Media in Transition

Methods of mass communication have developed from mid fifteenth-century printing presses (seen above), to devices that now fit in the palm of your hand. It is hard to know what will be invented ten years from now, much less what will arise out of the next five-hundred year span. One thing is sure, youth will help determine how information will be delivered. The tools they choose to use play a part in how information is gathered and transmitted.

It’s hard to walk anywhere on Red River campus without seeing students gazing at the screen of a laptop or desktop computer. They are integrated in our lives that we all take them for granted at this point. The world is at a users fingertips (if you have a service provider) and virtually anything you want to discover is only a website away.

Students have constant access to computers and each year it’s getting harder to find teens who do not own their own cell phone. For many of them, this is their first personal communication device. Teens appear to make the most use out of a cell phone by using it for texting, with conversation coming in a close second. The immediacy of sending brief messages in a matter of moments seems to be a deciding factor. This is the basis for the popularity of Twitter as news can pass by word of mouth to thousands of people in a matter of minutes.

Knowing todays youth is highly connected to the web is the first thing to realize about getting their attention. From here on in, the process can get complicated. It’s easy to feel lost when well over 100 million websites in the world are competing for attention. The device itself can dictate what type of information is sent. Whereas a cell phone generally has a limited amount of information it can send at any given time, the flexibility of a computer in this sense is superior; for now. It is generally seen to be an easier device to read from, though products like the iPhone are gaining popularity with users.

Every day there are stacks of unsold newspapers at any number of places, including this campus. The era of newspapers isn’t drawing to a close, but society is assessing its convenience. In the era of online news, RSS feeds, and podcasting, it’s becoming harder for a daily newspaper to compete. Many people maintain their own weblogs as well where opinions and information pass from person to person to person.

All of todays technology is tailored for the present. Any plan for the future of news must contain online presence. Today’s youth could not imagine a world without the latest technology at their disposal. They are seen as a testing ground for what will work and what will fail. As they will design the models of the future, society needs to make sure they have it.

Progress anyone?

I’m early with this post, but I can’t help myself. This subject has been bouncing around in my head for a couple of days. When an idea is begging to get out, you just have to roll with it.

In my last post I mentioned I was given a President Obama T-shirt as a gift from my wife. We both had followed the 2008 US presidential election and were overjoyed, and relieved, when Barack Obama took office. Many people are inspired by President Obama and will likely continue to be for years to come. One can imagine once his term(s) in office conclude, he will remain a fixture on the US political scene and maintain a high profile.

I received a number of looks from students and faculty as I walked around campus wearing this shirt. I felt I was getting looks of ‘Where did you buy that?’ by many people. I admit, I wore this T-shirt with a certain amount of pride. Curiously, there were some people who’s expression became slightly more wrinkled as their eyes fell on Obama’s likeness. Did they not agree with the politics of the man, or simply that I’m an Obama ‘booster’ on the wrong side of the border. That’s one beauty of political democracy, or at least our definition of it. Opinions are free to sway either way. So, what’s available to me on the north side of the 49th parallel?

Well everyone, here he is smiling in front of you. It’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a photo that appears to be reaching out for the PETA vote. The kitten does not look convinced and already looks bored only weeks out of the mothers womb.

Media lampooned Stephen Harper in the 2008 election campaign for his series of ‘armchair chat’ commercials wearing his v-neck sweater. They seemed contrived and staged just like the T-shirt above. (this T-shirt does not exist, the photo is just an overlay) I thought I might as well fashion a shirt just as contrived as those sets of commercials were. I could have found a better photo featuring Prime Minister Harper, but it is a shirt I would still choose not to wear. Over and above his politics, he’s just not that likable nor does he inspire “PROGRESS” like the US President.

Come to think of it, I can’t think of any politician in Canada I feel strongly enough about where I would wear their likeness on my person. I’m sure they’re mostly nice people. I don’t hold anything personal against any one of them. Any politician I have seen so far in Canada does little to inspire. There is one hope, but his political feet are barely wet.

Maybe it’s celebrity culture in the US that allows politicians to elevate in the hierarchy of citizens minds. Image politics has been huge over there for a while and it’s something they have learned to do very well (for better or worse). Americans voted 53 per cent in favour of Obama’s rise to the American presidency. It was a decisive win for an american political system that had seen its series of mistakes. Canadians did not go out in droves for Stephen Harper in 2008 as only 37.6 per cent of Canadians voted for him. It would appear many people in Canada at the time were not sold on the idea of Harper for Prime Minister. I guess 15.4 per cent is the difference between getting your likeness on a T-shirt and largely being ignored.

Luckily, we avoided the need for another election this past Friday and politicians won’t have to project their image too deliberately for a while. Maybe by the time were ready for an election that will actually be about issues, we’ll have someone who is T-shirt worthy.

Blogger, you've tricked me...

In my effort to be engaged and fulfill my class requirement of blogging, I started my second weblog on Friday, September 11th. (the blog directly below this one) I held it in 'draft' status as I anticipated the complete blog would not be ready for a few days. Feeling it was ready last night, September 14th, I posted the blog with the hope of eliciting laughs from those who read.

Much to my surprise did I see

when the blog entered 'the realm of all blogs'

the date of September 11th staring back at me.

Blogger, you tricky young rogue.

Of what usefulness is 'draft'

when you pull words back

dated three days past?

Okay, not perfect rhyme but I think that's how people vented a long time ago. They put quill to paper and let the ink fall where it may.

Me, I'll just word process from now on and paste it to this blog later. Lesson learned.

How much is that doggy on the rooftop?

I have to say right off the top that the photo I took on the right played a big part in deciding the subject of this blog. From my first day it became the thing to remember of my RRC tour given by second year Cre-Comm students. It was a curiousity I couldn't forget.

How in the world, or at least in Winnipeg, did this poor toy end up on an exchange district rooftop? He looks at least a metre long, but I think he's larger than that. This photo was taken from a distance and for the record, I have no idea how long he's been up there.

I took a walk around the neighborhood and discovered that Rusty, I shall call him, sits atop Little Saigon restaurant. I've pointed him out to classmates and we've shared a laugh over it. If you don't know what I'm talking about, he's best seen from the third floor in most "W" classrooms. It's a bit of a departure from where toys like him are usually found.

I can't help but consider the back-story that went behind Rusty being up there. Was he stolen and the thief on the run needed to stash his goods? Was there an argument between two children and the parent chose to chuck Rusty rather than listen to constant fighting? There's only one person who knows for sure and that's the one who threw him up on the roof. You can't forget something that big so I guess Rusty became expendable. In the very least he must have been a prize. I can't imagine Rusty was cheap to buy.

Too funny in my opinion. It leaves much fodder for my imagination.

My wife came home from her trip to New York on Sunday. She was away for seven days and I was very happy to see her arrive home safe. She happened to be there on the eighth anniversary of the September 11th attacks which made me feel edgy. She is always good to me and brought back many goodies like: chocolate covered pretzels, movies, NY t-shirts, President Obama t-shirt with coffee mug, and a very cool Movado-ish watch. I provided a clean home, happy dogs, and a dozen roses on her return when she walked in the door.

Since I was young there was always tension when traveling to the U.S : buying extra health insurance, crossing the border, talking to grumpy border guards, keeping track of receipts. I have to say the feeling has never left me. I guess it's the whole 'foreign soil' thing and the perception that many people there are armed. I don't personally know anyone who's had trouble while visiting there, but I know it happens. Just follow those basic rules we all know by now and you're likely to always stay out of trouble.

I guess being somewhere other than home can be awkward to begin with.

I've gone and done it!

Well everyone, this is it. I am now part of the student body at Red River College, Princess Street seen at the right. It is a beautiful campus and it will be my second home for the next two years. I'm into my second week of classes and its been great. I am looking forward to the challenges a first year Cre-Comm student faces. (note to self: remember this statement when floored by sheer volume of assignments)

I'm finding my way around campus much better now. I've met several helpful people along my travels when I've lost my way. My best rule: always look for signs (not 'Signs', M. Night Shyamalan). Whenever I start to feel wary about my direction (pop!), one of those directional signs on the wall never seems to be far away.

One of my favourite places other than the on campus Tim Hortons (minus the line ups), is the atrium. What appears to have acted as a back alley for many decades in the early 1900's, is now a glass roof vertical space that connects the William and Adelaide buildings to the Princess building. Corbett Cibinel Architects (now known simply as Cibinal Architects) were responsible for the design and implementation, determining which parts of the structure could be removed. The facades were an important feature and needed to remain intact. It was one of several design requests along with preserving the original trading floor and many window openings. There's more pieces of history on campus like doors to safes, wooden crate ends (mounted as artwork), and the third floor Heritage room of the Princess building. I like the items the campus has salvaged and enjoy seeking them out when I have a moment between classes.

The actual question of what my blog would contain was more difficult than I thought. What subjects are left, really? Some answers are simply found when your not dwelling on them. Like anyone, I want my blog to be unique in its own way. I've set up a YouTube video box on the side for visitors to have an idea of my taste in music. I'll try and change it up from time to time. If you hear something there you like or want to know more about it, let me know. I've actually retooled this blog from an earlier time. Before my wedding last Fall, I began blogging in an effort to notify friends of my pending engagement. Feel free to read these posts as well if you so choose.

I went into this project with an earlier idea, but today it took a turn. While this post is meant for introductory purposes, after today a theme takes over. It may be risky, but I think it could be interesting. To some extent I will always include events in my life, but the recurring theme will be (drum roll please)...

juxtaposition. to place something closely alongside another for contrasting effect. The picture of Princess Street campus at the beginning of this post is a good example of juxtaposition. The integration of historic and modern architecture is striking and deserves many accolades.

Stay tuned. This could be fun.

(church/skyscraper photo attribute: Michael Fenichel 2008)