Exercise 8: Podcasting
As a group we found 10 podcasts about media and technology news on www.itunes.com. We gathered information about who produces the podcast, the format of the podcast, how frequently it is published, the intended audience, how popular it is, and commercial sponsors involved. My partners were Tim and Taylor.

1. Digital Media Insider-The Digital Media Insider is published on the Digital Media website. The podcast is produced by O'Reilly Media Incorporation. The format of the podcast is somewhat of a News letter. It is organized into different categories of News feed. The podcast is published quite frequently and was last updated today. The intended audience are people who find interest in technology and media and audio tips and ideas. I was not able to find how popular the podcast was or how many subscribers they have. That information was not published. I listened to the podcast and they did not have commercial sponsors.
2. Digital Media Tips and Tricks-This blog is published by Ben Williams through his website. The podcast deals mainly with new technology and digital media developments. This is generally when the podcast is published as well. The podcast is published frequently. The podcast is intended for those who are interested in new media technologies. It is sponsored by Coded Signal Inc. The subscription information is not available.
3. Engadget-The Engadget podcast is published by the Engadget website. The podcast is published weekly and is a one stop shop for computer and technology enthusiasts. Commercial sponsors could be AOL since it is the parent company of the blog. The podcast is distributed in the ACC format and the subscription numbers are not currently available.
4. Science and Technology Coverage-The Science and Technology Coverage is published on the PBS website. The podcast is produced by MacNeil Productions. The format of this podcast is also News based. The podcast is published multiple times a day and was last published yesterday. The intended audience are people who are interested in science and updated news. The podcast I listened to was about the oil spill in the Gulf. I was not able to see how popular the podcast was because the subscribers were not published. The commercial sponsors were PBS and the Knight Foundation, Intel, Bank of America, Chevron and CPB.
5. The Economist-This is an audio companion to The Economist and publishes posts several times a week which allows for supplementation of the print edition and website. The main audience of this podcast are readers of the economist who give offerings on news, media, politics, technology, and science. The Economist is supported by its own publishing resources. The format of the publication is MP3. The subscription information is not available and its' popularity is not known.
6. IT Conversations-The IT Conversations podcast is published on the IT Conversations website. The podcast is produced by the Conversations Network Corporation. The format of the podcast is group conversation and discussion. The podcast is published frequently and was last updated this morning. The intended audience are people interested in learning more about information technology and the effects of emerging technology in society. The popularity of the podcast could not be measured because the subscribers were not shown. The commercial sponsor was Audible-Podcast.com.
7. Cranky Geeks-This is a weekly podcast where a group of expert panelists get together and discuss the most controversial topics in technology news, issues, and developments. The podcast is distributed as an MP3. The intended audience are technology enthusiasts who enjoy a quirky and humorous look at current technology trends and news. Cranky Geeks is supported by GoDaddy.com, which is a web hosting business. The subscription information is not available on this podcast.
8. PC Mag-The PC Mag podcast is published by the Ziff Davis Publishing Holdings Inc. The podcast is sponsored by Brother.com and is published multiple times a week. It is meant to supplement the print publications of PC Mag. While the number of subscribers was not available, the intended audience is people who are interested in solutions to everyday technology problems and those interested in technology news and developments.
9. NPRs on the Media-NPR's podcast is published by NPR weekly and is a guide to how the media is made and works in the industry. The main audience are regular NPR listeners who are interested in technology news. This allows the NPR audience to examine new technologies and weigh the political implications of legislation and developments. The podcast is distributed as an MP3 and subscription information is not available. NPR is also not commercially sponsored.
10. HT Guys-This podcast is published by Jason Cypret of HT Guys as a video podcast every Tuesday and Friday. It is intended for those who are interested in the advancement of audio and visual technology, specifically home theater systems and HDTV. The sponsors are generally the listeners of the podcast, this creates a very communal type market environment. The subscription information is not available.

Final Summary
Overall, this was an interesting assignment. Finding podcasts that dealt with technology and media was quite easy because there was so many to choose from. Most of the podcasts were audio. We found a few that were videos as well. The overall general audience for the podcasts were all people interested in technology in one form or the other. The subcription information was not provided for most of the podcasts. And we came to find that most of the podcasts we chose are published frequently.

Streaming Video Players

For this lab exercise, I viewed several streaming videos using IE8, Mozilla, and Google Chrome. The sites I visited were YouTube, Hulu, Fancast, Anivide, and Joost. For this lab exercise I decided to watch the official Toy Story 3 Movie Trailer. The purpose of this assignment was to compare the quality of the streaming videos using different streaming video sites. It was an interesting assignment and the following are the observations for each site used to watch the movie trailer. The trailer was about two and a half minutes long. Following the observations, an embedded video of the Toy Story Trailer is included with each site.

YouTube
YouTube is a very popular video sharing website in which users can upload, share, and view videos. I watched the Toy Story 3 Movie Trailer on YouTube and found it to be of great quality. It was shown in HD quality which was one of the main strengths of the site. The media player used is Adobe Flash Player. It is used to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including video clips, TV clips, and music videos, as well as content such as video blogging and other videos. Surprisingly, the trailer I chose did not have advertisements. Most movie trailers and videos have advertisement pop-ups but this one did not. The trailer loaded very quickly and had good resolution. It did not take long to buffer and it did not skip or stop. I personally use YouTube quite often; I use it multiple times a day to listen to music.

Hulu
Hulu offers commercial supported streaming video of TV shows and movies. Hulu provides videos in Adobe Flash video format. While watching the Toy Story 3 movie trailer on Hulu, it was noticeable that the video quality was better than YouTube. Although Hulu is used more often to watch movies and TV shows, for the purpose of this assignment, I watched the Toy Story movie trailer. The video began with an advertisement from Sprint and an advertisement from Rogaine. This video did take longer to load than YouTube, but the resolution was of better quality. It was somewhat of a tradeoff because its' weakness was that it took a few seconds longer to buffer, but its' strength is that it was of better quality and the resolution was more clear than the other sites. It did not skip or stop once and loading the video did not cause any problems. Hulu offers an excellent library of movies and videos, and offers a tremendous amount of television shows. It even offers entire seasons of episodes and many movies as well. Hulu was by far the most organized streaming video website.

Fancast

Fancast offers full-length network television shows, feature films, trailers and clips, as well as in-depth news and editorial content related to entertainment. Visitors can select visual media from a library of current and archival shows. It also recommends shows viewers would like to see. Fancast features various advertisements and advertises Facebook as well. Fancast offers options to post videos to Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. The trailer began with an advertisement for the Samsung 3D television. The advertisement remained on the side throughout the duration of the video. The second time I viewed the video, the advertisement was for Outback Steakhouse. Personally, I did not prefer Fancast. I had never used Fancast before, but after using it I would prefer using Hulu or YouTube. The trailer was viewed using Adobe Media Player. The video took a while to load and to buffer and the beginning skipped a few times and completely stopped once. The resolution and color quality was good, but the fact that it skipped showed a great weakness to the video site.

Anivide

I had never used Anivide before, but I can honestly say I wouldn't use it again or recommend it to others for viewing videos. It seemed to be a site used more for anime videos then for television shows and movies. The video library and toolbar seemed disorganized. The Anivide site did not offer videos on their site itself, instead, they are viewed through the YouTube website. When the trailer is clicked, the viewer is relocated to YouTube. Therefore, the trailer had all the same weaknesses and strengths as discussed earlier. It was HD quality and did not skip, stop, or take long to buffer. Although it was good quality and resolution, it was not as good of quality as the trailer on the Hulu site. Because the trailer was not offered on the Anivide site, there was no trailer to embed. However, the YouTube trailer is embedded under the YouTube section of this blog.

Joost
Joost has a similar setup as Fancast, except Joost had less features than Fancast. The Joost site offers television shows, movies, and music videos. However, the Fancast site offered more entertainment options and a better search engine. The Joost search engine was somewhat weak. When I searched for Toy Story, only one video trailer came up. The other sites offered various trailers to choose from and this site does not. The trailer began with an advertisement from State Farm Insurance. The advertisement could also be seen on the side of the video clip. The video only took about three seconds to load. It also offered options to share with Facebook and Twitter, just like Fancast. The video was viewed using Adobe Media Player. The quality of the trailer was excellent! Although the site does not offer as many features as Fancast, the quality was much better than the quality of the Fancast site. It was very clear and did not skip, stop, or take long to load.

Alternative Browsers:Internet Explorer 8, Google Chrome

The above video observations of the different sites was used with the Mozilla Firefox browser. I also viewed the same movie trailers using Internet Explorer 8 and Google Chrome. I wanted to compare the video quality using the three different browsers and determine which one was the best browser to use. Viewing the videos on Internet Explorer was a little difference for me because I am not used to Internet Explorer. I have not used that browser in so long. I prefer to use the Mozilla Firefox browser. The videos were of similar quality on all three browsers. There was no noticeable difference in quality or resolution. However, it did seem like the Internet Explorer browser took longer to load the videos. I had never used Google Chrome, but I really liked it and I would definitely continue to use that browser in the future. Mozilla and Google Chrome were at about the same level of aesthetics and efficiency. For viewing videos, I would recommend either Mozilla or Google Chrome. I would not recommend Internet Explorer only because it takes a few seconds longer to download the videos. But if quality and resolution is of concern, the three browsers were quite similar in that area.

Final Summary

Overall, this lab exercise was interesting and fun. Now I am more familiar with different streaming video sites. Before this assignment I was only familiar with YouTube and Hulu, and now I am familiar with three more. I enjoy watching videos and television shows online, so this exercise has been beneficial for me in comparing and contrasting the benefits and weaknesses of different sites. I still love YouTube and will continue to use it. Hulu has always been one of my favorites and I still feel that the videos on Hulu are excellent quality. I would most likely visit Fancast and Joost as well and perhaps introduce the sites to my friends because it is important for viewers to get the best quality videos.

Lab Exercise 7: Streaming Video Players

Multichannel Mania

Lab Exercise 5: Multichannel Mania

As a group, we researched availability of six TV programs in the city of Chicago, area code 60602. I looked for program listings specifically for Dish TV Network. Dish Network is the fastest growing provider of the two major satellite providers in the U.S., the other being Direct TV. The six shows we looked for were "Family Guy," "The Office," "Colbert Report," "Glee," "Casa Serrado," and "Law and Order." The following TV listings were taken from the Dish Network website.

"Family Guy" is shown on TBS four times a day. "The Office" is shown on NBC two times a day. "The Colbert Report" is shown on Comedy Central five times a day. "Glee" is shown on Fox two times a day. "Law and Order" is shown on TNT six times a day. It was interesting to see how often "Law and Order" is shown on tv, and that is just on TNT. Many of these shows are shown on two or three different channels, but for the purpose of this assignment I just looked at the main networks they are shown on, and the main channel host. Many of these shows are shown after 5:00 or in the evening, which is a convenient time for those people who work or go to school and get home late. I was not able to find the showings of "Casa Serrado."

Dish TV was offering a service special for $24.99 a month, including all the channels that show the six shows used for the lab exercise and over 120 other channels. It was the cheapest package and a special 12 month offer.

Personal Privacy Audit

Lab Exercise 4: Personal Privacy Audit
The following are privacy policies and the personal account settings for five online services.

Facebook:

• Facebook has the following custom settings.The settings you choose control which people and applications can see your information. The custom settings can withhold data you wish not to share with certain people. You can control who sees your posts. You can also block people from interacting with you or seeing your information on Facebook. There is also a section that controls what information is shared with websites and applications, including search engines. You can remove any applications you do not wish to use. Facebook also has many default settings. Facebook keeps track of your posts and statuses and uses the content users post online for advertisements.

Myspace:

• Custom settings include customizing and controlling who can see you are online, who knows your birthday, who can view your profile, who can share your photos and how to block specific users and users by age. MySpace Members can change their Registration PII and Profile Information at any time and can control how Visitors, other Members and MySpace communicate with them by controlling their account settings, available within the “Edit Profile” portion of their MySpace profile.Default settings include third party advertisements displayed on MySpace Services may also contain cookies set by Internet advertising companies or advertisers (known as “third party cookies”). MySpace does not control these third party cookies and Users of the MySpace Services should check the privacy policy of the Internet advertising company or advertiser to see whether and how it uses cookies.

YouTube:

• Custom settings include controlling who sees the videos you post. Sometimes you may not want everyone to have access to certain videos, and would prefer only a certain group of people be allowed to view your videos. If you would like to limit exposure you can set it to "private video." If it is set to private, only you and up to 25 other users who you invite to view the video will be able to see it. The video will not appear on your channel, in groups, search results, etc.

WellsFargo:

• Custom settings include having the option to limit personal financial information shared with affiliates and control how you wish Wells Fargo to contact you (telephone, email). Wells Fargo's default settings include requesting information for log in such as email address and account number. In these cases, Well's Fargo collects only the information necessary to interact with you. They also gather data to track website usage, such as number of hits, pages visited, and the length of user sessions in order to evaluate the usefulness of the Wells Fargo sites. As far as default settings, Wells Fargo does not sell customer information to third parties and does not share customer information with outside parties who may wish to market their products to you. Wells fargo safeguards your customer information carefully.
  

Google Mail:

• Custom settings include the option of changing your Gmail account settings through the Gmail "settings" section. You may organize or delete your messages through your Gmail account or terminate your account through the Google Account section of Gmail settings. Such deletions or terminations will take immediate effect in your account view. You may choose to use additional Gmail features, such as chat, which connects to the Google Talk network, or Google Buzz. Residual copies of deleted messages and accounts may take up to 60 days to be deleted from the active servers and may remain in the offline backup systems. The fact that deleted messages take at least 60 days to be deleted from the server is a default setting that some people may find as a violation of privacy. Other default settings include the fact that Google records information such as account activity (including storage usage, number of log-ins), data displayed or clicked on (including UI elements, ads, links); (including browser type, IP-address, date and time of access, cookie ID, and referrer URL).

Research

Lab Excercise 3: Library and Research SkillsThe following databases were found on the TAMU library website.
TAMU Library Databases Related to Media Industries

1. Academic Search Complete: All purpose article database containing both scholarly and popular material.
2. Communication and Mass Media Complete: The most comprehensive Communication and Journalism database/search engine.
3. Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications: Online Encyclopedia with 200 articles covering communication and mass media concepts.
4. Communication Abstracts: This database provides abstracts for articles, reports, and books in communication related disciplines.
5. Communication Studies: SAGE: Contains full-text articles for forty SAGE journals. Covers communication studies, cultural studies, mass media communication, journalism, and many more communication sub-disciplines.

TAMU Library Databases Related to Media Policy

1. ERIC: Government sponsored database of education oriented articles. Contains over one million abstracts.
2. ICPSR: This database is a source of freely available datafiles covering politics and social sciences.
3. JSTOR: This is an archive of historically important academic journals in science, social science, and humanities. Many articles are full-text. This database has over one thousand academic journals and other scholarly content.
4. FACTIVA: News from over 14,000 newspapers, magazines, and trade journals.
5. Periodicals Index Online: Index for three centuries of arts, humanities, and social sciences.ss

Five Sites With Media Industry News Pages

1. Media Global Industry Guide:Global Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Media industry.
2. Media Industry Today:Latest media news for media industry professionals & analysts. Breaking companies, personalities. new media, newspaper, radio, TV & entertainment news.
3. Online Media Industry:Online Media Industry Information - Daily news and information regarding online publishers and Internet news sources.
4. BNET Media: BNET Media provides daily industry trends and news coverage with insights for managers and executives in publishing, print, broadcast, and film.
5. MiniOnline:This website is the authoritative source of breaking news, upcoming events, media
   

Technology Communication as an Impact

Technology Communication and Its' Impact

Digital Media
Net Neutrality: Who's in Charge of the Internet?
Five Years Later: The YouTube Phenomenon
What's Behind Apple's Clash With Flash?
Stupid Stuff Your Smart Phone Can Do
iPad Mounted On a Steering Wheel: Taking a Fad Too Far?
Anti-Virus Program Update Wreaks Havoc With PCs

Culture
When Art and Tech Collide
From Chalk to Bytes: The Digital Classroom
Zuckerberg: Sharing is What Facebook is About
Companies Tweet For Attention

Society
Teen Texting Soars: Will Social Skills Suffer?
Texting While Driving: Put The Thumbs Away
Website Editors Strive to Rein in Nasty Comments
Apple's iPad: The End of the Internet As We Know It?
Facebook Privacy a Growing Concern For Users