Vacation Sans Technology

I just got back from my trip to Maine today. It was a six hour drive one way, so I'm sure you can assume that I went deep into the a-hole of Maine; Bar Harbor to be exact. Bar Harbor is a tiny little town on Mount Desert Island, which is located in northern coastal Maine. It's a very beautiful tourist trap. The reason why I went there was to play in the outdoor splendor of Acadia National Park. If you haven't been there, I suggest you go at least one (in the summer). Being so far north and having no steady year-round population, the accessibility to wireless technology was extremely limited. The only place I could get the internet was at the bed and breakfast I stayed at, but I obviously didn't drive six hours to hang out in an old house with a bunch of sour-puss old farts (no offense old people). So it's safe to say that I spent the better half of a week without the ever present influence of the media we experience here, save for the newspaper article about some idiot who parked their car on a sand bar during low tide thinking it was a parking lot (hilarious).

It sucked when I couldn't use my iPhone to check the weather while I was having lunch with my boyfriend, but these are things you get over quickly. I checked my e-mail once, and didn't even think about doing any homework. It's nice being detached every now and then. When you're scaling the side of a cliff mountain thing, Facebook is the last thing on your mind.

Non-related note. I hiked the Beehive! The picture shows part of the "trail".

Bloggy Blog Blog

Blog... what a funny word. I don't know what it stands for, but blogs are a cool thing for the most part. I was eating lunch with my entire office today, and we started talking about blogging. Joe, one of our maintenance guys has lived a crazy and interesting life. We were telling him that he should write a book, and I suggested he start a blog. He's an older guy and he's super open-minded, just an all around groovy guy. He was really interested in it. I would totally read his blog. I feel like his stories would be really interesting.

My boss, who is a younger woman with a baby on the way started to tell me that a lot of people are now starting baby blogs. Basically blogging about the babies growth, cute things they do, yadda yadda. I always thought blogs were just for people who like to hear themselves talk and disclose too much to complete strangers. But it seems that they can serve a more practical and down to earth purpose. Go blogs!

Shark Week is Cool...

I don't know if you've noticed, but it's Shark Week (should I be capitalizing this?). Everywhere I look, Shark Week. All people are talking about, friggen Shark Week. I didn't know people liked sharks so much. Do people actually get this excited about the week long program, or is it just a contagious sort of thing? The sort of thing where because everyone else thinks it's cool, that you should too? How many shows can one really watch about sharks? I guess I just have a lot of questions about this.

I've never been an avid follower of Shark Week, unlike many others. I may have caught a show here and there a few times, but I've never put my life on hold for a week to watch a bunch of shows about sharks. This is a peculiar thing to me. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for educational and entertaining programming, especially if it involves Mike Rowe without a shirt (hubba hubba); but what is so special about sharks that they get an entire week of programming dedicated to them? Is there going to be a Zebra Week? How about a Bear Week? I could watch those too. Maybe the Discovery Channel should expand the spotlight to some other well deserving animals. I'm sure they're all so jealous.

Decisions Decisions

In life, there are plenty of choices. Where to go on vacation, what car to buy, where to go out to eat? We all make decisions on a daily basis, so we're no strangers to whittling down the choices. Have you ever noticed though, that when you're watching TV, most of the shows are somewhat the same? At any given point there are a few dating shows, a couple of shows about rich girls in Hollywood, and a couple about hoarders. So, clearly there are choices. It's just a matter of which one of the same thing would you rather watch? Blah.

Da Media

After taking this media foundations course, I've really realized how corrupt the media actually is. It's very scary. Have you ever read A Brave New World? If you haven't, it's basically about a world that purely consumer based. Society is structured in a way that makes people buy things and people are brainwashed to be content in certain societal roles. You should read it if you haven't. That could happen to us.

We don't even realize that the major media players are fighting to cast the most influence over the world. It permeates all media: movies, television, publications, theme parks, products, etc. According to our text and many of the documentaries we've watched throughout the course, there are three major companies that own all other mediums. The content we see is manufactured to appeal to the largest demographic, and we're losing originality as a result. Long story short, the media is pretty much in control of the content we consume. It's keeping the less accepted works out of the media because it's less lucrative. We're being dumbed down for the sake of the all mighty dollar. That is unforgivable.

We're so Unique

Last semester, I took Intercultural Communication and I learned a lot about other cultures. In this week's readings, I was really able to tie the two concepts of intercultural comm and globilazation together. The question is, does globalization really mean a dominance of US culture? To some extent, it might be.

I learned that almost every other counrty, with the exception of some European countries, are considered collectivist. This means they don't focus on individual success, but rather what is best for the entire group, whether it be family or community. Here, in the US, we are individualist. This means we are raised with the notion of bein special and unique. Individual success is paramount, and if you're not fast enough, you'll be left in the dust. This idea of indiviuality is great for our entertainment industry, because here, we're encouraged to be creative. This can be creativity in an artistic sense, or even in a business sense.

With all this creativity happeneing, it's no wonder there's only one Hollywood. As our technology advances, the world shrinks in a sense. The world has easier access to our television shows, movies, music, news, etc.

I thought this parallel was pretty cool, but I'm also not saying that we are the only creative people in the world. Obviously, there are visionaries all over the globe. I'm just saying that because individualism and creativity are encouraged here, moreso than other countries, the concentraction of successful creatives must be higher.

Meg Ryan...

This is a great example of why the internet is so awesome. Not only do you get to hear awesome people like me talk about random stuff, but you get to watch kids like this act a fool. I stumbled across this video about a week ago and thought it was super funny, so I wanted to share it. I recently got my wisdom teeth out as well, so I feel this kid's pain (especially the part with the water).

The internet allows us to come into some sort of contact with people we don't know, and in some cases, will probably never meet. This kid is hilarious, and I would totally be his friend if I knew him.

So Real

It's inescapable, reality TV is everywhere. Most new shows on TV take on some sort of "reality" format, whether it be a dating show or documenting people's daily lives. The first reality television show was MTV's The Real World. When the series first came out, it was so original. The cast of the show were generally normal people with normal lives and egos. It introduced society to formally taboo topics; most notably, homosexuality, AIDS, eating disorders, and alcoholism.

As the show progressed, it's become more of a formula. They forgo the "normal" people in favor of the super attractive and super extreme in order to create drama in the house. In the past, I watched every season of the show, because it was just so interesting. As a young girl, I thought that The Real World was what being a young adult was about. However, the older seasons had some sort of eye opening lesson about tolerance and being open-minded to other people's lives. Now it seems that the producers just throw a bunch of hotties in a house, and we watch them get trashed, hook up, and fight. I'm now wondering if they'll ever stop making the show. Who knows, at least they put the kibosh on The Hills.

Mass Movies

I was checking out the website for the Massachusetts Film Office recently, and I must say it is very cool. I knew they were offering tax credits to film makers, and that there's an emerging film industry here, but I had no idea how many films were made here, and how many businesses have sprouted up as a result.

The website provides any film maker, small time or big time, with lists of resources to make the best film possible. It gives you links to places where you can get your film financed, and places to get costumes, film crew, writers, equipment, and literally anything else you might need to make a movie. I don't even make movies, and I find myself wanting to do one because it just sounds friggen awesome. Maybe sometime soon, I'll get started on a script (haha).

The real reason why I think this website is so awesome though, is that it has so many lists of film related businesses in the state, and I have been looking for a new job. Maybe I can use this resource for my own, non-film-maker benefit. Just a thought, but a pretty sweet one.

The Good Ol' Days

I was just thinking about text messaging the other day. I was reading in The Globe about middle school children, and how they mainly use the cell phones to text each other. I remember back in the day, back in the 90's, when middle school children didn't have cell phones. Back in the days of old, children would beg for their own phone line in their room. I remember my friend Stef had her own, and I was so jealous. Now kids have technology that rivals what I'm able to buy for myself. What little turds these kids are.

When I got bullied in school, I got bullied on the bus, or in gym class. Face to face. Home was a sanctuary for me, somewhere I could escape Rachel calling me ugly (I'm not ugly by the way, she was just jealous that the bus picked me up in front of my house). At least she had the balls to say it to my face. Now these little twerps are name calling via text and Facebook. How lame is that? What's even worse is what they say to each other, how quickly rumors can spread, and the idea that home is a get-away is essentially gone.

I got my first cellular device when I was 16. Nine years ago (holy crap). I remember exploring the various features of the phone, and discovered text capability. I guess my generation was slow on the up-take, because NO ONE used it. What the hell is a text message anyway? I'll just call my friend to tell her about the craziness that happened while she was on vacation with her parents.

It's safe to say that I make far more phone calls, than I send text messages. Texting is great for those occasions when you can't make a call, but I think it's far easier to call someone and tell them in two minutes what's up. Through text that same convo can take forever. Not to mention, you lose the vocals cues that make up an enormous percentage of the communication itself. I hear today's youngsters can't read non-verbals. Thanks, text messaging, it's all your fault.

Questions? Comments?

I remember reading an article somewhere about the future of journalism, and how our future newspaper may change. The author said that because the news is now available in an online format, it changes the idea of journalism as we knew it. In the past, a reporter would go out, take notes, do interviews and other research, and write a story. The paper would be delivered to people's homes, and they would then read the articles written by journalists.

Everyone has opinions and some even know other details relating to a story. Where people use to just speak to whoever was around about an article, people can now comment on stories right on the website. Have you ever read the comments section of an article in The Boston Globe? People get straight up nasty. Some people simply voice an opinion, or give a piece of information relating to the article. Never the less, we're now able to interact with our news, and in some cases, change the news.

Could this interaction be viewed as negative, though? Some of the things I've read in comment sections have really made me believe that a lot of people are just jerks. Perhaps if I met these people in person, they'd behave differently. We all know the idea of anonymity makes people brave. But I don't believe it's a license to be ignorant and insensitive. The worst offenses of this came after articles of political nature.

People are so passionate about THEIR politics. I think politics is a private matter, but clearly not many other people do. The comment sections of online papers have become places where people can slam others, and not be held directly accountable for their words. I could imagine how in a lot of cases, would anger the author of the article. He's educated in journalism, put all this work into a piece, only to have a bunch of a-holes use it as fodder to insult each other.

We need to be nicer to each other, people. At the end of the day we all have the same needs to fulfill. The internet has brought people closer to each other than ever. Let's not use it to alienate.

Ooo, Research.

As I was reading my text book today, I really came to appreciate all the information resources we have. We can find out almost anything just by clicking a link or opening a book. Obviously, internet searches are the easiest way to get to information. My favorite way to research on the internet (for school work) is to search academic databases. You can find some great material, and majority of it is peer-reviewed, so you know it's factual. But academic databases aren't always practical.

I was recently looking for a hotel in Bar Harbor, ME. I used Google to find the best one. If you know how to use search engines, you can get some great results. I used the maps feature, and typed in "hotels in Bar Harbor". It pin-pointed ever hotel and bed and breakfast in the town and listed them along the side of the screen. I'm a super-nerd when it comes to stuff like this, so I spent about four hours researching different places. I looked at the websites and read reviews, and all this was provided my the maps feature. It was so easy to get the information I needed to make an informed decision.

Imagine having to look for a hotel without the internet? How did people do it? Google is awesome, and I got a sweet deal on an awesome bed and breakfast. So pumped! Acadia, here I come!

P.S. That's a picture of sunrise on the top of Cadillac Mountain. Did you know that if you stand there at sunrise, you'll be the first person in the U.S. to see the sun?

Ra Ra Ra A A

I went to see Lady Gaga in concert last week, and honestly, I was blown away by her performance. I think a lot of people, including the media, don't give her enough credit for how talented she really is. I'm not usually a huge pop fan, so for me to say this is a little scary. When you support such controversial figures, it opens you up to criticism from other people. Whatever, bring it on haters!

The media portrays Gaga as a freak in weird clothes, but it's so much more than that. This girl can actually sing. As a matter of fact, girl's got pipes! She writes her own songs, which a lot of famous performers can't say, and she plays piano. She does all this while in a bra and panties, rocking ridiculous heels and covered in fake blood.

The thing I thought was so awesome about her was the way she spoke to her audience. If I personally knew her, she might be my best friend (sorry Stef). She comes across as so kind, and she truly loves the people who support her. I think this is a side of her she doesn't show often, especially in interviews. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever heard her speak before this occasion. She's coming back to Boston again is March, and I think I might have to go again. You should too!

He Should Be a Paperback Writer

Shattered Glass was a really interesting movie about journalist Stephen Glass. He was a writer for The New Republic back in the late 90's, and was eventually found to have "cooked" about a dozen published pieces in the prestigious magazine.

The movie supports the chapter about research that my class is currently reading. It was amazing to me that such an important publication was unaware that one of their top writers was making up stories. It makes you think, how many other things we read are untrue. Yes, a lot of tabloids are mostly BS, but those don't count. Most people who have a clue don't read that stuff for the facts. The New Republic, however, is said to be the "in-flight magazine of Air Force One". Very important people read it. It's pretty embarrassing, actually.

In the movie, Stephen got caught once at the end of his career. This prompted his editor to go back a re-read past contributions from him. In the end they found that many of his contributions were either partially or entirely fabricated. Clearly, they should have done better research while doing their fact checks.

I don't know what Stephen Glass is up to now, but apparently he was very entertaining. In fact, a huge reason why he never got caught was because he was so entertaining. He should consider a career as a fiction writer.

Figure Skaters are Sissies

I'm watching "Blades of Glory" right now and it made me think about stereotypes and representations of characters in the media. This movie is hilarious because it really runs with the idea that male figure skaters are sissies. Except for Chad Michael Michaels of course. One of the main characters, Jimmy, is the perfect example of the stereotypical ice dancer. He has feathered hair, wears lip gloss, and has a certain grace to his movements. Will Farrell's character is the antithesis of what people think of when they think of male figure skaters. Let's face it, Brian Boytano (sp?) has never been seen as the epitome of manliness.

In this sort of comedy, the stereotype is hilarious. What makes it even funnier is the addition of the alpha male figure skater and his interaction with the sissy man figure skater. The movie is so ridiculous no one could ever take it seriously.

Baby Thongs

I recently read a quote where the person was discussing the new trend in children's clothing. It would be inaccurate to even say children's clothing in general, as it seems to be a trend concerning little girls clothing. The quote cited an example from a t-shirt made for young girls that read, "So many boys, so little time". That's not the worst thing I've ever encountered, but what struck me as strange was where it said stores are now making thongs for young girls. When I say young, I mean nine year olds.

I was chatting with a manager the other day about this particular topic, and she told me that a few years ago, Abercrombie & Fitch was sued because they were selling thongs at their children's store, abercrombie. I had never heard about this, but was totally put off. Why do girls that young need to wear thongs? I can't even imagine what kind of parent would buy this for the daughter. It's just so crazy to me.

We're robbing our little girls of their childhoods. They have all the rest of their adult lives to be sexy. Let them play with their dolls and ride their bikes. Leave the thongs for a few years down the road.

(Stereo)typical

I've always considered myself an open and fair minded person. I think a lot of people feel that way about themselves. But have you ever found yourself drawing conclusions about a perfect stranger based on their nationality, how they dress, or even occupation? I think a lot of people do this subconsciously. Not because they're racist, or unfair in their thinking, but because stereotypes are an easy way for us to know a little bit about eachother. The downfall is that not everyone is the same just because they belong to a particular culture or subculture.

Working in the city is a challange for me. Everyday I work with people from all over, and I have to check myself to make sure I'm not drawing unfair conclusions about people. Last semester I took Intercultural Communication and it was so interesteing to learn about where stereotypes come from, and to also see that what you think to be true about a particular group of people is often inaccurate. It's kind of like the telephone effect where as the message is passed along, it get distorted. It would benefit anyone who works with the public to educate themselves on differences in culture. As Americans, we take for granted our rights to speak our minds and challange authority. The right to be an individual and strive for what makes us happy and successful. A lot of other cultures aren't like us, and if we're as smart as we think we are, we would put some effort into learning how to communicate effectively with different cultures, and not to draw trite conclusions based soley on stereotypes.

Boozy Floozy

In the Media Students Book it says that post-feminism is upon us. It basically means that we're past the feminist movement, and have entered into a period where women no longer need to fight for equality. In this new era of post-feminism, we see women who are in the working force, yet are paid less. Women who are free with their bodies and sexuality, yet are under pressure to be skinny and sexy. I thought that these lines of contrast were striking. Women have come so far, but it seems like we have some ways to go.

One thing in that section that was interesting to me was the comment made about women drinking with the boys. This is something that's very notable in my generation. When I was growing up I was a party girl. In college I was a party girl. Now... not so much, but I can still party when the occassions arises (it's just not a tri-weekly occassion anymore!). This comment, and thinking on the drinking habits of my wonderful female generation, made me think of Ke$ha. We all know her, and her catchy tunes and garbage pail wardrobe. But I'll tell you right now. I'm not a fan. I understand some people are mature enough to see the humor of her lyrics, but what about the young girls that are listening to her sing about brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack? If you think of it this way, we didn't grow up with songs so blatant, and look at me? I was out drinking all the time. What are these young girls going to be like when they grow up? YIKES! I don't want to know...

I guess my main concern is safety. If you're out with your girls, make sure you are not putting yourself in vulnerable situations. Waking up in a bath tub can't be a good sign, right?

After reading the chapter in our book about media industries I started to think about the types of movies that are made now-a-days. The book goes over the types of films that are likely to be made, and I noticed that the film industry has been slacking in a few of those categories. Mostly original screenplays. The last few years, I've noticed that a bunch of the "new" movies coming out are actually remakes of old movies and television shows. I think that sucks. I have no interest in seeing a remake of a great movie. All I have to say is, stay away from the Breakfast Club! They already tried to make a franchise out of Dirty Dancing. So, I think the studios need to buy more original films and stop making a mockery of great films. Unless they can figure out a way to make it better... but they most likely can't recapture what made a classic movie classic in the first place. There are plenty of brilliant ideas out there, use some of those and make some new, original classics!

Extra! Extra!

I was reading the Boston Globe today and work and I got to thinking. Do people get the paper delivered anymore? Obviously people do, but if you get it e-mailed to you, it's free. Kind of a no-brainer here. But I feel guilty getting the news e-mailed to me everyday and not paying a penny for it. As we all know, newspapers are a dying breed. It makes me almost want to get a legitimate subscription and support those hard working reporters. But there are several things working against them here. First and foremost, I'm lazy. I have no motivation to go and get a paid subscription (I'm sure it's easy but still...). And second, like most of you out there, I'm never home. So when would I actually have the chance to peel it off my driveway and give it a good read? Mmm pretty much never. So for now I will continue to cheat our journalists and have it conveniently (and tree-friendly) delivered to my e-mail account. At least they can sell ad space right?

Is it just me or...

Is it just me or does anyone else think it's super rude when a friend of theirs is non-stop texting while you're hanging out with them? I mean maybe I'm just boring, but I honestly don't think that's the case.

I was hanging out with a very good friend of mine yesterday, and I figured this might be something worth writing about here. Pretty much every time we hang out, he's glued to his phone. It's mostly texting, but there are a fair amount of unnecessary phone calls sprinkled in there. I've experienced this with not only him but a few of my very good friends. Am I the only one who thinks this is rude? Or how about those girls (sorry ladies) who are with a friend and they're both on the phone? Are you actually spending time with someone if you're always talking to someone else?

My argument is this. If you're hanging out with someone, you should be enjoying the time you're spending with that person. If you're constantly texting or talking to other people on the phone, it gives the impression that your friend's company isn't enough.

Call me old fashioned, but unless I absolutely HAVE to take a phone call or answer a text, I just ignore my phone when I'm with my friends. I often wish they'd do the same when they are with me.

I was speaking with an old professor, and we were talking about how influential the media is. The funny thing about it is, people are aware of the media's influence, yet they believe they are not influenced like other people. I think that someone can be aware of the influence, but not totally immune to it. Obviously, there are times where it's obvious that some form of media, be it an ad, television show, etc is trying to wield influence. But what about the other things that influence us that we're not totally aware of? I don't think any one person can say that they're free from media influence. Not even me, and I fancy myself to be an independent thinker (I say this, but other people may say I'm just strange).

My First Online Class

Hey everybody!

This will be my first online course. I was wondering if anyone has any advice to keep myself organized for the duration of this class. Is this anyone else's first time taking an online class? Any advice is appreciated!