CHRISTMAS!

yay! thanksgiving is next week which means christmas is just around the corner! i know that it's not all about the presents but i have no idea what to ask for. the only thing i could come up with was new sweatpants ha. but anyway i was cruising online and how cool is this?

it's called a weekdate planner and you can write reoccurring events in it. i have no idea why i want to ask for such practical things for chrismas, but seriously...how cool is this? and if you feel like buying one (for me) check out their website.

http://www.weekdate.com/

procrastination...

since i no longer do hw...this is what i just came across. it's just really nice to hear something like this, especially right now.

I just want to remind you that life is still moving forward and the sun is still shining down on you. The love you deserve is still out there and the compassion and empathy you are seeking is right there deep inside of you. It’s right here on La Dolce Vita as well.

There are billions of people out there in this world which means the ones who have trampled over your heart and stolen a bit of your faith are not the center of the universe nor should they be the center of yours any longer. Play the lead in your life. Give yourself top billing and walk away from a cast that’s not supporting you properly. All relationships, be they platonic, romantic or familial should fill you up and make you feel safe, loved and respected. You do not owe anyone moments of your life, tears from your eyes or chunks of your self-esteem.

We all know there will be those who will devalue, disregard and disappoint you but as a Dolce, you know (or are learning) that you don’t have to be one of them.

The sweetest part of life is feeling safe, secure and loved when you are alone. Let us remind one another that we have all of the love, support, strength and good direction we need and it lives in our own hearts.

Take care of you because you can.

http://ladolcevita.ivillage.com/love/2007/10/dont_give_up_on_yourself_even.php?dst=rss%7Cls

'tis the season to be jolly

has anyone else noticed all the christmas commercials on tv now? yay! i also just came back from target and everything is decorated for christmas. and the weather is absolutely perrrrfect. cool with beautiful, clear skies. oy i just love fall!

supposedly, the season that you're born in is your favorite season. i think i remember doing a survey for science class in the 6th grade. and i guess it's true because i was born in october and i do love fall.

yay for blogging

i like the fact that i started this blog for a class. but now that i have it (even though i havent used it since the spring) i figured i might as well use it. i'm not quite sure what i'll be posting here so if you have any fun ideas let me know :) not like anyone is reading this anyway...

Last month, a few articles were featured in the Daily Trojan, featuring piracy and 20 letters that the Recording Industry of America sent to USC. These letters were part of RIAA’s new plan to crack down on illegal downloading. 400 letters total were sent to 13 universities around the United States.

These letters offer person who receives it a “discounted rate” to settle or else by sued by the RIAA. However it is unfair the way that the RIAA chose the few students nationwide to send these letters too. People worldwide download music illegally and to pinpoint certain people randomly is unfair. There obviously needs to be a standard.

This program was intended to actually benefit students because the student is able to settle at a discounted rate without a lawsuit being filed. But it could be possible that these letters are merely a way to get students to confess to downloading music illegally. Also, although this is supposed to be a way to stop students from downloading illegally, people will always find a new way to cheat the system and download music.

Enjoy this wonderful anti-piracy rap :)

Ok so i know we went over this in class but for some reason the embedded thing won't work...here's a link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uTqGiZQfvk

Authenticity - The Start of Something New

A fundamental notion of postmodern art is the “idea [that] something completely new is a fallacy (Sturken & Cartwright, 261). The book further questions if it is “possible to make something new in a context of constant remakes, parodies, and references,” alluding to the use of celebrities and other cultural contexts in advertisements, TV shows, movies, and more.

So then we must ask ourselves, is it possible to make something new out of something that already exists? If I use artwork created by another person in a piece of my own, like Sherrie Levine, is mine truly a “work of art” or just a worthless replication of the original? Postmodernism is “not concerned with representing reality but with rethinking the function of art and emphasizing the role of institutional context in producing meaning” (263). In other words, according to postmodernist thought, we should not be concerned with the actual work but the meaning being produced by it.

But what if there was no meaning behind the work? What if I collaged a series of images taken by a photographer (not me) and called it my own? I only chose these pictures for their aesthetic value. Sure, I could make up “meaning” for my collage, but could we really consider this to be a newly created piece? I really have no idea how to answer this…I’m actually asking…

There is so much that a filmmaker can do in order to manipulate the viewers’ attitudes and opinions towards what they are watching. It can range from the George Holliday video mentioned on page 286 to commercials, TV shows, and movies. Cinematography is everything.

When analyzing any film, it is important to look at many aspects including, the storyline, who made the film, and even things such as lighting, camera angles, and the title. Something such as costuming can create and evil or good character with the use of dark and light colors. The same goes for lighting. “Harsher” characters get “harsher” lighting, and vice versa. Also, spotlights can be used to highlight a certain person or object that the director wants the viewers to concentrate on. Focus can also bring out details and blur things that are “unimportant.”

In this image of Harry Potter, a light shines from behind him, outlining his silhouette and giving him an ethereal glow. Furthermorek, the use of a red costume not only signifies power, but also life. Voldemort on the other hand, is completely in shadows. Everything surrounding him is dark, thus connoting evil. The black that is Voldemort also represents death.

When watching any type of media, we all come up with our own opinions about it. However, how much of our “opinion” is our own and how much of it is imposed on us? With the manipulation that was done to the Holliday raw footage to turn the case around to the police officers favor, we must think how much we are being manipulated as well. Persuasion is a powerful tool that images and videos are capable of.

Photography...stealing our souls...

I know this doesn’t exactly have everything to do with “Reproduction and Visual Technologies,” but all I could think about was how Indians didn’t like photography because they believed that a picture stole their souls. I did a little research and here’s what I found. Enjoy…

There are many cultures today that still refuse to be photographed from Native Americans to the Aborigines of Australia. Practitioners of Voodoo believe in "sympathetic magic". Sympathetic magic principles state a powerful link exists between entities that are similar in appearance or come into contact with each other. Items such as photographs, nail clippings, hair and other objects can be used to create an "image" of another person. This "image" can then be used to cast a curse or spell. There are still some practitioners of Voodoo who are cautious of photographs, because they are powerful items capable of harm.

For other cultures, this belief stemmed from the belief if the power of mirrors. The superstition of seven years of bad luck from breaking a mirror comes from this belief that mirrors have the power to steal souls. A mirror contains the soul and breaking it causes damage to the soul. In ancient times, mirrors were used for scrying, predicting the future. For the Mayans, mirrors were a portal to the Otherworld, allowing ancestors and gods to pass between the two planes. The soul is believed to be composed of thirteen parts, photography damages or even removes some of these components. A shaman was necessary to restore a person’s soul.

There’s a little food for thought the next time you put up a new Facebook album…

Here are the websites that I checked out:
http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DnuX
www.thirteen.org/americanmasters/curtis/photography_about.html
http://www.weddingphotographydirectory.com/wedding-photo/for-wedding-photographers/bleeding-edge-column/art-of-stealing-souls.aspx

Guide to Love (2) - Heartbreak

As previously discussed Cupid is a terrible shot. So when aiming for a person's heart with an arrow he frequently misses. This is okay, unfortunately he sometimes hits the target but the arrow does not pierce the heart in the correct manner, the result is heartbreak.
A little biology. Many people assume hearts to be red through and through. This is not true. Hearts all appear red on the outside, however this is due to the outer layer consisting of the rubbery stuff they wrap babybels with.

When a heart gets damaged a tough coal like layer forms under the red outer layer, this is the black part of the diagram. However as time passes without damage the edges soften and a soft pink goo fills in between the black and red layers. This happens every time the heart is damaged, so similarly to with trees you can tell how many times someone has been heartbroken by counting rings. At the centre of all hearts is a fire, however if too many layers form around the heart the warmth of the fire ceases to be able to reach the outside – how sad.


There are seven main types of heartbreak:

1. The arrow sails right through: The result is falling madly in love, albeit briefly, with the first person you see. This can be quite embarrassing in the short term as running up to someone on the street, shouting "I love you!" and grabbing a boob or a crotch is generally frowned upon. However this causes no long term damage to the heart.



2. The arrow glances the heart and cuts it: This is initially very painful. The heart becomes very tender and leads to drunken whining along the lines of "Why don't you love me?" *Sob*. Fortunately the affect usually wears off by morning.



3. The arrow hits the heart but bounces off, leaving a bruise: This is a simple Do-you-want-to-go-out-sometime?-No-thanks situation, rather than a Do-you-want-to-go-out-sometime?-Ewww-you-make-me-want-to-shove-my-fingers-down-my-throat-I-have-to-go-take-several-showers-to-get-rid-of-the-grossness-of-being-asked-out-by-you! type scenario. Again there is no long term damage, but you should take care with the heart for a while, because it will be a bit sore.



4. The arrow digs in, but snaps off leaving a fragment in the heart: This can be quite nasty. This happens when you ask someone out and they say yes, but rapidly lose interest. Ultimately it doesn't cause too much damage, buy it's a bit annoying.



5. The arrow tears a chunk off the heart: The hole means that you are susceptable to developing huge crushes based on physical infatuation. If dealt with correctly this isn't a problem, it only becomes so if you leave the wound open to the elements. Most cases of stalking are a result of carelessness in this area.



6. The heart gets mangled: This happens during messy break ups. In this case Cupid got the shot right, unfortunately your chosen love decides to pull the arrow out with the delicacy of an elephant doing decoupage. This causes mass tissue damage and the heart struggles to survive. It's all kinds of painful.



7. Critical Fault: This is the worst. Cupid again is right on target, but unfortunately the arrow snags on something and is yanked out through the top causing a crack. It's circumstances beyong Cupid's your or anyone else control – it's just a bitch. If not treated carefully the heart can break in two and become completely useless. The common response to this eventuality is to go "ow! ow! ow-ee! ow-ee! ow!

Guide to Love (1) - Cupid

**I found this on someone's blog and thought it was adorable. Here is the URL: blogs.warwick.ac.uk/.../entry/guide_to_love_2/**


We all fall for someone from time to time. This isn't our fault, it happens because we get hit by one of Cupid's arrows. Cupid was born in 1573 in Paris, the son a French painter and his beleagured wife.

An artist's impression of Cupid

Cupid never actually graduated from Love School; he failed his archery exam because he was such a terrible shot. In spite of this he has gone on to become the most successful person to have attended the school.

In his own estimation his proudest moment was making Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun fall in love. Cupid was himself a Nazi and wanted to do something for his good friend "Addy", indeed Cupid stayed in Hitler's bunker until the very end.

For true love to occur, one of Cupid's arrows needs to pierce our heart directly (see diagram). The closer to the centre the better.

Cupids arrows are dipped in love juice, this disperses into the heart making the person all sappy. The love juice is made from:

• Melted down romantic films. The quality of the film affects the love's chance off success. Should it be something fun and funky such as the Wedding Singer the relationship has every chance. However if the film was some god awful tripe featuring Julia Stiles then it is doomed from the very beginning.


• Awww juice. This is created every time someone saws "awww" because of Cutesy Wutesy Kittens, Fluffy Wuffy Bunny Wabbits or Sweet and Cute and Ickle (sic) Ducklings.


• Mushed up Flower Petals. Cupid uses sweatshop workers to stomp on them and give them the correct texture.

However as already mentioned, Cupid isn't the best shot. This means things frequently go wrong, which we will cover in "Heartbreaks".

The Gaze

On page 76, the book states Laura Mulvey’s opinion on images of women in classical Hollywood cinema. She proposed that “conventions of popular narrative cinema are structured by a patriarchal unconscious, positioning women represented in films as objects of a “male gaze” (76). However, the book does not go into other reasons why women in classical Hollywood cinema were typically beautiful.

Not only do men want to see beautiful and sexual women on the screen, but so do women. According to Baudry, when someone is watching a movie, he or she “undergoes a temporary loss of ego as he or she identifies with the powerful position of apprehending the world on the screen” (75). Although people relate to more “normal” looking characters, most men and women prefer to identify themselves with someone who is deemed more attractive.

Furthermore, it is a common idea that carnal beauty is visible evidence of spiritual beauty. This can be tracked all the way to Plato who believed that “mortal beauty was a reflection of ideal beauty” (Etcoff, 40). Ugliness was seen to be a sign of someone bad or dangerous because it was a “stigma branded onto the body by a wrathful God” (Etcoff, 41). Therefore, it is natural for film makers to want to choose more attractive, sexual actresses for their movies. Less attractive people would be seen as an evil and therefore would take away from the heroine characters that the film makers are trying to convey.

*The essay by Etcoff that I cited is something that I had to read for writing-140. It’s called “Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty” by Nancy Etcoff**

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Especially right now, during flu season, germs and bacteria should be one of our top concerns. Most people know that they should wash their hands for twenty seconds with warm soap and water, but how many of us actually do? Hopefully, with this leaflet, young children will be taught at a young age to practice good hygiene, by “battling” germs. It is designed to drop down on elementary schools during a morning break or recess, hopefully a time before lunch. On one side of the leaflet, is a hand, being attacked by cartoon bacteria. The illustrated germs are similar to a cartoon and will attract the eye of a young audience. The main message “fight germs” is in bright red coloring to demand attention. On the other side, there is a picture of someone washing his/her hands. This is a simple demonstration that is easy to follow. Even someone who is not literate will be able to understand the central issue and lesson to be taught.

In the 1950’s Robert Frank documented his journey around the United States, creating a photo essay called The Americans. This picture is of a military draft office. It depicts a typical workplace. There are two desks, a file cabinet, and an American flag. However, nearly in the middle of the photograph is a pair of feet resting on the desk. Evidently, a man is reclining, obviously not doing his work. Expanding on the idea of a man skimping on his duties and responsibilities, I added a small television set on the next desk, will a war scene on the screen. This is a commentary on many Americans’ as well as war officials’ lackadaisical reactions to the war. Furthermore, this picture also describes many modern American workers. So many people take advantage of the opportunities that America has to offer. Not many people know what a good work ethic is. They rely on other people to do everything for them while still expecting to become successful themselves.

Making Do

Tommy Hilfiger became enormously successful with all-American clothing line. Hilfiger was constantly compared to the lives of Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. The line was full of collared shirts and chinos, which were both classic and high-quality and meant specifically for upper-class, white, preppy males. However, in the 1990’s Hilfiger’s designs graced the body of rapper Snoop Dogg. Soon, other rappers began to copy the Snoop Dogg’s style, and soon, Hilfiger’s name was even mentioned in rap lyrics. Q-Tip is even quoted as saying "Tommy Hil is my nigga."

This is a prime example of appropriation bricolage. On page 59, Sturken and Cartwright define appropriation as “taking something for oneself without consent.” Bricolage, however, refers to “making do” (64). Sturken and Cartwright mention that “the idea of consumers of popular culture “making due” with given elements of a culture seems inevitable,” which is exactly what happened to Tommy Hilfiger’s clothing line. Rappers on the 90’s adopted elements of the Tommy Hilfiger line as their own, creating a completely different style. Other examples of fashion bricolage are Doc Martens boots and backwards turned baseball caps.

The idea that a certain article of clothing can only be worn by a certain age, gender, or social class is now out of date. Clothing is one of the most obvious modes of self-expression. As time goes on, people take this ideal to even further extremes. Anyone can where anything and make their own statement. This goes true with any brand or even any article of clothing. I can’t wait until the day when we start wearing socks on our hands to make a certain statement…Oh wait, some people have already done that.

**Sorry. I couldn't find any pictures of Snoop Dogg or other rappers in Tommy Hilfiger clothes, but I'm sure you can imagine...**

I distinctly remember one of my high school English teachers having a copy of Magritte's "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" on his wall. We never discussed it, and I never understood what it meant until now. Magritte is focusing on the different representations of a material object and the multiplicity of meanings. It is easy to conclude that both the word "pipe" and a drawing of a pipe both represent the pipe itself. However, what if someone were to just talk about a pipe? You would instantly have an image of a pipe in your head but your image of a pipe will never be the same as the person describing the pipe to you.

There are so many different meanings that one could take from a certain word or even a certain object. For example, there is a piece of furniture. When placed in the middle of a room, it functions as a coffee table. However, if placed against a wall, it functions as a bench. So, is this piece of furniture a table or a bench? And even now, when I try to describe this table/bench, I know that whoever is reading this blog will be thinking of an object completely different than the one I am imagining in my head. And furthermore, if I say chair, maybe I am thinking of a desk chair, but you, on the other hand are thinking of an arm chair. Or, if someone showed a picture of a waste receptacle who is from England, he or she might call it a bin while I call it a trashcan.

Words and symbols will always fail to represent true meaning. There is no way to describe an idea accurately in words. If the definition of an umbrella is a device that provides protection from the rain, what would you call an umbrella that is broken? This object no longer protects its owner from the rain, so could you still call this object an umbrella even if it falls short of its definition? Would you have to create an entirely new word for this object?

I find this to be extremely frustrating. Even when we try to convey same meaning, there are too many different ways that the meaning can be understood. Meaning is increasingly important with the growing age of technology. It is imperative that we second guess everything what we see. It seems that we cannot trust anything that we see in pictures or the media. Even the news is easy to manipulate. When will the time come when we cannot even believe what we see with our own eyes?

yay this is my first post...