Connecting with Reality
Posted by Aaron Springer on June 22, 2009 under N485 | 
6 Comments to Read
This class was a pretty simple message, at least to me.
Everyone has a story, and everyone’s story is interesting, funny, heart touching, heart wrenching and valuable. Our job, in New Media, is to take stories and make them into something people will remember.
Am I close yet?
Posted by Aaron Springer on under N485 | Be the First to Comment
Posted by Aaron Springer on June 14, 2009 under Technology | 2 Comments to Read
Embedded video from CNN Video
Over the past ten years or so, I have noticed that I am well ahead of the curve when it comes to new technology information, Internet concepts and the like. I discussed streaming media on a bus stop in Seattle at three in the morning in 1997 and 1998, well before the first streaming video broadcast was made. Sure, if I had actually done anything with it, it would have been big and I would be rich, but I digress.
The point I am trying to make is that I did not realize how far back the “average American” is. Watching this video made me feel an immense pity for that average American for whom 4chan is alien, and the term troll is a mystery.
I thought by now that anyone who has been on the Internet for more than a month had become as familiar with trolls as they had with spam, blogs, and the like. I guess that there are still people out there for whom this Internet thing is as mystifying as, say, government procedures, insurance clauses or how to set their VCRs. You see, the term is most likely twenty years old or more, which, in Internet terms, is the entire age of the World Wide Web. That’s right, kiddies. The term “troll” as it relates to online communities probably originated before CERN released the WWW protocol officially in 1991. Yet, there are still people who don’t get it.
I mean, I understand if the elderly, who have most likely lived full lives and have more knowledge than I will until I, myself, reach that age. The fact that CNN felt that its viewers needed an entire piece on the term blows my mind somewhat. Of course, I know that there are people out there that are unfamiliar with the web. They seem content to live their lives disconnected from where a big portion of humans spend a lot of their time and effort.
Posted by Aaron Springer on June 11, 2009 under N485 | Be the First to Comment
The assignment was simple: play for two and a half hours. I play all the time, though, so this would be a breeze. I play sedentary things, like Lego™ Bricks and computer games. So, to add a bit of challenge to the assignment, I recruited my daughter and we aimed to behave like monkeys.
The assignment was difficult only in the physical exertion. Running around (Well walking. Getting this mass up to speed on a playground and in the basement can be dangerous), dodging foam balls, pretend lava, and snapping eels was physically exhausting. The fact that it had been raining made my adult sensibilities scream “Everything is wet!” but I didn’t let it get me down.
Like the video said, there are different types of play. Swinging is a bit freeform, and it caters to the senses without engaging the mind, only the body. I like swinging, as it feels like the greatest reward for the least effort, and at my age and size, that is valuable.
Next we try the politically correct, can’t hurt yourself, even on purpose “jungle gym”
Did I mention the hot lava? I guess I didn’t. The store was all out of chilled lava, so I had to settle for the hot kind.
My video upload stopped working, so I’ll have to write the rest.
Playing is fun, it opens the mind to creativity. I agree with the video, and have, unfortunately, seen the death of creativity in the places that need it.
Posted by Aaron Springer on June 10, 2009 under N485 | Be the First to Comment
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