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The Matrix

The plot of the Matrix deals with humanity being taken over by artificial intelligent machines. A group of humans have to wage war against the machines to reclaim earth and reality. The machines have taken over the real world and destroyed what resides on it with the exception of Zion. The last city located deep underground where those who are free from the Matrix (a simulated world created by the machines) reside.

The Movie is full of rhetoric, one in particular is the color and the contrast between clutter and neatness in the different locations. In the real world it exudes dark colors along the lines of brown and black, meanwhile in the Matrix it is almost the opposite , it has bright colors. This vast difference was important to distinguish the two worlds.

The Wachowskis also distinguish the two worlds through their characters. Neo versus Agent Smith, Neo is shown in two  ways, first is the grungy and tattered look, when in the real world. But as soon as he enters the matrix he is dressed in clean attire, all black with a cape and shades. Agent Smith is also dressed to perfection, with a suit and tie.

A step further into what the message could be is the real world is meant to be imperfect as shown by the clothes and its inhabitants. The real world is an apocalyptic world, the people are forced underground and what was living has been ravaged by the machines. In the Matrix, it can be seen as perfect and running like a well oiled machine. But I think the message the Wachowskis are trying to send is that despite how efficient the machines make the Matrix it too is also meant to be imperfect as humans are. As long as humans live in the Matrix it will cease to be anywhere close to ideal, and that is shown by the conflict between agent smith and Neo (the one). 

Dream Weaver post 1/27

I have never used Dream Weaver before this class. Which would make it safe to say I have never designed a webpage using HTML code. But I have experienced Wix from my Com 210 class. It is a fairly easy interface. And  I have  used Facebook and Myspace .

I think after experiencing Dream Weaver in class today, it will be a difficult program to use. I am not at all talented at programming nor creating web pages. Therefore I will have to spend a lot of time on efficiency and remembering the different techniques to get our first project completed. My biggest concern is whether we will have enough time in class to master this program and take a new skill away from this class. 

1/22

One form of text I have come across daily and most students do too are flyers. Flyers litter the walls of the school and it seems virtually impossible to escape them.

Our group was assigned gestural mode. And a gestural mode refers to the way movement, such as body language, can make meaning. My group's example was during a fire alarm in the dorms, the RA's posture and stance relays the information of "no one goes back in until we say it's safe."

Where gestural mode falls short is not during face to face interactions, but when it is over the phone or someone cannot see you , one cannot properly communicate with gestures. Gestural mode can also be somewhat vague as to what the doer is trying to communicate. An example would be people of different cultural backgrounds, the thumbs up in Europe and America mean things are going well, meanwhile in Islamic and Asian countries it is considered an insult.

When looking around Room 105, the message of "you're here to learn and not play" is what comes to mind. I came to this conclusion from the different signage scattered on the walls, one printed in big bold letters says "Silence" another flashes the words "No Smoking." A more subtle clue as to what the message is, are the computers. They distinguish themselves from public day use desk tops by including a student's ID number to log in. From these select items which first caught my eye, I thought they were fairly effective and slightly obvious as to what message they were trying to get across.

Addressee: Me
Contact: Apple computer
Code: Physical layout - I have 2 feet between me and the person in the seat beside me
Ethos: Signage around the room, The layout of the computers, you are almost isolated in your own respective space
Pathos: Dissuading me from using the computer , because of the log in code
Context: Class time
Kairos: Keyboard, Logitech mouse, Apple computer, Photoshop (Providing opportunity to use equipment that we may not necessarily own)
Message: It is time to work or "you're here to learn and not play"
Metanoia: A message that was expressed to me today was that this room is a computer lab, the layout and decorum provides clues as to it being in fact a computer lab. This may be a stretch but the layout of this room and what it is, in fact gets me to reflect upon my focus as a student. When looking around there are not many things to distract a person, rather it directs ones attention to either the white board or your computer. So this room does in fact force me to engage in metanoia.

The black and white photo of the kid eating a watermelon evokes the emotions of a classic past time. When your mom would slice you a portion of watermelon during a hot day and you would devour it by the side of a curb or in your backyard. The original photo although well defined in color does not evoke any emotion at all , I merely see it as capturing a moment of happiness in a child's life.

Intro Blog Post

My name is Marc, and I am a Junior in the Murrow College of Communication. The few things that keep me going are rock climbing, attending Sunday service at Resonate Church, and naps.  I am interested in learning how to use different forms of media to effectively reach out to future audiences. Through this course I also hope to expand my knowledge of what new media encompasses and how it will be used to shape our industry.

I believe new media is the ability to access content anytime, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback and creative participation.