About 4 years ago, I started gaining an interest in photography. I started out with polaroids and it was such a cool thing to watch the photo develop in front of my eyes. Around 2012 though, I had the option of continuing my hobby through film by upgrading to a medium format film camera or going digital. I eventually chose to go digital and couldn’t be more happier. I am a technology lover and making the switch to digital just made sense when I think about it now. I calculated the savings of going digital and found out that it would save me a couple thousand dollars compared to shooting film. The great thing about editing digital images is that there’s is much more flexibility to it than film. Tweaking my image to my taste is what sets my work apart from other people’s. Some cameras now have apps like smartphones too! By making the switch to digital, I save money and thoroughly enjoy photography more than ever.
Author: kotaro14
ILA 3 & 4
Forgive my lack of blog posts, I often forget that I also have to post here as well.
If it is a Website (not a database)
Website Title: Vox
Sponsor: Vox Media
Last Update: 06 September 2014
Date of Viewing: 11 December 2014
Any page #s?: 1
Link to source or Physical Location: https://web.archive.org/web/20141002202901/http://www.vox.com/2014/9/6/6111065/gamergate-explained-everybody-fighting
1.Todd VanDerWerff has worked with many pieces for many publications. He was the copy-editor for The Press-Enterprise for 3 years then worked as a freelance TV writer for The A.V. Club, hitflix.com, and the Los Angeles Times. In 2010 he started working for the Onion as a TV Editor that coordinated dozens of people, editing the coverage, and wrote 10-15 pieces a week for almost 4 years. Now, Todd is the Culture Editor for Vox, he now is the head writer and responsible for a staff of other writers.
2.In this source, Todd VanDerWerff is thoroughly summarising the gamergate situation. He goes in-depth with everything or at least the things that are significant with gamergate such as video game journalism ethics, misogyny, politics, Sarkeesian, and the Quinn. He tries to wade through all the information and discover what all the these things have to do with each other and comes to the conclusion that gamergate is different depending on who you ask. Some people may say it’s about journalism and ethics, some may say they hate women and women are detrimental to video games.
3.I really liked this source since it centralises everything for me and has helped me have a clearer understanding of what gamergate is or at least, the most unbiased opinion since Todd VanDerWerff offers different perspectives and different sources of input. This source allows me to use information included or if I wanted to dive more in-depth about a topic it briefly covers than I can just google it. It made me realise that this gamergate movement could have really changed the landscape of gaming, but in the end, thanks to some bad apples, isn’t able to do so.
4.I will quote some interviews that Todd VanDerWerff has done with people from the Guardian and other sources. It gives me a lot of things I need for my essay such as background info, thoughts on the matter, perspectives, in-depth coverage of video game journalism ethics and so on.
If it is a Website (not a database)
Website Title: Boston Globe
Sponsor: Boston Globe
Last Update: 27 January 2013
Date of Viewing: 11 December 2014
Any page #s?: 1
Link to source or Physical Location: http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/01/27/women-remain-outsiders-video-game-industry/275JKqy3rFylT7TxgPmO3K/story.html
1.LeaH Burrows is the Senior Research Communications Specialist of Brandeis University. She’s “an experienced journalist with a strong background in science, Leah spent three years as a reporter in the Greater Boston area. Her work has appeared in The Boston Globe, the Boston Herald and Biblical Archaeology Review, and on NationalGeographic.com” (Brandeis University)
2.In this source, Burrows explores the current state of women in the video game industry. She writes that women are not often hired as programmers or other technical jobs. Most often women apply as artists and most women compared to men don’t have STEM degrees. She talks about the unfairness in the industry and that even though there is unfairness, it is much better than it was 30 years ago.
3.This source surprised me and at the same time didn’t surprise me since I knew that like every industry out there, women get paid less, it was just that the difference was so large was what I didn’t expect. I’m inspired to devote a significant paragraph to the these injustices and I’m especially ashamed that some of the video game professionals I respected may have likely done these things.
4.This source provides with data covering the annual income of men vs women in the video game industry and how women are often treated badly. It will help me with my paragraph about women and gamergate and show the discrepancies within the industry.
Gamergate Research Questions
My research question is: How has Gamergate affected the video game industry as a whole? Most of my research will most likely be secondary research as this topic will need a lot fo analysis. I will also do primary research since many of the people involved in it have given interviews and their view on Gamergate too. I predict I will find the true reason behind Gamergate and that the video game journalism ethics is just a coverup of what the true problem is. I might have trouble thinking of what this and rhetoric have in common, but other than that.
#Gamergate
How has Gamergate affected the video game industry as a whole? What does it have to do with misogyny and video game journalism ethics? How does it not affect just gamers? How has the demographic changed from the stereotypical image of gamer to what the demographic includes today? What does feminism have to do with the video game industry? How representative is this of the current gaming industry? What can be done to resolve Gamergate?
Hong Kong Protests
Analysis of Time’s Umbrella Revolution Cover Page
Is the fight for democracy over? On the 31 August 2014, China ruled against open nominations for Hong Kong’s chief executive and on the week of 22 September 2014, the protest for fair democratic elections started in Hong Kong. Numerous images depict Hong Kong’s “Umbrella Revolution” and most, if not all of them are moving. The analysis this time though, would be on Time’s cover page for their October issue. Without background information, it will be difficult to understand the image.
As a country that has known democracy for more than 60 years it is hard to grasp what it feels like to return to a type of system that controls many things such as socialism. In Hong Kong, socialism may soon be it’s next fate. Hong Kong had been a part of China until Britain took control of it in the early 20th century and when Britain handed it back to China in 1997 with one exception, the Basic Law. The Basic Law stated that Hong Kong would not follow China’s rules, would follow the rules set out previously by Britain, and that the appointment of the Chief Executive along with their members of legislature would be through universal suffrage. The problem with the decision that China has made is that while it allows for voting, it is in the end, a farce.
The new Chief Executive election steps are: a 1200-member committee would vote for two-three candidates, then the popular choice vote, and finally China’s Central People’s Government will have to approve the candidate that the people have chosen. The problem is the two-three candidates must have more than 50% votes of the nominating committee and China must approve the candidate that was voted by popular choice. So if China doesn’t like the candidate then they’re thrown out, making the Chief Executive a pro-supporter of China or even a puppet. It is ironic because China’s new system is more democratic than the current system right now since there is currently no popular choice voting for the Chief Executive.
The image brings to point that the majority of Hong Kongers are uniting in standing up for freedom. Ever since the enactment of “One country, two systems”, China’s influence of completely regaining Hong Kong grows. The image shows a serious movement with it’s muted out colours, tear gas, sanitary masks, and the two people in the background clearly suffering from the tear gas. The neon yellow text that draws your eye in and the “HONG KONG’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM IS A CHALLENGE TO CHINA” explicitly lists what the citizens of Hong Kong are doing. The man centred in the middle holding both umbrellas up is making the statement that translates to “Even if you knock us down, we will get back up, no amount of tear gas or physical brutality will ever change us.”
Protest Art
Protest art is usually very strong. What I mean by strong wi that the fonts used are usually bold, the pictures very grungy, often portray suffering, and hardships.
timothytasmin 