CC – Crappy Content, Wk 2 Reading

it was never all going to be fun

All I can say is that at least Elliot gave us fair warning that this weeks content would be dry. Not so much that the content itself is extremely boring, more that a lot of it is quite self explanatory and well…obvious. That being said I did still come away with a few things.

kiwiThe first video was a general overview of creative commons and what it is. CC Kiwi, what a character. The video was helpful in explaining the different types of licenses and why we have them.

The second link was basically just Australia copyright laws and FAQ, pretty obvious things like you would not be able to link pirate bay on a blog for example because they are breaking the law against copyright.

The third link was the incredibly engaging Professor Lawrence Lessig who essentially reiterated the first two links but took it a bit further describing CC as a visual tool in respect to the licenses making it easier for all internet users. Side note, was it really necessary for the camera man to go from this Screen Shot 2014-07-29 at 11.30.36 am to this Screen Shot 2014-07-29 at 11.31.01 am??? He really needs to take a Nick Moore crash course in framing. ONWARD!

Screen Shot 2014-07-29 at 11.34.58 amScreen Shot 2014-07-29 at 11.35.54 am

The fourth and fifth video both used animated cartoons to talk about creative commons, what they mean and why we have them. I love the fact that these cheap cartoons are used for the simple fact that the content is so dull that on ever so slightly increases the chance of them being watch. To be fair, it made them watchable and the content remained in my brain long enough for me to get this onto the internet so that is something they can pat themselves on the back about. The final link was just boring legal stuff once again.

What I did find interesting about all these links, especially the Jack White example was the idea that music specially needs to have permission to be remixed, used in a video or to have album artworks, and music video content used. Would it be ok if someone for example used a song in a silly video they made at home. The video then becomes a big success on the internet. Is it ok to then later pay tribute to the original owners? The harlem shake is an excellent example of this. cc_harlem_shake_130213_wblog

I don’t know all the specifics but I do know that the original video was a college video that just randomly decided the song should be what it has become. The publicity for the song itself, be it as horrible as it is would have been incredibly. What happens to the original rights of the song?

For me personally this has always been a pressing problem with my films. On Youtube you need to acknowledge songs that do not belong to you as youtube detects them and will sometimes remove them from your videos. This is not an issue if the owner allows or gives permission but quite often they do not. EMI is a classic example, a music label so big I’m sure they don’t have time or really care about little home videos and approving songs. Making the transition to Vimeo, this is not a problem. You do however click ‘i agree’ when you upload a video that all the content is owned by you but the point is that unless your video becomes a hit no one is going to come looking for you to slap you on the wrist. Vimeo is way better anyways 🙂

Flash

Well I’ll Be Damned…I Get It! – E.C.I (Explore/Create/Inspire)

Flying Monkeys

I wanted to talk about the notion of understanding. WOW! I know, chill. I don’t want to get too philosophical on you, but hey, its my blog and I can do whatever the hell I want! Well that isn’t exactly true according to the post I will make shortly after this one but I digress.

What does it mean to understand something? A lot the time we think we understand something but we actually have no idea. For example I have a friend who for years has been using the word ‘ambiguous’ in the wrong context, like COMPLETELY wrong. How wrong I hear you ask? Well he would say things like ‘man this coffee is so ambiguous’ and on this occasion I pulled him up on it and he said ‘well it kinda makes sense because of you know, like multiple flavours’ to which I just responded ‘well that is very pretentious or just plain wrong’ and that was that. Silly example I know, and yes I need to get some better company.

Eistein said that ‘Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding’. Michael J Fox (Marty McFly from Back To The Future Trilogy) said that ‘Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation; it means understanding that something is what it is and that there’s got to be a way through it’. Understanding can be a frustrating thing for many. Whether its a concept in Maths class you simply cannot comprehend, or your telling of a funny story or joke that no one seems to get. Or perhaps even trying to convey what it is like to not be like everyone else or how it feels to lose a loved one.

The ability to understand and to listen is not something you inherit or you are born with, it is a gift, something you earn. Unfortunately not all of us have it, but some of us do. We all have someone in our lives that we know is what the doctors deem or classify  as ‘sick’ which is something I don’t agree with. You desire for your health to be at another point and while one might argue that is is the very definition of sick, consider that no one is sick but that there is merely room for improvement if one wishes it.

I only feel the need to blog about this because I read a story which I have linked below that was saddening but at the same time eye opening and inspiring. I won’t dive into the specifics of it now, and I realise that maybe only 1 in 10 if that may read it but its important that we have an understanding of our society and those around us. A sense of perspective is key successful living.

Flash

http://www.butyoudontlooksick.com/navigation/BYDLS-TheSpoonTheory.pdf

You Are Heroes Everyday – Reading 01

you are heroes everyday

Dare I say that I loved a University weekly reading? No, of course not. I think it will be a while before dc and marvel comics are our prescribed texts however I did enjoy the concepts in this weeks reading. The reading was about what I am doing write now, penning or typing my thoughts for a public audience…blogging. Moreover, the reading explained how blogging in education can be used especially for media students to gain an understanding in media literacy and to create an online identity.

The whole time while going through this reading I couldn’t help but think of Freedom Writers. If you haven’t seen Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank I demand that at the end of this sentence you go watch it and then come back to continue reading this post and to comment below what you thought of the movie. A very sad and moving film, there is a segment where Hilary, or Erin the character she plays asks her students to keep a journal. They can write whatever they wish and they will only be read with the students permission. Subsequently, we see there students write about their most inner and hidden ideas, secrets and memories, most of which are very confronting.

I am not suggesting that we as media students should do this but I was merely drawing the parallels between aspects of the movie and this assignment. I think there is much to be gained from this blog assessment but only as much as a student is willing to put in. The ability to see the work of others as the article conveys will allows student to see what is deemed ‘excellent’ work and what is considered ‘poor’. In this regard I think there is extra encouragement to want to do well in this assessment because for those who choose this blog can continue outside of tertiary education.

 

Flash