Melfi's blog

Our discussion in class today and my experiences with Cathy's Book have made me think about my experience with Public Records searching and reporting.

All journalism majors, including myself, are required to take "Fact Finding" a course that essentially teaches you about individual rights to public information as well as how to go about finding this information efficiently and legally for the sake of accurate reporting.

Although the class sounds rather boring to most (oo, the joys of perusing through microfilm, old forms and computer records at your local clerk of the court and county offices) I actually found it rather fascinating. It's amazing, and a little scary, that I know exactly how easy it is to dig up any kind of information on someone, and often times, it is equally possible to find supposedly private info like social security numbers, etc., just because of some clerical worker's blind mistake.  read more »

I thought I'd share Blizzard's World of Warcraft April Fool's joke, since it's somewhat relevant to our discussion on expectations of modern video games:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ce7ivrGMN0U

I linked to the trailer on YouTube because the one at their web site is getting so many hits that the site is wiggin' out. But feel free to check it out there, too.

I thought this was relevant to our discussion about shooting and realism of violence in video games on Monday:

Shooting for Realism: How Accurate are Video-Game Weapons?

Photopia made me interested in Interactive Fiction. I enjoy seeing how writers and artists can experiment with communication and narrative in different media, and I think Adam Cadre is extremely creative in how he works with a medium to interact with a reader/viewer/player/etc.

Although I found Photopia intriguing -- like reading an interesting book -- I don't think it was as impacting for me as it was for other people, judging by their blogs, but I decided that I enjoyed it enough to check out some of Cadre's other work.

The comments about Cadre's "Shrapnel" made the game seem unresistable:

"Unsettling. Brilliant. Damn you." —Ian Finley

"Really good game, but REALLY CREEPY. I honestly woke up with nightmares after playing it." —Sean Gaffney

"This was the most unsettling piece of IF I've ever had the pleasure to play." —Oren Ronen

"I think I'm now warped for life." —Alan Monroe

Could it really be that disturbing? I guess my penchant for trying to scare myself (see my last post about Silent Hill) got the best of me.  read more »

I guess I wanted to respond or further elaborate on ideas in Greg's Blog about DOOM, since I found his post rather entertaining. I have never played DOOM, but I've played other games of the same genre. Sill, I'm sure the experience cannot be equated, as I've heard horror stories about how DOOM frightened many children and also addicted them to gaming in general. Plus, I've also heard that the game is just incredibly hilarious at times.  read more »

An image I stumbled upon:

Nintendo: A History from Pixels to 3D

While it's interesting to see the evolution in technology, I find it even more interesting that the older pixel versions basically contain all of the same "information" as the more detailed ones. In a way, it's almost like the more detailed versions are how we would flesh out the characters in our own minds once given "the trigger" of the pixel version. So, in a way, maybe technology has just eliminated a step in our imaginative process...

After taking Technologies of the Book last semester with Harpold, I really enjoy thinking about the book, the codex, not just for the content that's inside of it, but as it's own artifact, as a medium of its own. It's just so interesting to think of the "laws" that govern reading and the functioning of the book as imposed by current society, which of course, has been a long time in the making.

From scrolls, to books of all sizes, to digital books and software, all media is constantly transforming... adding and subtracting... and in these days, blending with others.

But of course, is a digital "book" really a book? Is listening to an audio book the same as reading the physically bound pages of a codex.

Also, since I've worked for book presses and publication offices, I know what goes into the creation of a book -- the parts, the anatomy, how the industry works. So, it's both jarring and a breath of fresh air to see writers and artists play with the medium.

A few pictures as examples:

tennis book 1
tennis book 2  read more »

I found Murray's discussion of immersion to be casually interesting, but not engrossing. What is more interesting to me is the fact that reading it produced a "duh" factor in my mind. This has nothing to do with her writing or content, but more to do with the fact that humans have for a very long time, if not always, been incredibly immersive beings. Although she does into details about MUDs and LARPing that are somewhat specialized niches of immersion in participatory narratives, the core idea of that immersion probably makes sense, and is entirely applicable, to the lives of everyone in this class. Just look around campus to see everyone staring at their laptops, ears plugged with iPods, or reading a novel or textbook for class.

Murray mentioned silent reading and the fears everyone had about people withdrawing in "secret" to read anything from medical encyclopedias, religious texts, or erotic literature. It was just another way for people to do something, think about things, and develop thought processes that no one else could no about.  read more »

I mentioned kill screens of class arcade games in class today because it was something that I didn't know about until recently watching the documentary "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," a documentary that follows two arcade gaming champions in the quest to hold the world's record score in Donkey Kong. It's a fascinating documentary.

Here's a 1-minute clip from it that explains and shows images of kill screens:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-wY1dkCKZ7Q

I've always played video games, but I've never been the type that needs to explore every nook and cranny and complete every level and aspect of the game. When I was little, I think I always assumed that all games had an end - and that's probably because by the time I was old enough to really play games (born in 1985.. even though I briefly had an Atari, I probably only watched my older sister and parents play) the games probably *had* endings. I remember having "Game Genie" (actually, I still have it) that allowed me to explore this by giving Mario the nifty ability to fly through levels unscathed until I reached the end.  read more »

It's been very interesting to see people's reactions to the documentary Helvetica (and even just the font itself). I'm a graphic designer for both print and online, so the film really resonated with me. I have always loved fonts and typography, and it was so great to see a documentary featuring people who think about the same things I do. Actually, it made me feel a little better about myself because I'm not nearly as obsessive about everything as most of the people being interviewed. But, I'm still a budding designer, so maybe that's me in the future... interesting.

Anyway, it's weird for me to see people talking about typography and fonts like they "don't get it" ... "it's just a font," "it's boring," "it doesn't mean anything," and then transitioning into thoughts like, "I've never thought about it that way before," etc.  read more »

This is interesting... found in while surfing the web waves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4uXrpvTWNo

Guess listening to Sayjack and White chat while the credits role *can* be interesting... heh.

Our discussion about "multi-stable" pictures in class today reminded me of this interesting and fun email I received over winter break. Maybe all of you have seen it before, but I practically live on the internet and I hadn't seen it, so maybe a few of you will find it new. Either way, I still think it's appropriate to consider.

The email (usually titled "Your Brain" or "Right Brain vs. Left Brain") includes this image below:

Dancing Girl: Which way is she spinning... to YOU?

Dancing Girl
And says:

"Do you see the dancer turning clockwise or counter-clockwise? If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa. Most of us would see the dancer turning counter-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it."

Then it lists characteristics that go with left and right brain functions, which supposedly apply to you if you are seeing the dancer turn clockwise or counter clockwise.  read more »

"The claim that all media are mixed media, all arts composite arts, may actually sound like common sense to a generation raised on MTV" (Mitchell 107 [Coursepack 35]).

Yes, it does sound like common sense to me. But, no, it's not because of MTV. I know that Mitchell probably meant no offense by that comment -- it was probably just an attempt to connect with humor or popular culture, but I really think that more credit should be given to my generation and our culture that goes beyond MTV. I like Mitchell and definitely agree with his comments in "Beyond Comparison." I guess, first of all, I just wanted to expand on his comment.  read more »

Over the course of my college career, I’ve gradually gotten used to reading analytical and theory texts. Some are wonderfully constructed, concise and insightful, and others… not so much. I’m still on the fence as to how I regard Chatman’s Story and Discourse. I admit that at times I don’t feel like I have the proper background necessary for maybe not comprehending but appreciating the Chatman’s efforts with this book. He mentions the work of many other scholars, including Propp, Todorov, and Genette. Honestly, I have not read any work by these people and it might be a stretch to say that I even know who they really are. So, I guess, consider this a disclaimer for whatever follows.  read more »

This is my first time reading the Krazy Kat coming by George Herriman. And, although at first it seems confusing, after a few strips, I fell in love with it. It plays not only with image, but also with text and the audience's understanding of the text. It also plays on the particular medium of the drawn comic strip and our understanding of how the medium works as a narrative device.

Take, for instance, the September 13, 1940 strip at the top of page 113 of our course pack. The first frame introduces the three main characters of the comic: Officer Pup, Krazy Kat, and Ignatz Mouse. Pup stands nearby, watching Kat and Mouse discuss Mouse's black brick, his typical throwing device that is also usually not black. Kat asks him why it is black, to which Mouse replies that he will throw the brick (presumably at Kat -- his usual victim of choice) in the "third picture." By this he is referencing an upcoming frame in the comic strip. In the second frame, Kat asks Mouse why he doesn't throw the brick in "this pitcha," the second frame. Mouse says the third picture/frame will be black.  read more »