ramblin on

2006-05-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Benjamin Molina
Prof. Melton
ENG 206
May 4, 2006

Is There Anybody Out There?

On a plane ride across country, two people were having a conversation about the news, sports, and everyday life in general. The conversation some how turned to marriage. One of the people exclaimed their philosophy on the reasoning behind marriage: people get married because they want someone there to witness their life; an audience. They want someone who they can communicate with; to see their triumphs and their failures, their joys and their despairs, their thoughts and their feelings. This desire is not unique to this one lonely traveler; to pour out one’s emotions and thoughts, to have some record or proof that a person did exist is an innate human need. Composition is one way in which people have met this need. The writer puts his or her spirit into that writing, to be preserved and experienced by all who take part. Journal writers, bloggers, and diarists, write for this purpose, for the audience whatever that audience may be. In blogging, there is a higher expectation for actual partakers, but the intent of the writer remains the same through all of these forms of writing. The contrast between journal/diary writing and blogging lies in the extremely personal and confessional nature of diaries and journals; they are intended to be a very private thing which are written and saved to serve as a memory book frozen in time, a daily account of the author’s life, and a safe place to vent about life. However, this slight contrast does not undermine the similarities in style, purpose, and audience that blogs, diaries, and journals share. Blogging and journal/diary writing aim for similar,multiple, audiences.
In one of the more famous diaries ever written, Anne Frank writes that she keeps her diary because, “I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart” (Frank 2-3). The diary was the one place where she could confide. The diary became the audience for Anne Frank; it facilitated communication with herself. First and foremost, the audience for the diary/journal is the author. For many bloggers, the same idea is true. Ignoring for the moment the public nature of the blogosphere and the apparent conflict this would have the idea of privacy and writing for the self, blogs are the new media equivalent of the diary/journal. The author is only the first level of the audience.
Over the past couple of years, while the War on Terror rages on, many soldiers in combat have started writing blogs. They write about the daily grind of life in a war; they write about the horrors that they witness; they write about the fear and anxiety that they feel. Reading through some of these blogs, they take on a sort of confessional tone. Sgt. Bohling, from the streets of Iraq, writes, “The fact that no one was seriously injured is no mystery to me. I attribute it to God’s presence and protection” (Bohling). This man is pouring his convictions into this blog; it is Priest in his local Catholic Church. In a sense this blogger is putting it all out there for some manifestation of this priest to hear, and to be affected. Writing can be therapeutic; it can cleanse the soul. When the writer confesses into his or her composition, the writer feels unburdened from those thoughts and emotions. It is hard to explain, but everyone understands the relief of simply expressing what is on their mind. Anne Frank’s diary further reinforces this point. She writes that she has no friends in whom she can confide, and so she chooses to confide in her diary, implying that it is a sufficient substitute for these missing friends. Frank even goes as far as to personify her diary: “I don’t want to set down a series of bald facts in a diary like most people do, but I want this diary itself to be my friend, and I shall call my friend Kitty” (Frank 3). The blog/journal/diary is an audience in it of itself.
To be remembered and continue on after death is part of human nature. The politician seeks that one act of leadership that will secure his or her spot in the history books, the artist leaves a part of his or her being on the canvas, and the writer seeks an audience for his or her works. An audience for blogs/diaries/journals is the world, or more specifically a kind of open invitation “to whom it may concern”. Anne Frank (and many other journal writers for that matter) probably gave no serious thought to an outside audience, but the thought does exist. Anne Frank had no idea that her journal would be read by millions all over the world and have the impact that it has had, but she still had a sense that this diary was to be experienced by more people than just herself. Anne Frank writes, “I’m awfully scared that everyone who knows me as I always am will discover that I have another side…” (Frank 266). There was some level of understanding that other people would read this, and this passage gives the reader the sense that maybe she wasn’t scared of it being read but actually wanted people to know her “other side”. That may be getting a little to theoretical, but it is clear that there was an expectation of some outside audience. With the diary blogs, the audience expectation is more real and immediate; anyone, anywhere can read the blog if they choose. Sgt. Bohling is telling the world his story; he is painting a picture of what this war zone is actually like, much more of a realistic picture than what is painted on CBS Evening News. Who ever may choose to understand his experience may do so. Who ever reads the blog/journal/diary becomes the audience, and because of this fact they are written as much for this audience as any other.
There may appear to be a conflict of interest between the blog and the traditional diary/journal. These different forms of composition actually represent different means to the same end. In the online novel, The Unbinding by Walter Kirn, Kent keeps an online journal because, “the words will outlive both of us…what people learned from his experiences was up to them, not him” (Kirn Entry 16). This simple statement succinctly expresses the purpose behind the blog/diary/journal. This character has written his blog for himself; the world; who ever may stumble upon the work that it may endure and have an impact and communicate. This applies to the diary/journal as well. These compositions write for and share the same audiences.

Works Cited

Bohling. A Day in Iraq: A Soldiers Daily Experiences While Living and Fighting in Iraq. 1 May 2006 .

Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl. New York: Doubleday, 1993.

Kirn, Walter. The Unbinding. Slate Magazine:2006.

Purposes in Writing. 2 May 2006. Dept. of English, University of Missouri-Rolla. .

2006-04-26T19:39:00.000-07:00

In the literature classes I’ve taken, one point that has been discussed more than once is the idea of composition being alive. Alive in the sense that it has a unique effect on each reader; alive in the sense that ideas, once presented never really die (I just thought of something that would make an interesting philosophical argument: isn’t the presence of death a prerequisite to life? If so, something that never dies, never lives. But, that would kill my momentum, so never mind…); alive in the sense that the author has put a part of his or her spirit into that writing, and it is preserved in the writing to be experienced by all readers.

I was having a discussion along these lines with a friend of mine about Charles Bukowski. We were talking about how much we enjoyed his writing, and this had come up ( don’t ask me how) while we were talking about how human emotions really come down to chemicals and electric impulses…anyways, when the conversation came around to Bukowski, I presented the idea that the author transfers these “vibrations” (emotions and ideas) into his or her work and, like a database, it is saved to be received by whomever should decide to read the works.

I am convinced that composition is alive in the ways that I have already pointed out, and in ways that I have not. All living things go through stages of existence. With composition, it’s birth was probably some caveman leaving markings on a cave wall; then moving to stone tablets with laws and truths etched on them; next would be sacred text being made into books; then Gutenberg’s printing press made composition available to a mass of people like nothing before. I’m sure I’ve missed some stages along the line, but the idea is fairly clear. The latest stage in this life would have to be the blogosphere. I’m not saying that this latest stage represents the best yet or the pinnacle of composition, but the blogosphere does represent composition at its most dynamic and vital stage of existence as of yet.

In the blogosphere, the writer is able to immediately inject his or her work right into the global village that is the internet. All composition is open to immediate feedback, immediate revision, and immediate discussion. These new characteristics of composition are sure to have a major effect on all writing, I think really setting a trend. I see interactivity becoming the dominant characteristic in writing, or new composition at least. The relationship between the author and the reader becomes one of interdependence; composition will become more like an intelligent conversation as opposed to the author dictating to the readers. As an effect of this, all involved parties become a part of something larger than any individual; the living organism that is composition and literature becomes a larger, more complex organism.

Having said all of this, I don’t necessarily see it as an instance of out with the old and in with the new. This is a reformation, not a revolution. There is still a place for the great American novel, and traditional compostion still holds much importance and profundity. New compostion is like a set of amendments to the literary constitution.

Some areas will be more affected by new composition (the blogosphere) than others. Poltics, for example, is one area that will be most drastically changed. The old saying goes that all politics is local. This is true, but the saying really rings true when the locals involved in the politics are able to communicate and discuss. The most revolutionary political changes of the past have come when groups of people were able to come together to discuss situations and possible directions. The political blogosphere almost recreates that town meeting effect of vibrant debate and discussion in the heat of the moments. Also, many aspects of life have political elements to them, so what works on the political stage has the potential to have a major effect on many other areas as well.

There is definitely an exciting future ahead.

2006-04-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

The blogosphere is the perfect manifestation of what journal writers have been looking for, it gives them an audience for their art and for their life. The essay that (I think) formed a link between the blogosphere and the caveman painting on the wall is a pretty valid argument. Both forms of communication are serving two innate human desires: to communicate with other people, and to immortalize yourself in some way.

The blogosphere does have some uniqueness about it, though. I don't think that I will take my paper in that direction, but I would definitely view the blogosphere as "an overheard utterance".

First off, it exists in a realm that we are still struggling to define completely. The internet is a place very public, yet extremely private, and bloggers definitely use this to their advantage. It's a way for a writer to have access to the entire public, by retaining his or her privacy.

I think that all forms of personal expression are important, so I definitely don't dismiss blogs as meaningless. The blogosphere is also extremely important because it is an expression of the collective consciousness of all people; I think that it is a representation of the way that people are thinking nowadays, its insight into the minds of the world. If you look at it that way, it has historical value and artistic value; it becomes a very powerful force in politics and mass media; and I really don't know after that.

At this point, I'm not sure which direction I'm taking the paper, but I'm sure that I've have enough ideas to choose from.

2006-04-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

This new media phenomenon of forming these new terms to describe the constantly evolving functions and uses is not something that is totally unique to new media. I see a few specific reasons behind this evolution of our language.

Anytime that some kind of revolutionary change occurs in a certain area of interest or something new is created that brings with it new possibilities, there are a number of new terms to go along with these changes. Think of sports terms (what is a quarterback, or a touchdown?)or scientific terms (too many to name even a few). New things require a new set of rules and guidelines. There is a responsibility to create those new rules and regulations, and along with that there is an opportunity and a freedom to create new terms. Hey, Adam got to name the animals of the world, so I think it’s ok if Steve Jobs gets to name the ipod.

Specifically in the area of new media, a lot of this new terminology is definitely in the spirit of the hipness and cool factor of new media. Each generation tries to define itself on its own terms, to set itself apart from the rest of the world. I understand that new media is not age specific, but I still look at the pioneers and users of new media as a separate generation eager to make its mark.

Now, while this new media generation is definitely not age specific, I would argue that the marketing is definitely geared to the younger, 18-35 crowd ( Think ipod commercials Google’s corporate environment as some of the more prominent and mainstream examples ). Industries have learned over the years that catering to the younger crowd and being promoted by the younger crowd is where the money is to be found. Marketing has some impact on the new terminology coming about, although it may not be as pervasive as in other areas. The nature of new media, and the relative newness of it, intuitively identifies with a younger, technologically savvy crowd. So, these new terms is just an inevitably effect of new media.

2006-04-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

The mutability of new media composition serves as a two-edged sword.

On the positive side, the impermanance of the composition makes it very fluid in the sense that there is an ease of composing and presenting, which allows for a far greater number of participants in the composition process and the response to the compostion. The ability to revise and adapt the composition gives it the quality of being current and up to date. This may be its greatest triumph, because with traditionaly compostion, it is most often the case that as something is published and distributed, it is already somewhat old news; a little stale.

There are several downsides to this mutability as well. The fact that there is a definite ease of entry into the world of new media composition makes it suspect in the eyes of established writers, critics, and publications. If there are no barriers to sift through all of the material, the task of judging somethings worth becomes more difficult and the line between quality and garbage becomes extremely blurred. There is also the concept of easy come, easy go; If a work of compostion can be here today and gone tommorow then the effectiveness of that composition comes into question. To make an extreme example: ( and I might be a little of base here) The Federalist Papers, which were publications that heavily influenced the forming of the Constitution is in concrete form to be viewed the same today as when they were first composed whereas the online discussions about today's legal climate and pressing political issues are left to drift aimlessly through cyberspace.

There is a definite, innate desire in man for permanance; for consistency in an inconsitent world. New Media composition seems to come in direct opposition to this concept; but not all aspects of human nature are admirable qualities. Sometimes what society needs most is to go against nature, to be open to new ideas and new modes of assimilating these ideas. I see New Media compostion as serving these purposes. There have been growning pains along the road, and there will be more ahead. Overall, I believe that society will see that spreading ideas and letting an individuals voice be heard, however ephemeral the physical manifestation of these ideas or voices may be, is of far greater importance than the idea of immutability.

We still have the first, mint condition Superman comic somewhere under lock and key, and the online campaigns for the 2004 presidential race are long gone, but in the grand scheme of things, which is more important? Immutability does not automatically qualify as important or profound, and ideas survive long after paper has decomposed and institutions crumble.

2006-03-29T17:03:00.000-08:00

After diving into the world of code poetry and interactive art....I think I need a minute to think...

It seems that without much fanfare, a population of techies/artists are starting a new artistic movement on the web. Avant-garde, innovative, surreal...those are just some of the terms that come to mind when trying to describe the products of this movement. This is the synthesis of the visual and the aural, the acknowledement of the symbiotic relationship between the art and the connoisseur, the next stage in the evolution of art.

2006-03-23T15:39:00.000-08:00

I read two articles about new media and the way is impacting higher education today. The first article, published in Newsweek, is titled, "Professor in your Pocket" and it was written by Peg Tyre. The second article,posted on Slate.com, is titled "Attack of the Career Killing Blogs" and was written by Robert S. Boynton.

The Newsweek article focuses on a few universities that are pioneering the idea of podcasting lectures. The article balances success stories from students and professors with apprehension from the parents paying tuition and the professors who are worried about the death of the classroom as we know it. I found that the testimonials from these students totally reinforced my thinking about new media’s role in education. Instead of bringing about the death of the classroom setting, I see it as revitalizing the entire scholastic experience. It puts more control and responsibility into the hands of the student and the teacher. We, as a society are moving towards a personalized world, and podcasting lectures accommodates these societal changes. Technology, to me, is about options, and podcasting has opened up numerous options to both students and professors. The classroom can become ON-DEMAND for the student, the professor can lecture on the podcast and use the classroom for discussion, and each student is able to learn at his or her own pace and level of interaction. However, even though the options are new, human nature remains the same. Podcasting will neither make the lazy student lazier, or the attentive student more attentive; the tools are there, but the drive to use them must also exist. That is why that I don’t agree with the concerns of parents and teachers who are foreseeing the complete destruction of the university experience; if anything it enhances it, but the essence remains: the positives that you gain from the educational experience are directly proportional to the work that you put into it. While the introduction of the podcast into education does vastly change the logistics of education, the essence is unchanged.

The Slate article dealt with universities seeming inability or refusal to deal with blogs as a part of a professors’ body of work; specifically, the legitimacy of a blog posted by a professor. The universities voiced some of the common arguments against new media publication, some of which held merit, and some of which did not. One of these arguments was that if something is quality work, then why isn’t it published in a scholarly journal? You know, the classic argument: if it’s not published, then it can not possibly be quality work. I attribute this questioning to the relative youth of the blogosphere: it is too early in the history of the blogosphere for it to have any institutional legitimacy, but I think that this will definitely change with time. Another argument by the universities is that blogs should not be considered as part of the measure of a professor because there is no way to measure the efficacy or value of a blog. As Professor Holbo states, “It is utterly absurd to propose giving someone credit for activity with no barriers to entry”. An excellent point, but I think the proper response to this problem is not to dismiss blogs (because they are here to stay and are to only become more prominent as time goes on), but to work on designing some kind of criteria for judging blogs.

“One might argue that blogging is in fact the very embodiment of what the political philosopher Michael Oakshott once called “The Conversation of Mankind”- and endless, thoroughly democratic dialogue about the best ideas and artifacts of our culture”

2006-03-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

www.lyricexchange.com....

check it out....

2006-03-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

First off, m(_ _).

I have a little story, 4wiw. I wake up in the morning and %-/, not the best way to start a day. I go to work, i'm late. my $%^# boss is :-@, and I am just :-I+, KWIM? The day goes on. I'm at my lunch break, make my order, and the lady behind the counter gives me the *;~i, so on top of everything, I'm ;-/. I mean, I am a person dammit, show me some M:-[]! The day is finally over, i get home, and there's this 00- msg from a friend on the machine. Great! i'm thinking, what do you think, +<#^v? So, now i'm :-(B<-. What $#%& situation, i'm %*@:-( and now i've got to see a friend about a thing. Anyways, i get to his house, and he breaks the news. "(:-)?", he tells me. So, i'm thinking, "I:/ you're doing what?". As i'm storming out, i tell him "YFMO", and i'm gone. Just when I think things couldn't get any worse, i get home and flip on the >[I and I've got Dr. Phil, thinking he's some kind of -=#:-) that can solve everyone's problem. The only problem is, he's <*(:-?. So I flip to the next channel, and lo and behold, its a ?:^[] movie! I mean, this guy's got me LOL. Forget booze, %- and i'm feelin :)....

interpet this a recieve a special prize....

2006-02-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

paper 2

actually a fascintating topic for me...my plan's for school are to get my undergraduate and apply for law school, and my focus in law school is going to be on intellectual property law. I have alot of friends who are muscians and writers, and I have been devoloping this plan for years to mix my business with pleasure. As far as the ramifactions of the new media and the current process of publishing and creating, I think that this issue ties right in with our discussion on plagiarism, in the sense that the old accepted model of creation (create, find a publisher or producer, and get the word out) goes completely out the window.

The book that I referenced in my first paper, The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman, deals with a lot of these issues brought up by the new media. I plan on referencing it again for this paper.

When we first started talking about blogs, one of my first reactions was it is bringing back the concept of people power, and I have now realized that this concept really extends to the new media movement in general. With this new model of publishing and creation, which has yet to be finalized, we are now bombarded with more information than ever. This does not mean that we can now expect media to think for us, rather we are required to think even more because with the playing field for creators flattened, it allows so many more players onto the field, and it requires a more discerning eye from the reviewer.

I am taking this paper as a personal challenge to articulate my thoughts on this very important subject, and I really anticipate great things...

2006-02-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

I’m here at Senator McCain’s campaign headquarters in search of the truth. Amidst all of the glad-handing and photo-ops, there is a select few who are still trying to get Senator McCain to take a strong stand on the issues of this campaign. On paper, the guy looks great: Vietnam POW, activist for campaign finance reform, respected by both Democrats and Republicans, and a man of uncompromising values. But everyone knows this from watching CBS evening news. Let’s look a little more closely…have the reforms that he sponsored really changed the campaign financing situation for the better? Does his ability to compromise and reach across party lines come at the expense of his own parties’ loyalty? And what is this set of uncompromising values, anyways?

In the 2004 presidential election, McCain grudgingly (probably at the coaxing of Republican leadership) endorsed and campaigned for President Bush. This should not lead anyone to believe that he is cut from the same cloth as Bush and his neo-con colleagues. Actually McCain does not fit neatly into anyone one group; he is a pro-choice Republican in a world where those two words almost can’t fit in the same sentence, he worked with democratic senator Feingold to curb big businesses influence on elections (an area that Republicans historically dominate), and he is a hawk on foreign policy and the war on terror.

This particular day, he is addressing a group of senior citizens about the future of the social security system. This is a huge issue in this election, with all candidates trying to find a message that resonates best with voters. Despite the debates over how to solve this looming crisis, it can be unanimously agreed upon that there is a problem. More later…

2006-02-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

Blogs and Politics: A Match Made in Heaven

Only recently, in the past couple of years, have blogs permeated popular culture and made even a minor impact on the media. This is a phenomenon that is in its early stages, and we have yet to see the full impact that blogs will have. One of the areas where blogs have the greatest potential to influence and affect change is politics. The 2004 election brought political blogging to the main stage, and the world got a taste of what these things can do.

A prime example that comes to mind is the Howard Dean campaign. I know, I know, he lost…badly, but he wasn’t supposed to win; actually, he wasn’t even supposed to be a factor. A no name governor from a relatively minor state, his campaign was looked at with indifference by the Democratic Party and mass media. Dean did something that no other candidate before him had done, though. He took aim at the most ignored, most non-active group of voters: the young generation; and he did it on our terms. He had aides start up blogs, email mailing lists, and did most of his fundraising through the internet. He lacked the support from the democratic party, and had no serious backers, but he lifted himself up from obscure, dark horse candidate to front runner in a matter of a couple of months.

Dean’s story is a testament to the power and influence of blogs, and the new media in general. Blogs fit so well into the political landscape because they represent what democracy is supposed to be all about: people power. Our society is used to getting its news from the main broadcasters and political advisors; personal political analysis and commentary was isolated to coffee shops and water coolers. Blogs changed that. Any person with a computer and a little ambition are now able to become a reporter, a political commentator, and an influential voice to voters.

Where do blogs go from here? I see them only becoming more popular, more credible, and more influential. It is the ideal form of media: instant feedback, in the moment commentary, raw and unedited. In future elections, you will see all candidates follow Dean’s lead and utilize the new media.