The Tweets of a Cartoonist December 14, 2009

One interesting person that I decided to follow on Twitter is Chris Haley. Haley is a cartoonist who, along with Curt Franklin, has created the website Let’s Be Friends Again. The site shows cartoons, either new or from their book Let’s Be Friends Again Volume 1: Under Pressure. Their comics are supposed to be simple comics about comics.

On Twitter, Haley follows many other cartoonists. Without even having to look at most of his friends twitter pages, I can tell that the majority is at least interested in comics because their picture is a cartoon. He also follows a few rock bands and a few graphic designers. Furthermore, I can tell that he has an interest and appreciation for all of the arts, not just in his own field.

His tweets are mostly about his day-to-day activities and interesting things he has discovered. Occasionally, he’ll post a picture or two. Both his main picture and his background have comics in them. Below is a comic from his website.

You Never Know Who’s Watching December 11, 2009

The anonymity of the internet has been both a blessing and a curse for its users. Whatever parts of your true identity that you choose can be displayed while the parts you don’t choose can be ignored or made up. This can be exhilarating to some, but at the same time, it leaves you wondering who to trust.

Another issue is with websites where you think all of your information is private such as Facebook or MySpace. Many people, often students, post pictures and other information that is often inappropriate. This has led to trouble with employers and colleges. There have been many cases where applicants do not get the jobs they hope for or college students lose scholarships or even their invitation to attend the school because of pictures they post.

It all comes down to taking the time to read privacy policies and being knowledgeable to what you post on the internet. You have to be literate about who you are talking to and how you’re being portrayed because you really never know who is reading.

Become a Celebrity without Leaving Home December 7, 2009

After watching the video, An Anthropological Introduction to Youtube, I was surprised to see what an impact Youtube has had on us. I had never thought of Youtube as something that could really impact others. I never would have thought the popular dance for the song “Tell ‘Em” by Soulja boy would have come from a user submitted video. This shows that fame can really be achieved by anyone who submits a video!

Here are a few other Youtube celebrities I discovered:

Straight No Chaser is an a capella group that got signed to Atlantic Records after Youtube success.

David After Dentist is a popular video that is often talked about and many remixes have been inspired by it. The video has over 100,000 views.

Amanda Baggs creates videos about her life with autism. This video was featured on CNN.

Twitter helps you Remember the Milk December 5, 2009

Twitter can do a lot of things. It can help you communicate with others about what you are doing, read about others, and make new friends. Now, twitter can even be your own personal agenda book.

With the Remember the Milk application, you can send tasks to yourself as a direct message and cross them off when you’re finished them. You can even send messages to your friends reminding them to do something.

This task, in my opinion, is most useful when used on your phone. If you’re a teacher and you have to remember to grade papers or create a specific part of a lesson plan for the next day, you can send yourself a reminder. When you get home and log onto facebook, you will instantly be reminded when you look at your direct messages.

The same goes for students. You can remind yourself to about a paper that is due, to study for a math quiz, or to read your history text book.

Remember the milk is a great application, especially for those who, like myself, are a little disorganized. A subtle reminder like this will remind you to do something instead of spending a ton of time browsing the web.

Interactive Reading December 5, 2009

We Feel Fine is a project created by Jonathan Harris and Sep Kamvar thats expands both the purpose and methods of reading. The project explores feelings of people worldwide by recording  every time phrases beginning in I feel or I am feeling are shown anywhere online and posting it on their website in a unique way. By viewing we feel fine and clicking on the interactive version, you are experiencing a piece that is challenging the conventional rules we have for literacy.

The most obvious difference between the website and reading an article or book is that the website has no linear method of reading it. The floating balls fly every which way and it’s up to you to choose which one you want to view. You can  narrow down your material by choosing what age range, location, feeling, weather, date and gender. There is no right or wrong choice and the choice you make is not going to be the same as many other readers.Also, the website is constantly changing so the feelings you read today may not have been available to readers yesterday

The way this website was created also changes the way we think of authorship. Who is the author of a project like this? Some argue the authors are those whose feelings are shown but could the reader also be the author? Since the reader is picking what is read and in what order, he or is forming links between texts that a print author would create. Without the reader, the balls on the websites would be just as they are; The text wouldn’t make sense.

Finally, with the creation of the site, one of the purposes of reading has changed. When reading conventional text, there is a writer-reader connection that is created but not always what is being looked for. With a website like this, the reader is looking to identify with the authors. He or she wants to feel what they feel and see that they are not alone in their thoughts. This is similar to other websites such as Post Secret where readers seek connection with anonymous authors. As in the example below, readers who are having a rough day can see that they are not the only one who feels like crap.

Does Twitter Damage Your Social Skills? November 22, 2009

Many people who don’t use social networking websites believe that they are a waste of time. To someone who doesn’t use Twitter, it seems pointless to constantly be tweeting about everything you are doing. Does it really matter if your friends know that you had bacon and eggs for breakfast or that you’re about to go to the grocery store? Does updating your page really consume your whole life? Does your social life in the real world suffer?

Social networking sites were actually intended to do the opposite. Through Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and other outlets, users can meet or connect with people they wouldn’t otherwise. Communication is simple; you can communicate with many people at the click of a mouse. Through events pages and status updates, you always know what your friends are up to. This can show you more about who these people are or even give you something to do. Though some believe that social networking sites can be harmful, if used the right way, they can really enhance your social life in ways that would be impossible without the internet.

The Impact Facebook has on the Dictionary November 22, 2009

We all know that social networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook are affecting the way we communicate with others. Instead of driving to someones’ house or even picking up a phone, people are often choosing to instant message, private message, or public message others on the web.

One way that these websites are impacting us that we may not think about is the creation of terms that become part of our everyday language. Terms such as newsfeed, blog, and wall post would not have been created if it wasn’t for social networking sites. Some words, such as “unfriend” have even made it to the dictionary. Also, These sites come up with new definitions for words we already use such as “tweet” on Twitter and “friend (as a verb)” on Facebook and Myspace. As these websites expand and new ones keep popping up, new words will continue to be created and used all over the world.

Who You Are In Six Words November 15, 2009

A memoir is usually a version of someone’s life that takes up pages and pages but who’s to say how long a memoir really has to be? The book, Not Quite What I was Planning-Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure, has changed how many view memoirs and have influenced others to create their own.

The idea came from the controversial story that Ernest Hemingway wrote in six words. The story was “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Though this story doesn’t have all of the aspects of what we normally consider a story, it causes us to think and figure out the pieces that seem to be missing.

To create a six word memoir, an author simply chooses six words that have something to do with his or herself. Obviously, you can’t put your whole life in six words, but the memoirs capture some aspect of who you are. This is a fun yet challenging activity that causes writers to think outside of the box and really be creative. I encourage you to watch the video and decide what your six word memoir would be.

 

Who’s literate? Who’s not? November 12, 2009

Throughout human history, our definition of literacy has never remained stagnant. In the past, literacy instruction has consisted strictly of learning to read and write efficiently. Now, “Literacy instruction is now inextricably linked with technology.” With the recent increase in computer accessibility, students are expected to be literate in computer functions to learn and create in a technology-dominated world but can students be literate even if their reading and writing skills are poor?

According to James Paul Gee, a person can be literate if he or she can understand and produce meaning within a certain field. It’s important for teachers to teach in other areas so students can be literate in other ways. For example, Gee believes that children can be literate if they understand video games. With being literate in video games, children can work on both critical and active thinking . Gamers get to apply the knowledge they have learned about games to come up with new ideas of how to be successful in games. They ultimately learn from trial and error and can apply the skills they learn to real life situations. If a person can be literate by having a deep understanding for almost any subject we truly know, aren’t we all literate in some way?

The Remediation of my Writing Spaces November 10, 2009

There are many different mediums, or writing spaces, that people use to create messages for an audience to read. The writing spaces I use most often are my laptop, notebooks, and in a diary. On my laptop, I write emails, papers, and other mostly academic assignments. Occasionally, I’ll write a letter, post a picture, write in an online journal, or create a piece of writing for fun in my free time.  This is unique because I can easily research topics to make my writing more credible. The information I use is very easily accessible.

Second, I use notebooks for planning and memorization usually for school. In a notebook, I take notes for classes and write outlines for academic papers. I use this medium when I cannot get to a computer or do not feel like waiting for one to boot up, wait for a word document to open, etc. This writing is less formal than writing on the computer.

The third type of writing I do is journal writing. In a journal, I can use whatever method I choose to go about to express myself. My journals are often disorganized and do not always stick to just writing. Since I’m the only person reading these entries, I can be as neat or messy as I feel like. What I’m writing doesn’t even have to make sense.

Bolter considers remediation “a process of cultural competition between or among technologies” (23). When a new technology is created, it “claims to do a better job” (Bolter 26). Writing on a computer remediates writing in a journal. The computer allows for faster processing and delivery to the reader rather than having to handwrite everything in a journal. You can find references with less effort to make your writing more credible. Tables, pictures, and text can make writing more organized and clear. Using a computer for writing takes the method of handwriting and makes it easier for both the writer and the reader.